ARTSEDGE: The Kitchen Sink

People write songs about a lot of things, mostly things that mean a lot to us. We write songs about desire, songs about loneliness, about heartbreak, love, and for some reason, we also write lots and lots of songs about cars.

Today if you want to talk about a tragedy, there are plenty of ways to do it. But in the past, one way people would pass along news was through songs.

Over the years, they’ve been some of the most popular songs in the country. They are TV Theme songs, something as old as TV.

The Baylor University’s Black Gospel Music Restoration Project has a massive collection of phonograph records made by African Americans in the '40s, '50s and '60s. The curator, Dr. Robert Darden, found that on the flip side of many of these 45 RPM records, there are Civil Rights songs that no one has ever heard.

The lynching of black men in the American South was an all-too-familiar occurrence in the 1930s, even though it rarely made news. So when Billie Holiday had a hit record with the song Strange Fruit, it brought attention to this important issue in unusual ways.

On Sunday, April 9th, 1939, a huge, mixed race crowd gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to witness an extraordinary event. At a time when African-Americans were not allowed vote, go to school or use the same toilet as white people, black contralto Marian Anderson stood in front of 75,000 people and sang classical music – a sign of Civil Rights victories to come.

A step-by-step guide for turning you and your friends into the living dead. All you need is some cheap black and white makeup from your local drugstore. (Brains are optional.)

Make scary-real innards through the magic of kitchen chemistry. This tutorial shows you how to make ballistics gel (for organs).

Make scary-real innards through the magic of kitchen chemistry. This tutorial shows you how to make ballistics gel (for organs).

This special effect is easy to create with makeup and scar wax. And the gashes look so real, your friends will want to drag you to the emergency room.

Here are ways to create the special effect of bursting blood. You'll be amazed at the mess you can make with a simple sandwich bag!

Create the look of a mixed martial arts fighter without stepping into the octagon. No punches, pain, or swelling required.

When you don’t have time to mix it yourself! Many styles and colors of fake blood are available online and in some theatrical supply stores.

More chemistry fun with the non-Newtonian fluid called Oobleck (gooey guts). This gross, gooey substance makes pulling guts easy and fun.

Students review all four of the musical extremes featured on this CD through John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever March.

Students learn that composers use musical dynamics or extremes in volume to create music. By listening to Gustav Mahler’s Symphonies No. 2 and No. 5, students also experience the role extreme dynamics plays in expressing big emotions and ideas.

Students will learn about the third extreme composers consider—size—referring to both an instrument’s size and that of an orchestra. Students will also be introduced to the four families or sections of an orchestra. Students focus on Richard Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony.

Students are introduced to two pairs of musical extremes that a composer chooses from his toolbox to create music—tempo and pitch—through the music of Aram Khachaturian’s wild "Sabre Dance."

Students are introduced to the concept of musical extremes and opposites, and how a composer uses these special tools to make their music sound dramatic and powerful. Specifically, students will learn about tempo, pitch, size, and musical dynamics.

Dish soap and food-coloring—that’s all it takes. And this stage blood is a snap to clean up—the soap is built right in.

This easy recipe for making realistic blood is a delicious blend of sweet syrups and food coloring. Maybe that's why Dracula drinks the stuff.

Dive deep into the history of Blue Note records.

In this episode, narrator Susan Stamberg connects Jazz and Hip Hop through the lens of Blue Note Records.

Explore the impact of the work Blue Note designer Reid Miles had on album cover design, in Jazz and beyond.

Discover the work of Frank Wolff, who set the tone for Jazz photography with this work for Blue Note records.

In this episode, narrator Susan Stamberg talks about finding jazz in the oddest places.

This episode, narrated by Susan Stamberg, takes us from Big Band to the birth of Bebop and beyond.

Learn the basics about Blue Note and its remarkable style.

As rappers became featured artists, it was the DJ’s job to keep the beat (or the break) steady, so that the rappers could rap to the beat, do their routines, or recite full verses without interruption.

Kandi introduces “the scratch,” a move where you pull the record back and forth while the needle is on the record. But scratching is as much about rhythm and style as it is about technique.

