Available to pre-order now, Bluey: First Ever Piano Book helps children begin their piano journey through playful games from the world of Bluey. The book makes learning fun and accessible for beginners so kids and their grown-ups can learn together – no musical know-how is needed.
We recently spoke to the composer of Bluey, Joff Bush (aka Busker), about the music featured in the show and what we can expect from the upcoming sheet music publication Bluey: First Ever Piano Book.
Lots of favourites that feature in the Bluey albums and the TV show. We mostly chose tunes we thought would be fun and achievable for absolute beginners - sparking the joy of learning music.
You’ve included ‘playful games’ throughout the book. Can you give some examples of what we can expect?
The book paces between ‘skills’ (lessons), pieces, and ‘musical games’. These musical games bring play to the piano. For example, one game involves improvising the sounds of a thunderstorm to get to know the range of the piano.
Before composing the music for Bluey, you were also a piano teacher – did that help inspire you to create the book, and what did you take from your years teaching into your career as a composer?
I think the biggest way teaching influenced my career as a composer was by instilling the importance of clarity in my music. This is especially important when writing children’s music.
You add a lot of classical music to the Bluey score. Can you take us through some of the classical music you have included in Bluey over the years, and tell us why those pieces were chosen for those particular episodes?
I like to say that the classical music is often used in the show to take “the domestic into the sublime”. For example, taking a simple moment like Bingo almost drinking from the water fountain and putting ‘Ode to Joy’ over the top of it helps bring out her sense of achievement. Other times, they are just fun pieces to play with because they are so well-known. We tend to use a lot of Bach and Mozart for this as pre-romantic music tends to lend itself to more varied interpretations.
Are any of these tunes in the piano book?
There’s a few of these pieces like ‘Ode to Joy’ as well as some simple folk tunes like ‘John Ryans Polka. They’re very simple and achievable versions that a young beginner can enjoy.
I don’t have a distinct favourite. At the moment, I’m revisiting Arvo Pärt’s works as well as Benjamin Britten’s songs from ‘Friday Afternoons’. It’s a vibe and pretty genius stuff!
What was your own background in music like? How did learning an instrument come about for you as a child?
I was far from a musical prodigy as a child, but I did have some wonderful teachers who nurtured a love of music in me. I think that’s often the key to learning any instrument – make it fun and the rest will follow.
How do you go about storytelling through music? Are there certain devices or methods you use to represent certain themes or characters?
Sometimes, I use an operatic approach like attaching musical motifs to themes and characters etc. In Bluey, however, I use more of a ‘perspective’ approach where the music follows the perspective of the characters; for example, if the kids are playing a game of ‘Hotel’, I imagine what a 6-year-old would consider fancy hotel music.
What was your favourite cartoon or children’s TV music as a child, and did any of this impact your own compositions/writing style?
I loved the classic 90s Disney themes like Tailspin, Gummi Bears and Ducktails. I WISH it did impact my own compositions more because that stuff is cool!
What is your favourite song from Bluey to date, and why?
Wagonride – I sing it to my 1-year-old daughter to help her go to sleep.
Rain is one of Bluey's most popular episodes so far, with the story represented entirely by music and sound design. What was composing the score like for this episode?
That was a beautiful episode to work on with composer, Jazz D’Arcy. It was really special to write the music of that episode with her after she had worked with me as an assistant and composer since the start of Bluey. There was something in the air on that recording day too – the musicians played beautifully, and I think it shines through in the episode.
I’ve often heard that that is the case and it’s really cool! I get a real kick hearing parents tell me that their kids get excited about Bach or Holst because they recognise it from the show. They’re great tunes!
What impact do you think having live and classical music in children's television has on learning and enjoyment?
I don’t think having ‘classical music’ is necessarily ‘better’ but having live musicians playing beautiful music makes children’s TV more beautiful, human and connecting. I don’t think you can underestimate the power of a real human musicians to connect with audiences on these recordings.
Including full-colour illustrations throughout plus a page of colourful illustrated stickers.
Sheet Music
