So, Heartsong at the NEYT came and went with nothing more to show for it online than a terrible probably-AI-generated poster and a terrible probably-AI-generated description, both of which I'm too dignified to post here.
Sweet Seals For You, Always
trying on a metaphor
NASA
we're not kids anymore.
No title available
One Nice Bug Per Day
d e v o n
Three Goblin Art

titsay
TVSTRANGERTHINGS

No title available

JVL
Jules of Nature
todays bird
sheepfilms
Game of Thrones Daily

Love Begins
Not today Justin
RMH

祝日 / Permanent Vacation

seen from United States
seen from Germany

seen from Malaysia

seen from Romania

seen from United States
seen from Denmark
seen from Malaysia

seen from Türkiye

seen from United States
seen from Canada

seen from Germany
seen from Syria

seen from United States

seen from South Korea

seen from Singapore

seen from United States
seen from Palestinian Territories
seen from Palestinian Territories

seen from South Africa
seen from United States
@musicmistress
So, Heartsong at the NEYT came and went with nothing more to show for it online than a terrible probably-AI-generated poster and a terrible probably-AI-generated description, both of which I'm too dignified to post here.
Just a little note to myself that Xavier's New Friends exists. I don’t think it’s really worth a post though…
So, I have a doozy of a discovery!
This sweet little French number has a title that translates to The Wonderful Story of Musical Instruments, and I must say I love the art!
It's also a sequel to something called The Wonderful Story of Notes.
Finding conclusive information related to this is a nightmare, but I was able to eventually dig up that it maybe, probably, came out in 1984, and was also translated into Hungarian
And Hebrew
That version produced a review in the Jerusalem Post, from someone with downright puritannical standards of dress.
"Considerable cleavage"? Really?
And now it's time for every illustration I could find! (Mostly from the Hungarian version because for some reason that just has the most avalible illustrations)
Update- it has also been translated into Spanish
So, I have a doozy of a discovery!
This sweet little French number has a title that translates to The Wonderful Story of Musical Instruments, and I must say I love the art!
It's also a sequel to something called The Wonderful Story of Notes.
Finding conclusive information related to this is a nightmare, but I was able to eventually dig up that it maybe, probably, came out in 1984, and was also translated into Hungarian
And Hebrew
That version produced a review in the Jerusalem Post, from someone with downright puritannical standards of dress.
"Considerable cleavage"? Really?
And now it's time for every illustration I could find! (Mostly from the Hungarian version because for some reason that just has the most avalible illustrations)
So, I have recently discovered a baffling childrens' record
This doesn't really have anything to do with Woody Woodpecker aside from happening to have him as host, but one act in the show is an amazing "talking" violin
She's supposed to recite "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and when I first heard that line I was expecting me some Sonovox, but actually what happens is... strange.
The violin just... plays, but not just the melody of "Mary Had A Little Lamb". It plays to mimic the speech intonation of someone reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb" as a poem.
Also at the end we get a pretty good impression of laughing played on a bow and strings.
Oh, and the strings as limbs is a unique design choice. I don't think I've seen that anywhere else...
Hello. I'm still alive, and...
Well, another children's musical based on Jack and the Beanstalk (in English, but made in a Spanish-speaking country to teach children English) has someone in a harp costume.
A kinda dumb harp costume, though I like the mask.
So, the new discovery I mentioned in the last post turned out to not be as exciting as I thought, but that doesn’t mean I'm not still posting about it.
Introducing Fanfare, a 1953 ballet by Jerome Robbins, set to “A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra”, featuring dancers that represent instruments.
They made a Tubby the Tuba ballet. In fact, they made three.
No, really.
Let's start with the half-hour version that was put on by the people at Gould Academy... because the only thing I could find mentioning it was one random newspaper article.
So that's that.
Next up is what I call "the famous one", although for all it gets mentioned no one seems to know much about it- no photos, not even much of a summary. It was choreographed by Ron Cunningham and put on by the Boston Ballet- and, with some digging, I was able to find the program from it.
The last one is the most recent, being put on in 2015 by the Fargo-Moorhead Ballet and Gasper's School of Dance (as a double-feature with the Paquita Suite); it's also the only one with a photo avalible.
By digging around in my time machine, I was able to find another picture (albeit one of the frog)...