So, we’ve talked about what happens on stage and how it all sounds, but what about how it looks? That’s important, too, and the scenic designer, costume designer, lighting designer, and choreographer all help create the look and feel of a show.

High quality equipment may help you become a better DJ, but nothing beats having the right “touch.”

In a musical, songs and music play an important role in telling the story—helping audiences understand what is happening, what the characters are feeling, and even how characters are changing.

The story of Elephant and Piggie’s We Are in a Play! began as a book (well, six books to be exact). But to tell the stories on stage, the playwright Mo Willems had to adapt, or change, them so they would work together as one story.

The Navy was once the most integrated of the US military services. There was a time when African-Americans could serve in the Navy and nowhere else. But over time, when society changed, the Navy became the branch of service where racism and discrimination were most deeply engrained. Each time that the Navy moved to change its racial discrimination, it turned to musicians to be the pioneers. African-American musicians have stood by their fellow Sailors in the cause of freedom and liberty around the world. These Sailors not only served their country, but also fought for social justice. This podcast explores their story, a rich narrative of the spirit of our nation’s complex history.

Students are introduced to musical scoring for films—music specifically composed to assist storytelling, underscore emotions, and stir ideas. Students are introduced to composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold and his music for the movie The Sea Hawk.

Students learn composers often write music to inspire listeners to think or meditate. They are introduced to different types of listening through Jules Massenet’s Meditation for the opera Thaïs.

Students learn that composers sometimes use music to “paint” or depict the action, characters, and setting of a story by listening to Mikhail Glinka’s opera, Ruslan and Ludmila. Students also experience how the music inspires creativity when designing their settings and costumes.

¿Se acuerdan de la postura de los brazos cerrados y la de brazos abiertos del nivel uno de Baile Latino? Las van a usar otra vez en esta lección de cha cha cha.

Do you remember the closed and open arm holds from Latin Dance, Level 1? You’ll think about them again in this Cha Cha Cha lesson.

Students learn about the history of the violin, its distinct role in the orchestra, and its ability to resemble human “singing.” Students will also be introduced to “pizzicato,” the quick, light rhythmic technique created by plucking the strings. Students listen to Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

En esta lección se aprenderá hacer el paso básico o balanceado – un paso para adelante o para atras que lleva su peso ligeramente, balanceandose hacia donde empezó. Es rápido, asi que use pasos ligeros y transfiere unicamente el peso necesario para que se levante el otro pie. Entre los pasos de balanceado, muevese rapidamente los pies para completar el triple paso. Se puede contar 1, 2 (para el paso básico), despues cha- cha- cha (para el triple paso).

In this lesson you will do a rock step—a forward or backward step that takes your weight just slightly, rocking you back where you started. It is fast, so stay light on your feet and transfer only enough weight to enable lifting the opposite foot. In between rock steps, get those feet moving quickly to complete the triple step. You can count 1, 2 (for the rock step) then cha- cha- cha (for the triple step).

Students learn about the composer’s selection of the right “voice” or instrumentation from the four sections of the orchestra: string, woodwind, brass, and percussion. Students are introduced to music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Leonard Bernstein.

Need a reminder of Bachata basics? Just remember 1, 2, 3, tap and 1, 2, 3, tap. The tap on beat 4 and 8 gives a rhythmic accent to the dance steps.

Students are introduced to the concept of music as a language and how music is able to tell stories, convey emotions, and invoke thoughts. Students also learn how stories, thoughts, and emotions can be communicated without words.

This lesson incorporates the basic Salsa steps we learned before—forward/back, side step, and cumbia (or ½ swing)—but adds a new sequence of three steps that combine to form the cross-body lead with a follower’s turn, ending with a leader’s turn.

Ricardo and Elba introduce three new moves that will make you feel like a dancing pro—just as long as you keep bending your knees to the beat.

Meet Nick Kendall, violin soloist and host, and Ankush Kumar Bahl, conductor, as they welcome you to The Kennedy Center and the National Symphony Orchestra's Young People's Concert.

Jason and the band perform the standard, “Summertime.”

Jason explains what jazz “standards” are, and how musicians all over the globe know how to play these pieces.