The Biscuit Brothers! * Emmy Award Winning Children's Program on PBS stations

Dynamics

We used to have a lot of problems on the musical farm with noise.  It was everywhere.  Cows mooing! Trumpets blasting! Roosters crowing! Drums pounding! It was Out of Control!!!!  Then Old MacDonald had a great idea.  He gave us Dynamic Signs to put around the farm.

Dynamics in music tell the musicians where to play soft and where to play loud.  They look like this:

= pianissimo, meaning "very soft."

= fortissimo, meaning "very loud."

Old MacDonald decided to use the same idea but make big road signs so that everyone would know when and where to be soft (pp) or loud (ff).

We put these signs all over the farm (we even made a TV show about it; maybe you got to see it?)  We put a “pp” (soft) sign at the musical library where the Big Book lives and at Old MacDonald’s House (Harmony Homestead) where he likes to take his naps.  We put a “ff” sign at Symphony Barn and at the Instrument Petting Zoo.  Soon everyone knew where they could be loud and where they needed to be soft and our problems with noise were solved.

This is something you can try at home.  Print out the signs by following the links below.  Then print out your favorite song lyrics and use the restickable stickers to mark what parts should be soft or loud.  Use the Dynamic Door Hanger on your room to let people know when you need some quiet or when it is time to party!  Use the Dynamic paddle like a conductor.  Get everyone to sing a favorite song together and follow the paddle to know when to sing soft and when to sing loud.  There’s tons of fun ways to use dynamic signs.  What ways can you come up with?

Click here to email and share them with us!

FAN CLUB BONUS – Printable Dynamics Signs!

We’ve got Dynamics signs of every shape and size that you can print out at home!

STICKERS! Print this page out on re-stickable sticker paper (in case of accidental inappropriate sticking) and label your favorite loud and soft places.

DOOR HANGER! Print this out on thick paper and get some help to cut it out on the outside lines.  Fold it on the dotted line and glue or tape the two sides together. Now you have your very own “Dynamic Door Knob Hanger”  Use the pp (pianissimo) side when you need some quiet time, want to play soft games or a nap.  And use the ff (fortissimo) side to let people know that it is time to crank up the music and have boisterous fun!

DYNAMIC PADDLES! Print this out on thick paper and get some help to cut it out on the outside lines.  Fold it on the dotted line and glue or tape a popsicle/craft stick in the middle. Then glue or tape the two sides together to make a paddle.  Now you can control the dynamics like a traffic officer controls traffic with a traffic sign!

New T-Shirt Design!

Sometimes it is good to give people a heads up.  And nothing does that better than having a big “ff” (LOUD) sign across a stylish T-shirt.  Print this sheet out on T-Shirt Transfer paper (available where you buy your computer paper) and iron it on to your T-shirt so everyone knows that your favorite person is “Living Loud!”

Remember “pp” stands for pianissimo which means very soft and “ff” stands for fortissimo which means very loud!