...the poster...
... and the cast list
Und das ist alles!
...except that while looking into Tubby I found something else that urgently needs my research, but that's for another time.
So, while looking around, I have recently discovered that this exists.
At first, I thought this was another sad series that was never made, but look at the upload date- it's only ten months ago.
It's still got a shot, and I hope, oh I hope is succeeds.
Adaptations of Jack and the Beanstalk that give more character to the golden harp aren't exactly a new thing, but just last month Dundee Repatory Theater put on a version of the tale from the perspective of...
... Jack's cow. (You thought I was going to say "the harp", didn't you?)
Anyway, this "moosical" (hardy har har) has the harp as a comedic side character named, you guessed it, Harper; according to various reviews, he, portrayed by David Rankine, appears in the second act, is "high-strung", amazed by the "tiny" furniture in Jack's house, and is overall a very solidly-performed comedic character. Too bad there's no footage of him.
There is, however, one photo.
An update on Adventures of the Musikids-
So, my (ahem) good friend Anna (who is unfortunately going through some health issues right now) was kind enough to lend me a copy of the November 18, 2005 issue of the New York Times, which confirmed my suspicion that they did indeed have an illustration accompanying the article that wasn't included in the online version.
Latest in musical mysteries- this CD.
Which has exactly one listing on Amazon... that, to my surprise and happiness, comes with a plot summary!
An introduction to the sounds of the orchestra. For pre-school, kindergarten and early grade school children. A young girl, Anne, finds herself in MusicLand and meets the various musical instruments. This program was designed to introduce pre-school, kindergarten and early grade school children to the basic orchestra and band instruments. Basic emphasis in the program is on recognition of sounds of the instruments. The method employed is the utilization of a story theme and the development of a personality for each instrument introduced. A young girl, Anne, is the vehicle through which the story progresses and the instruments are introduced to the listener. It is anticipated that the children will more readily recognize instruments with which they can associate a character or story. Anne wakes up to the clash of cymbals at the gate of Musicland. She receives permission from Cymbal the Great to enter Musicland. Anne becomes involved in a disagreement between violins and "fiddles", searches for the missing Silent Sam the Cello, and meets many inhabitants of MusicLand, including Grandpa Bass, Violet Viola, Flighty Flute, Tiny Piccolo, Blacky Clarinet, Ruby Oboe, Bob Bassoon, and Jax the Sax. In Chapter Two, Anne continues her search for Silent Sam the Cello so he can play in a special Musicland Concert. While searching for Silent Sam, she meets Boom-Boom the Bass Drum, Rat-a-tat Snare Drum, and Ting-a-ling Triangle. They invite her to join their parade in honor of Terry and Timmy Timpani who are returning to MusicLand after their successful debut at Carnegie Hall. She meets Big George the Tuba, Slipper Slide Trombone, Frenchy the French Horn, Mr. Trumpet, and the Timpani. Anne's adventures in MusicLand end with the successful concert appearance of Silent Sam, and a promise from Cymbal the Great that she can return to meet more MusicLand citizens in the future.
Whoof, that's a long one.
The only thing I could find is that this is apparently a re-release of an older record just titled Musicland.
Well, looks like I know where they got the plot summary from.
Just some mysterious musical plays.
We start with-
This play only has three results for it on the entire Internet; it was apparently put on at least twice at the Oregon Contemporary Theater, once in 2016 for the Northwest Festival of Ten-Minute Plays and once in 2018. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts on the Wayback, I couldn't find any mention of it on the theater's site.
And, second and last
This one's got a bit more on it, and a few reviews I think are lovely.
And that's a- hol'up
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some digging to do.
Sorry for the low-effort post, I'm a bit busy... but I found a Really Musical Play where everything you could want, including the soundtrack, is all on one page. Well, everything except for images.
(And yes, I did Wayback it in case the page goes down.)
Latest in my musical research- a play called Heartsong.
To my annoyance, there are no photos of this play on the entire Internet... but that doesn't mean there isn't still interesting information.
So, to start, this play is by Barbara Blatter, and- summary time!
The Heartsong Band, a diverse group of middle-school musical instruments who make music by listening to each other's hearts,(NOTE:???) overcomes the lures and pitfalls of promised solo celebrity and reclaims the empathy that is the source of their joyful sound.
