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All around the world, musicians use stringed instruments to make music. The way musicians play these instruments creates beautiful and distinctive sounds. In this episode, say hello to chordophones! Chordophones are instruments that make sound from the vibration of strings. Checkout how musicians like John Legend, Michiyo Yagi and Johann Strauss II have made chordophones sing with different articulations. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: Which articulations stood out to you when listening to the chordophones? Are there articulations you want to hear again? Can you name other instruments that are chordophones that were not discussed in this episode? Ready to explore more chordophone sounds? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of six Music Blocks episodes exploring your favorite sounds and the instrument families that create them. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional editorial support: Emily Williams, Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Kibwe Cooper Editor & Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and Scott Clemens at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, María Juliana Pinzón, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

Musicians who use the power of air breathe life into the music they play. They create beautiful and ear-catching melodies. The instruments they play are called aerophones. In this episode, we talk about aerophones and the musicians like Astor Piazzolla, Harry Styles and Francis Bebey who use these instruments to create gorgeous notes and melodies. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: Which aerophone do you want to play? What aerophone sound appealed to you? What aerophone would you use to write a melody? Ready to explore more melodious aerophones? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of six Music Blocks episodes exploring your favorite sounds and the instrument families that create them. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional editorial support: Emily Williams, Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Kibwe Cooper Editor & Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and Scott Clemens at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, María Juliana Pinzón, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

In this episode, the spotlight is on membranophones! Membranophones make sound from the vibration of a tightly stretched material. Think of drums that you strike to make a sound. But there are other cool membranophones. Let’s get to know more about these instruments and the musicians who bring us the beats, like The White Stripes, Bomba Con Buya and Ciara. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: How does a membranophone contribute to a piece of music? What do you think makes composers or musical artists choose to include a membranophones in making music? What membranophone do you want to learn how to play? Ready to explore more beats and soundings of membranophones? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of six Music Blocks episodes exploring your favorite sounds and the instrument families that create them. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional editorial support: Emily Williams, Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Kibwe Cooper Editor & Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and Scott Clemens at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, María Juliana Pinzón, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

In this episode, we check out instruments that musicians use to deliver some amazing rhythmic impact. Idiophones make sound from the vibrations of an instrument's body. A lot of the time, musicians whack them or shake them rhythmically. Let’s talk about how musicians like Ruth Brown, Los Angeles Azules and Queens of the Stone Age use idiophones to give us exciting percussion parts full of accents and syncopation. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: Have you ever made an instrument out of a desk or a table? What are other ordinary things that you can turn into instruments? What materials that the idiophones were made out of stood out to you? Ready to explore more rhythmic idiophones? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of six Music Blocks episodes exploring your favorite sounds and the instrument families that create them. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional editorial support: Emily Williams, Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Kibwe Cooper Editor & Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and Scott Clemens at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, María Juliana Pinzón, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

People can make amazing music using their voice. In this episode, it’s all about the power and range of the human voice. Get ready to hear all kinds of vocal techniques – from beatboxing to scatting to yodeling. You’ll hear how musicians like Bobby McFerrin, Sarah Vaughan and the Baka people use these techniques to connect with their cultures and add meaning to their songs. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: Which vocal timbre stood out to you? Which was familiar? Which was unfamiliar? What are ways that you use your voice when interacting with music -- singing, speaking, beatboxing? What other ways can you think of? Ready to explore more vocal gymnastics? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of six Music Blocks episodes exploring your favorite sounds and the instrument families that create them. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional editorial support: Emily Williams, Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Kibwe Cooper Editor & Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and Scott Clemens at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, María Juliana Pinzón, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

Electronic instruments like synthesizers and computer software use electricity to make sound. They've also changed music. The electrophone instrument family expands the range of musical colors in a composer's toolkit. In this episode, check out how musicians like Dua Lipa, T La Rock and Yellow Magic Orchestra infuse their pieces with all kinds of electrophone tones and color. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: What makes electrophones sound interesting to you? What kinds of electrophone sounds might you use to create a piece of music? Ready to explore more colorful electrophones? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of six Music Blocks episodes exploring your favorite sounds and the instrument families that create them. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional editorial support: Emily Williams, Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Kibwe Cooper Editor & Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and Scott Clemens at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, María Juliana Pinzón, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

