A Minor Case of the Birthday Blues

Even the most humbug-y of audience members will have to laugh at this new take on the traditional birthday song. After the melody is presented in a minor key, it works its way through a series of tongue-in-cheek "serious" transitions before arriving at a zany calypso setting (complete with maracas and claves!). Through all its silliness, the piece is actually a great teaching tool for many techniques your students will encounter in symphonic music, such as imitation, chromatics, tremolo, triplets, and more. Don't forget the cake!