The band’s cohesion is threatened when the conniving talent agency, AJBC (Always Judge a Book by its Cover) undermines Heartsong for its own gain with phony promises of fame and fortune. When AJBC sets up competitive auditions to select the one “star,” hostility, bullying and loss of empathy among band members ensues.
Ultimately, the instruments realize that their connections and unique way of making music are more important than winning at each other’s expense. Reclaiming each other and shared stardom, they help the CEO of AJBC and his assistant awaken to their long-lost joy in engaging with others.
And what else have we got? Well, not a song list, unfortunately, but the second-best thing- a character list, with details!
CHARACTERS
MEMBERS OF HEARTSONG BAND – middle-school teenage musical instruments from all over the world, where each member is a Star. They make music in a range of styles by listening to each other’s hearts.
There's that baffling heart stuff again. Well, I guess it is in the title...
Also, whoop-de-yay, a mass of international protagonists. This won't degenerate into stereotypes at all.
TOZI RAINSTICK - a Mexican bamboo rainstick. Empathic, introspective, proud of her rain-making Aztec ancestors; sees through pretense, not afraid to speak up and stand alone. She is named for the Aztec Goddess of Healing and Sweet Water.
And first up we have a Magical Empathic Native American. Oh joy.
TCHAIKOVSKY STRAVINSKY MUSSORGSKY CELLO 16th (aka HELLO CELLO) – a descendant of an 18th-century cello from Odessa, Russia. Old World formal, lovably bombastic, acts snobbish to conceal his soft heart, is self-conscious about his bulk.
That's better.
SAM SAX - an alto saxophone from New Orleans. Super cool hipster; his desire to appear laid back and in control covers a terrible performance anxiety that causes him to stutter. Identifies with the jazz greats especially Charlie Parker.
Better concept, but I can hear his "hip" dialogue already and I don't like it. Is... is Charlie Parker an instrument in the play's world, or are characters just going to mention real-world musicians and never explain anything?
MAJONGA CONGA - a beautifully carved Conga drum from a formerly-wealthy Somalian family who fled civil war and drought in their country and in the process lost their money. Cautious, prideful; threatened that the diversity of Heartsong will erode his aristocratic identity.
Conga drums come from Cuba, not Somalia! Blatter has committed an error no more egregious than plunking the Eiffel Tower next to the Empire State Building.
SHUEH-YEN SYNTH - a state-of-the-art Japanese keyboard synthesizer. New Punky style, insists on independence, arrogant about her cutting edge technology, but secretly lonely, wishes she could more openly express how much she values Heartsong.
Techy Japanese girl. Another dumb stereotype.
AMPED-UP – an amplifier made in a small shop in Baghdad, a poet. Passionately political, believes Heartsong can change the world; becomes agitated because the music comes through him and is not made by him, causing him to question his value to the band.
PENNY WHISTLE - an Irish penny whistle, first in her family to leave the farm in County Cork. A high achiever, brilliant in school, quick-witted, highly animated; she may express her anxiety about fitting into the group as exaggerated modesty or contempt.
SCHOOL MUSIC TEACHER
MS./MR. METRONOME - a Metronome, moves and talks in rhythm, fast and slow, will burst into song spontaneously. Energetic teacher, beloved mentor to Heartsongers, thrilled about their fame, concerned about how it will impact them.
REPRESENTATIVES OF AJBC (“Always Judge a Book by Its Cover”)
I THE PHONE 26 - an I-Phone, the very latest; the CEO of AJBC, Always Judge a Book by Its Cover, the biggest music talent agency on the planet. Egocentric, all about appearances and staying at the top. With the help of the Heartsongers, he ultimately wakes up to the value of connecting to others.
Oh good LORD. If there's one thing I hate more than people getting which country an instrument comes from wrong, it's shoehorned "new technology is evil" messaging. You writers- maybe one person can't do much on their own, but all of you writers, collectively, who use that trope are responsible for the waves of online censorship that are crashing down over the world!
ANN/ANDY DROID - last year’s Samsung Smart phone, new administrative assistant at AJBC. Deferential, bumbling, disorganized; a new father(NOTE: Or mother, presumably, given the gender name variant) and former Garage Band musician, attracted to Heartsong’s compassionate music, realizes that he can have music and his family.
CASH MCGREEDY - a $100,000 bill, lawyer for AJBC. Greedy, impatient, never satisfied, sycophantish; wants to fill the void, believes he can buy whatever he needs.
Okay this last guy is so stupid it's hilarious.
And that's everyone.
And, now that we know who's in it, where did it run?
Lemme check. Workshop in Phonecia Playhouse September 2023, workshop in Antrim Playhouse August 2025, workshop in New England Youth Theater April, um...