Music Blocks, the music appreciation podcast about the building blocks that make up your favorite sounds, returns Sept. 19 with a fresh batch of exciting musical explorations! In Season 3, hosts Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez dig into the instruments themselves. We’re talking about instrument families! People all over the world have created distinct instruments that make sound in similar ways. Instruments in the chordophone instrument family -- like the koto from Japan, the violin from Italy, and the nyatiti from Kenya -- all make beautiful sounds using the vibrations from strings. Music Blocks is a music appreciation podcast that spans genres, cultures and decades. Developed with input from educators and students, each episode runs about 5 minutes to fit easily into family time or classroom instruction. Every “lesson” explores a different type of musical storytelling and is accompanied by a playlist and discussion questions to inspire more sonic exploration. We designed the show with middle schoolers and high schoolers in mind. But anyone can listen and enjoy. Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio’s Audio Innovations Studio. If you’re excited about the show, have questions or want to tell us about how you’re using Music Blocks, please drop us a line: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org.

Love is a favorite topic for songwriters. That’s partly because music is such a great way to tell a love story. Here’s a look at how artists like Taylor Swift, José Alfredo Jiménez and Giacomo Puccini use sounds to tell stories of romance, longing and unabashed adoration. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: What are sounds, artists, or songs that you associate with feeling love? This episode mentions romantic love and familial love. What other kinds of love have you experienced? Can you name a song that captures that kind of love? Ready to explore more musical love stories? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of eight Music Blocks episodes exploring how musicians use sound to tell stories about our lives. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Luis Antonio Perez and Rebekah Romberg Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional production and editing: Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Emily Williams Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and David Ginder at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Clara Shelton, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

Work is a big part of life. Sometimes you have a dull job to do, and music helps take your mind off it. And sometimes we like to hear stories that celebrate hard work and achievement. Here’s a look at how musicians like Harry Belafonte, Merle Haggard, Drake and Dolly Parton use their songs to tell stories about work. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: Do you have a playlist with your favorite style of music to listen to while you work or study? If you created a song about your work, what sounds or musical ideas would you use? Ready to explore more musical love stories? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of eight Music Blocks episodes exploring how musicians use sound to tell stories about our lives. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional production and editing: Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Emily Williams Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and David Ginder at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Clara Shelton, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

Music is a powerful way to tell a story about the place you call home. A composer could write music about a place using a simple and evocative melody. A songwriter might write an anthem to evoke a sense of unity and pride. In this episode, we hear musical stories about home from artists like Jean Sibelius, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen and Howard Shore – along with a pair of memorable national anthems. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: Is there a song that reminds you of home or a place where you really feel like you belong? If you created a song about your home, what sounds or musical ideas would you use? Ready to explore more music about home? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of eight Music Blocks episodes exploring how musicians use sound to tell stories about our lives. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Luis Antonio Perez and Rebekah Romberg Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional production and editing: Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Emily Williams Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and David Ginder at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Clara Shelton, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

A great song might not heal a broken heart, but it’s a moving way to tell a story when someone or something leaves you feeling shattered. Here’s a look at the clever techniques musicians use to share stories of heartache. Get ready for sad, weary sounds from Ella Fitzgerald, Katy Perry and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: Are there particular sounds, artists, or songs that you connect with feeling heartbreak? Which of the songs in the episode stood out to you with a connection to your experience with heartbreak? Ready to explore more music about heartbreak? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of eight Music Blocks episodes exploring how musicians use sound to tell stories about our lives. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional production and editing: Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Emily Williams Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and David Ginder at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Clara Shelton, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.

Music gives us a soundtrack for some of the most memorable moments in each of our stories, from graduation ceremonies to holiday celebrations. Here’s a look at festive sounds and traditional stories from around the world. Each song might not tell a story of its own, but this music helps frame our own personal stories in potent ways. Stuff to think about after you’ve listened: We mentioned weddings, sporting events, graduation, and holiday ceremonies in our episode. What kinds of ceremonies do you think deserve their own kind of music? What is a favorite song that you hear at a ceremony? Ready to explore more music from all kinds of ceremonies and celebrations? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. This is one of eight Music Blocks episodes exploring how musicians use sound to tell stories about our lives. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org. Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: Hello@MusicBlocksPodcast.org Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Hosts: Luis Antonio Perez and Rebekah Romberg Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D. Additional production and editing: Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Emily Williams Executive Producer: Brad Turner Thank you: Monika Vischer and David Ginder at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Clara Shelton, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.