My Kazoo Fell On The Floor

Yes, you have heard this melody before... several times just from us! The melody itself is "Gaudeamus Igitur," an old Latin tune popular at academic feasts in Europe and in the first great universities of America. Today we probably know it best as the basis for Johannes Brahms' finale to his Academic Festival Overture. It is the pomp and proper feel that helps set up the humor of this setting.

Lyrically, it's a simple joke with a cute punch line: I dropped my kazoo on the floor and now I'm stuck playing this drum. Boom - chuck! The basic melody is performed twice, first singing and then playing it on kazoo. Then the tune wraps with a reiteration of the punch line. The recorded track is full orchestra, with a very Brahms-like orchestration, and even in Brahms' original key (which made it easier to borrow from him).

One possibility to stage the performance is with one student up front enacting the story line – dropping the kazoo and eventually "having" to play a drum. Let him ham it up, being overdramatic about the whole thing. And be sure to make a big deal of the final solo hit on the drum for full comic effect. We have even extracted a drum part for you to download. (See the box on page 62 for details.)

Kazoos - You can find good, American-made kazoos at MusicK8.com or through other sites. We do advise, though, that before you buy lots of really cheap ones from import houses, you try a couple to make sure that they actually work. If they are poorly made, the membrane in it can collapse and you won't get any sound.

You can also make your own kazoos. We have instructions you can download. Go to the "Resources..." drop down at MusicK8.com, and go to "Free Downloads." Enter "kazoo" in the search and the flyer will pop-up. It also features suggestions on how best to play the kazoo.