OH MY GOD IT'S UPCOMING
Well, check back with me on (checks date) 4/20 when this thing is put on (although since I can't be there in person I'll have to rely on whatever the NEYT posts online, which means there might be a delay).
I Thought This Was a Translation of Peter In the Land of Musical Instruments, But It Wasn't (Shocking!) (Gone Wrong!)
Okay, I promise I'll never do clickbait again. Seriously, though, I've got another musical mystery on my hands, by the name of Peter på upptäcksfärd i musiklandet. (Peter on a Journey of Discovery in the Land of Music)
And seriously, I thought this was another translation of one of Klara Chitz's Peter books (lovely, by the way), but it's... not?
According to the listings I could find, it's 49 pages long and published by Svensk Skolmusik- the Swedish School of Music.
The only other bit of information I could dig up (seriously, there isn't even a photo of this book's back cover) is this summary:
Saga med flertalet notstycken. Bilder. Mest berättelse om blockflöjt, mandolin samt violiner.
Fairy tale with several pieces of music. Pictures. Mostly stories about recorder, mandolin and violins.
Music Mistress's very latest in unreleased media- Piccolo, sans Saxo or Compagnie
This is a (very ambitiously, as you'll see in a moment) planned animated series that got exactly two things- a theme song
and a pilot animatic
And what do I mean by "ambitious"? Why, just read some of the stuff on the website.
Pilot Logline
A quirky, friendly Piccolo searches for his place in the royal orchestra but is banished by the conductor until the Queen comes and restores him to his true destiny.
Series Logline
Once connected with his song and part in the royal Orchestra, Piccolo sets out on a musical adventure with the Queen to include and restore all lost and discarded instruments to the symphony and their chosen family in the magical land of Amoria.
Okay that's not too ambitious.
In season one our theme is togetherness. Piccolo and the Queen grow their chosen family with lessons of kindness, acceptance, advocacy and standing up to oppression in song and story. They learn to celebrate diversity and join in harmony with one another. By the end of the season, the friends realize their island has become a safe haven for all instruments to heal and find hope. Once secure in their friendship and in the Queen’s presence they leap into their next adventure. Together they brave the unknown and travel beyond the Calliope Sea to different lands with the songs of love and belonging for all. Joining forces and hands, they travel to new lands discovering the Queen is known by many other names in different parts of the world and that every instrument can hear her singing in their hearts.
The series is a collection of musical adventures for families and children ages two to ten. In each episode Piccolo meets a new instrument who seeks refuge in his fantastical, musical, wonderland of Amoria and embarks on story of self discovery and acceptance. Piccolo partners with the the Queen, the musical Land’s divine presence to help lost, discarded and excluded instruments become a chosen family. Together they confront their fears, stand up to their oppressors, forgive their bullies and find they belong in the royal orchestra through songs and meaningful lessons. With kid friendly lyrics and themes on human rights and justice, Piccolo is a modern day advocate who spreads love and compassion to help children and families develop empathy on real life issues like disability representation, racial justice, gender equity and LGBT+ inclusion to name a few. These and more important topics are explored and celebrated with catchy tunes that will get kids and adults alike, singing, tapping their toes and dancing in their living rooms.
Wordy, idealistic, don't think it'd fly in the US's current political climate... but that's not what I mean by ambitious.
S1E1: Pilot. Piccolo finds he is unwelcome in the Royal Orchestra, rejected by the conductor until the Queen finds him and restores him to his rightful place. Issue: Forgiveness, Inclusion, Belonging
S1E2: Caste Away. Piccolo meets Sami the Sitar who has been culturally deemed “untouchable”. (NOTE: If the writers actually did their research, they'd make the "untouchable" instrument a drum.) This episode tackles two of Piccolo’s questions: “Who told you this?” and “Why do you believe it?”. Sami has long pushed away the call of the Queen, feeling it must be a mistake as it went against what he’s always been told. Piccolo and Sami set out to find answers, thus challenging the status quo, and freeing Sami to live his true life and passion strengthened by the Queen in his heart. With a song by the Queen, Piccolo is affirmed in his calling to help others find and live their true identity. The Queen reveals that she glows in the hearts of all. Issue: Caste System & Belief
S1E3: Silver and Gold. Taylor, a silver trumpet is shunned from the horn section by the gold trumpets. When they hear his beautiful sound, they “allow” him to play but make him play in the back where he cannot be seen. Piccolo and friends organize a strike and the Queen is in the front row, cheering them on. Issue: Racism
