Centennial, Colo., Aug. 3, 2022 - “Music Blocks,” the music appreciation podcast from Colorado Public Radio, returns for its second season on August 16. Developed in consultation with Colorado music educators, the first season of “Music Blocks” found an audience with teachers, students and families across the country and was awarded Best Podcast for Kids at the Podcast Academy’s second annual Ambies, the Oscars of podcasting, in March.
The first season of “Music Blocks” focused on basic emotions — such as happiness, sadness or suprise — and how those feelings are expressed in music from around the world. Season two builds on that work by turning the focus to “The Stories of Our Lives.” Music is the soundtrack for graduations, weddings and other huge moments in our lives. It also helps us share more personal stories, from falling in love to moments that leave us feeling broken. This season, “Music Blocks” explores how songwriters and composers capture the stories of our lives through sound.
"Creating ‘Music Blocks’ has been one of the most rewarding projects we've worked on," said Brad Turner, executive producer of CPR's Audio Innovations Studio. "The wonderful feedback from teachers and parents since we launched season one has been really special for the team. We found our focus for season two using the same approach: We asked educators what would help them teach young people about music appreciation, and we listened when they told us they'd like a season about musical storytelling."
Each episode of “Music Blocks” is about five minutes, making it fit easily into class or family time. The episodes are designed to start conversations about how music from diverse genres, cultures and eras conveys universal feelings.
"Using a podcast as a listening and learning tool is a somewhat novel approach. There are a lot of different ways to take in information today, and listening, really listening, becomes one of the ways that is often overlooked,” said Carla Aguilar, Ph.D., a professor of music education at Metropolitan State University of Denver, the music content specialist for the Colorado Department of Education, and the education advisor on the podcast. “The podcast has a strong educational focus, while also bringing in ideas relevant, fun and interesting for listeners."
“Music Blocks” is a production of CPR’s Audio Innovations Studio and is hosted by CPR podcast producer Rebekah Romberg and community audio producer Luis Antonio Perez. In addition to their work on CPR’s podcasts, Romberg and Perez bring their own musical experience and tastes to the show. Get to know the hosts and hear some of their favorite examples of musical storytelling in the season two trailer.
“Music Blocks” season one is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and our website. Season two launches August 16 with eight new episodes released Tuesdays and Fridays.
Photos and graphics related to this release can be found here. Media inquiries: Clara Shelton, [email protected]
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About Colorado Public Radio
Colorado Public Radio is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization delivering meaningful news, music, and cultural experiences to everyone in Colorado using the power of the human voice in all its forms. Roughly 95 percent of CPR’s funds come from the private support of listeners, businesses and foundations. For more information, visit www.cpr.org.
- CPR News delivers in-depth, insightful and impartial news and information from around the world, across the nation and throughout Colorado, examining its relevance to our state and connecting it to our community.
- CPR Classical takes listeners on an in-depth exploration of thoughtfully curated music – with an emphasis on Colorado’s classical community – providing context to a broad range of meaningful and compelling works from past to present.
- Indie 102.3 takes listeners inside the world of new and independent music – exposing them to up-and-coming artists and highlighting Colorado’s local music scene.
- Denverite is an online news source dedicated to Denver's curious and concerned.
- KRCC is a public radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serving Southern Colorado. KRCC is operated by Colorado Public Radio in partnership with Colorado College.
