Felix The Storyteller

THE ANCIENT ONE

Felix Mayerhofer — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:48:37 +0000

How can a tribe of cliff dwellers teach Songbird a rain dance when the tribe doesn’t exist? Wearing a sacred Katrina Mask given to him by the same mysterious Indians, Songbird demonstrates the spiritual dance to his own people shown to him by the “Ancient Ones.” The outcome brings great joy and relief to his tribe.

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Inspiration

When my wife, son, and I traveled to different locations in Colorado every summer in our motorhome, we’d meet my wife’s mother and father in their “rig” at a recreational vehicle (RV) park. The state had many tourist attractions, and one of the places we visited was an ancient cliff dwelling which I enjoyed. When we returned home, I researched the Anasazi Indians who had lived there, and discovered they had mysteriously disappeared from the area around the 14th century or earlier. When I began writing I found it to be an interesting subject, where I was able to use my “spiritual” imagination.

WHERE’S WOODY

Felix Mayerhofer — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:55:33 +0000

Who is the true leader of the orchestra? We all think it’s the conductor. But the instruments of the orchestra know the true fact…it’s the baton! For the first time it will be given the credit it so well deserves in this story in rhyme you are about to read. Woody, the baton, mysteriously disappears and the conductor is absolutely helpless without it. Will it be found in time for the concert, and if it is, what will be the outcome?

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Inspiration

I liked writing stories about musical instruments, and since I hadn’t done any in rhyme for a couple of years, I again decided to try my hand at it. But like everything else, if you haven’t done it for a while you get rusty, and that’s what happened to me. When I began I had trouble getting the rhyme and rhythm, and ended up with an inferior product called The Blame Game, that I finally filed into my Discarded Folder. A year later I looked at it again, and with some major changes I thought it could be salvaged by adding a new character called Woody, and it worked. The story was now stronger. To resolve the rhyme and rhythm problem, I remembered that when I wrote Baby Bears Meet the Band and Band Busters, I took two words that rhymed, then built the verse and ideas around them, and out came the following story. This is my own technique and I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. Once I wrote the first verse the story began to roll. It’s sort of cute and nothing heavy. One word of advise–careful how you treat your baton, it may by Woody.

BABYBEARS MEET THE BAND

Felix Mayerhofer — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:20:36 +0000

What a great way to be introduced to the instruments of the band. It’s both funny and instructive with a strong story line in rhyme that keeps building rhythmically. If you want to decide what instrument to play, go no further than this musical gem.

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Inspiration

Throughout my life I disliked poetry because I thought I couldn’t write it. I had never experimented with this style until I was 71 years old. I was reading Twas the Night Before Christmas, when I had a sudden urge to try my hand at rhyme. I used my story in prose, Kim and Jim Meet the Band, as the guinea pig. After a few false starts, words and rhyme began flowing to my ecstatic surprise. I thought it was beginning luck, but as I continued, I realized I had the ability to write in this genre. I couldn’t believe the fun I had creating one verse after another, and in doing so, I found the original story now in rhyme had become stronger. I renamed the story Babybears Meet the Band. The ideal presentation for this story in rhyme would be to have a narrator with a soloist on each instrument, accompanied by a concert band. After my son, David, read it, he said it was the best thing I’d written. That gave me great pleasure. I hope others will be of the same opinion.

THE WOUNDROUS VOICES

Felix Mayerhofer — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:46:23 +0000

Who ever heard of anyone singing all four voices: soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone? Such a person existed, a shepherd in the mountains of eastern Italy. Deep in his throat is his vocal cord family, Maria, Mimi, Roberto, and Carlos as his sole companions, singing the night away. How could this boy go from the serenity of caring for his flock of sheep, to fame in the halls of the La Scala Opera House?

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Inspiration

What better setting for a tale about voices of the opera than Italy. I got the idea of turning Lorenzo’s vocal cords into humanized sub-characters, who play the part of soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone voices. I checked my medical books and discovered there are two main vocal cords and two shadow vocal chords. So I decided to take artistic liberties and combine them into four full vocal cords. Since Lorenzo, the main character, didn’t know what was going on, I figured I could get away with it.