S1E4: Oldy but Goody. The friends meet Anya, an elderly Organ that nobody plays with anymore. They are amazed at her beauty, but even they don’t know how to play with her. Anya and the Queen (who go way back) share wisdom and stories only the elderly would know. The Queen sings her melody assuring that all ages can find their harmony together. Piccolo realizes this is a heavy burden, but can he help Anya? He learns the value of collaboration! Issue: Ageism
S1E5: Who Am I? Piccolo meets Rain, a Rainstick, in a novelty store and embarks on a story of lost and stolen indigineous identity. Piccolo also must confront his own past and family of origin that ostracized him when he started singing his song. The Queen’s presence helps them see how much love is needed to heal the pain so many instruments have endured. Issue: First Nations Identity
S1E6 A Home for Everyone. Peter the Panflute (NOTE: Har har har.) finds himself homeless after his home (the rainforest) was bulldozed to make room for cattle grazing grounds. Piccolo helps him find a new home in their land of hope and wonder. The Queen begins to cast a vision for a greater song to be sung and played in other lands, but are the friends ready to go? Issue: Rainforest
S1E7: Oh Well! Xolani the Drum is scorched and becoming increasingly parched (visually) by the sun without clean drinking water. Piccolo is incredulous at this revelation and questions Xolani’s story. “That cannot be true! Everyone has water!” Xolani shows him what it’s like for him every day and Piccolo experiences the exhausting task of fetching water from so far away. The friends meet Divining Rod Doug who guides them to underground springs where they dig wells and celebrate the gift of clean water. With the Queen’s guidance, Piccolo and friends learn that sometimes the best way to understand someone else’s story is to walk a mile in their shoes. Issue: Clean water
S1E8: Take it to the Streets. After centuries of singing freely, recently Zsa Zsa the Harp has had her voice stolen and now she is silenced completely. The Queen encourages a new song - a song of protest. Zsa Zsa bands together with Piccolo and friends to protest unfair treatment. Issue: Protests
S1E9: Free to Be Me. XO, A rainbow Xylophone tries to fit in with the other instruments who are discussing “duets”, (aka crushes) but XO knows her crush doesn’t look quite the same as the others, even though the feelings sound the same. Piccolo partners with the Queen to sing and dance with XO to freedom and they all discover duets can come in many different forms and connections. Issue: LGBTQIA+
(I have nothing against gay people; just saying this because the next bit is me whining about something that's being used as a metaphor for queerness.) Oh come ON? Why are we trying to pretend that rainbow glockenspiels with no keys for accidentals are real, orchestral instruments and not just crappy toys?!
S1E10: Lost and Found. Piccolo discovers the Maracas and Castanets (Immigrants & Dreamers) and learns not all instruments feel welcome in every song. Piccolo befriends twin castanets, Nico and Tito who are soon separated from their deported parents (the maracas) Primo and Marta. (NOTE: Castanets are Spanish instruments, while maracas are from Latin America. The writers have committed an error no less egregious than plunking Big Ben next to the Empire State Building.) The twins are torn between staying in Amoria or being reunited with their parents in their place of origin. But soon the choice may not be theirs to make! The Queen and Piccolo assure the twins that even though the physical boundaries of our lands may separate instruments, no walls can be built in our hearts. Issue: Immigrants & DreamersIn this season
Finale: Piccolo realizes there are so many refugees coming to their land that they need to take their songs to other lands and go off on other adventures where they learn the Queen is known by many names in many different lands. Which leads to SEASON TWO.
Yeah, they planned a second season. Actually, they planned FIVE. Talk about ambitious!
Season 2’s theme is living with purpose: The friends set out to share their love and togetherness with everyone and help other lands find their song.
Season 3’s theme is appreciating differences: We dive deeper into the backgrounds of each friend’s life, as we learn about each friend’s background, their cultures and traditions, and that not all families look the same. Through it all, love persists.
Season 4’s theme is we can do hard things: Obstacles, grief and suffering are explored through the lives of the friends and their families.
Season 5’s theme is sustainability: The friends band together to protect their world for future generations.
And that's everythi- oh wait we've got a few pages of the nigh-illegible series bible to go through.
Um, those images... don't even show... the characters the entires are about.
Wow, that's an error I've legitimately never seen before.