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Fantasia on Christmas Carols

Release Date: 12/02/2025

Busy Kids Love Music

Igor Stravinsky became famous almost overnight thanks to one magical ballet — The Firebird. In this episode, I'll take you inside the glowing, mysterious world of this Russian fairy tale, filled with enchanted creatures, an evil sorcerer, brave heroes, and powerful music that tells the story without words. Based on centuries-old Russian folk tales, The Firebird follows Prince Ivan, who captures a magical Firebird and receives a glowing feather in return for her freedom. That feather later helps him defeat Kashchei the Immortal, an evil sorcerer who has trapped princesses and turned travelers...

The Life of Igor Stravinsky

Busy Kids Love Music

Igor Stravinsky, Part 1: The Composer Who Changed Music In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we begin a brand-new three-part series all about one of the most bold and imaginative composers in music history: Igor Stravinsky. From ballet stages to concert halls, Stravinsky’s music changed the way people thought about rhythm, sound, and storytelling in music. In Part 1, we explore Stravinsky’s life story—where he grew up, how he was introduced to music, and how he became one of the most important composers of the 20th century. We also learn how Stravinsky’s life was shaped by major...

The Great Re-Listen Challenge

Busy Kids Love Music

We’ve reached the final episode of 2025, and we’re celebrating the year with something special: The Great Re-Listen Challenge! This fun year-end episode invites your family to revisit some of our favorite musical adventures from the past year — all paired with themes like Road Trip Listen, Dance Party Listen, and Bedtime Listen. Whether you’ve listened to Busy Kids Love Music for years or pressed play for the very first time in 2025, thank you for making this podcast part of your musical journey. This episode is all about reflecting, reconnecting, and rediscovering the music we...

What Was That Sound - Holiday Edition

Busy Kids Love Music

Get ready for a festive round of What Was That Sound?—our special holiday edition! In today’s episode, we explore four magical instruments that help create the twinkling, sparkling, joyful sound of Christmas music. Kids will listen to short audio clues and try to guess each instrument before the answer is revealed. It’s a fun, interactive way to train their ears and learn musical facts! To make the experience even more hands-on, don’t forget to download the free What Was That Sound? printable worksheet Kids can write down their guesses, take notes and share what they've learned using...

Fantasia on Christmas Carols

Busy Kids Love Music

🎄 More Christmas Music Fun Don’t miss these seasonal resources from 🔔 Up Next Get ready for a fun musical mystery game in our next episode: “What Was That Sound? – Holiday Edition!” We’ll explore instruments of the season with festive sound-guessing challenges your kids will love. Thanks for listening, and as always — keep listening and keep learning, because Busy Kids Love Music!

What Was That Sound: Musical Theater Edition

Busy Kids Love Music

In this fun, interactive episode of Busy Kids Love Music, I invite you to step into the orchestra pit of a Broadway theater to solve some musical mysteries! This month we’ve been celebrating the release of Wicked: For Good, and today’s episode continues that celebration with a special “What Was That Sound?” – Musical Theater Edition! You’ll hear short clips from favorite musicals and try to guess which instruments are playing. Each instrument plays a special role in creating the drama, excitement, and emotion of live theater. This episode helps young listeners train their ears,...

Stephen Schwartz

Busy Kids Love Music

This month on Busy Kids Love Music, we’re celebrating the magic of musical theater — and the brand-new movie Wicked: For Good! In this episode, I introduce young listeners to Stephen Schwartz, the brilliant composer and lyricist behind some of Broadway and Disney’s most beloved songs. From his early studies at Juilliard and Carnegie Mellon to writing timeless shows like Godspell, Pippin, and Children of Eden, Stephen Schwartz has spent his career creating music that inspires and uplifts. Of course, his most famous work — Wicked — reimagines the story of Oz through unforgettable songs...

The Fall of the Leaf

Busy Kids Love Music

In Part 2 of our Imogen Holst series, we step into the crisp, colorful world of autumn through one of her most beautiful works — The Fall of the Leaf. Written in the 1960s and based on a 17th-century English melody of the same name, this short cello concerto paints a gentle, moody, and slightly mysterious musical picture of a single leaf drifting to the ground. We’ll explore how Holst uses dissonance, movement, and mood to capture the quiet magic of an October afternoon. This episode also includes another Audio Treasure Hunt! Download the free printable below and use it as you listen to...

Life of Imogen Holst

Busy Kids Love Music

We’re kicking off a brand-new series on the Busy Kids Love Music podcast, and this time our focus is on the remarkable life and work of composer Imogen Holst. You might recognize her last name—yes, her father was the famous Gustav Holst, composer of The Planets. But Imogen was far more than “the daughter of…” She built her own musical career as a gifted composer, conductor, teacher, and champion of the arts, making an impact that still resonates today. In this episode, you’ll discover: 🎵 How growing up in a musical household shaped Imogen’s early years 🎵 Her studies...

Musical Mysteries: What Was That Sound

Busy Kids Love Music

Think you can solve a musical mystery? In this extra-fun episode of Busy Kids Love Music, you’ll become a musical detective as we play a guessing game with four mystery instrument sounds. I’ll play you a short clip from a famous piece of music—your job is to figure out “What Was That Sound?” Once you make your guess, I’ll reveal the answer and share some fascinating facts about the instrument, including: The fastest-fingered member of the string family The tallest instrument in the orchestra The woodwind with a delightfully sneaky tone The percussion star that keeps an entire...

More Episodes

In this week’s episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we’re welcoming the Christmas season with a beautiful and expressive work by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams — a musician who adored both folk tunes and the charming old carols passed down through generations.

🎶 What You’ll Hear in This Episode

In Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Vaughan Williams weaves together three traditional English carols into one imaginative and atmospheric piece for baritone, chorus, and orchestra:

The Truth Sent from Above
Come All You Worthy Gentlemen
On Christmas Night All Christians Sing (often known as The Sussex Carol)

You’ll learn:

Why Vaughan Williams was passionate about preserving English folk music
What a fantasia is and how this piece “daydreams” from one idea to another
How the composer added “hidden” carol fragments throughout the music
Why this work was meaningful during World War I
Details about the piece’s 1912 premiere at the Three Choirs Festival
How Fantasia on Christmas Carols continues to inspire holiday performances today

This episode also explains the unique combination of baritone soloist, full choir, and orchestra, and how the piece begins and ends with a moving cello solo.

🎧 Listen to the Full Piece

Find the complete recording of Fantasia on Christmas Carols here.

🎄 More Christmas Music Fun

Don’t miss these seasonal resources from Busy Kids Do Piano!

🔔 Up Next

Get ready for a fun musical mystery game in our next episode:
“What Was That Sound? – Holiday Edition!”
We’ll explore instruments of the season with festive sound-guessing challenges your kids will love.

Thanks for listening, and as always — keep listening and keep learning, because Busy Kids Love Music!

🎶 What You’ll Hear in This Episode

🎧 Listen to the Full Piece

🎄 More Christmas Music Fun

🔔 Up Next

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