THE TALKING BOWS

Felix Mayerhofer — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:41:57 +0000

If the Disney style is a favorite of yours, this is the story for you. Not only does it feature all the strings, violins, violas, cello, and stringed bass, it even has a banjo for comic relief. Country western, the classics and jazz are all included. To top it off the bows are the main characters, a unique change in the magic world of strings.

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Inspiration

How could I present strings in a different way? My best ideas came to me in the shower or on my recliner, so I opted for the latter. It worked! Within a short time, the concept of featuring the bows came to mind. I wanted to have a variety of styles of music for strings, so I used the acoustic bass for jazz and the banjo for country. As the story developed, I realized it was something like a Walt Disney movie, and figured that wasn’t too bad. The story is light and funny and I hope you’ll like it.

THE SILENT FLUTE

Felix Mayerhofer — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:37:44 +0000

The courage of a 10-year-old girl, who knows she’s going to die of cystic fibrosis, is the subject of this poignant true story. With the short time left, Jennifer’s greatest desire in her weakened condition is to be able to play the flute.

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Inspiration

I found it difficult to write this true poignant story, as it was one of the most emotional experiences I’d had during my years of teaching. Tears welled in my eyes more than once as I was writing, causing me to stop until I’d regained my composure. This is not really a children’s story, but I wanted to make young people aware that in this world, there are many children who are courageous and an inspiration.

THE OLD HOUSE ON THE HILL

Felix Mayerhofer — Mon, 10 May 2010 01:34:12 +0000

Did driving by an abandoned and weathered old house in the countryside ever arouse your curiosity? The anthropomorphic house in this story and his two companions, a mouse and a Bluebird, spin a mighty tall yarn to satisfy your curiosity, one you’ll enjoy.

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Inspiration

When we were traveling in our motorhome throughout the country, we used to see old abandoned farmhouses, many on hills, and were curious what happened to the families who had lived in them. Here’s the way I imagined it might have been.

THE MAD CONDUCTOR

Felix Mayerhofer — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:30:09 +0000

Hugo Von Flugel is not your ordinary beginning school band director, but a colorful one loved by his students. With an important decision to make, you’ll have the opportunity to see if he makes the correct one. This story comes alive in rhyme.

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Inspiration

Having been a beginning band director for a number of years, I knew what this job could do to one’s psyche. So I decided to write a story in rhyme about a conductor who “lost” it. I got the idea from a wild-eyed disheveled German conductor with a heavy accent, who taught young children at the Henry School Settlement House in New York City.

THE LITTLE HEROINE

Felix Mayerhofer — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:25:12 +0000

Years of possible bondage at a secret silver mine for the men of a village in old Mexico is thwarted from an unlikely source. The outcome for the kidnappers is not what they’d expected, as the bravery and heroics of a little girl called Maria comes into play.

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Inspiration

When my mother was teaching school in a Mexican community between 1910-14, the civil war was raging, causing great upheaval. Poncho Villa’s rabble and other revolutionary armies had at one time or other encamped in the local plaza with their soldaderas (camp followers). For the young women of the community, shopping under those dangerous conditions was a terrifying experience. My mother’s description of the perilous events with fear still etched in her eyes came to mind when I wrote this short narrative.

THE KINGDOM OF LIPVILLE

Felix Mayerhofer — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:20:01 +0000

Who is the greatest whistler in the Kingdom of Lipville? Needle Lips and Iron Lips vie for this honor in the annual “Whistling Festival,” with Lady Sweet Lips, daughter of King Lipper in charge of the event. Invading hoards of infectious “Germ People” suddenly interrupt the festivities by attempting to wiggle up the walls. You’ll be anxious to know if Sir Knight Lips and his Lip army will be able to stop them.

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Inspiration

I’ve whistled my way through life. As a kid, people in my neighborhood could hear me coming a half-a-block away. Even when I became a school band director, I whistled through the hallways past the classrooms (In California they were outside). I never received a complaint from the staff or was ever reprimanded by the principal. I think the reason being they liked my whistling.