There are so many wonderful directions you can go with a study on Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein! Our top recommendation is simply to read watch their musicals! Here are a few ideas to get you started, mainly focused on the Sound of Music. Other musicals of theirs you may want to watch are Oklahoma!, The King and I, South Pacific, and State Fair.
Don't have the letter yet? You can grab the snail mail version here or the digital version here!
For the free downloads to go with our Rodgers & Hammerstein Letter we’ve created a couple of activities to help children learn the songs "Do-Re-Mi" and To get your free downloads go here!
Movie/Video
Mary Martin sings “The Sound of Music” (Martin was the first to play Maria VonTrapp in its 1959-1963 run)
Mary Martin & Petula Clark sing “My Favorite Things” (Clark played Maria VonTrapp in 1981 in London)
The Real Maria Von Trapp Teaches Julie Andrews how to Yodel
The Von Trapp Family: A Life of Music (full movie available for purchase on YouTube
Visit
If you ever have the opportunity to see a live production of any of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals you’ll love it! My high school produced Oklahoma! when I was in high school & I saw a production of The Sound of Music in Oklahoma City years ago. It was wonderful to see them live!
Resources
- The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection (The Sound of Music / The King and I / Oklahoma! / South Pacific / State Fair / Carousel)
- The Sound of Music (50th Anniversary 5-Disc Edition)
- The Sound of Music Audio CD
*Don’t forget to check your library to see if they have any of these available too!
Books
Preschool
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Broadway Baby: The Sound of Music, My Favorite Things: Based on the song by Rodgers & Hammerstein Board Book illustrated by Daniel Roode
- My Favorite Things illustrated by Renee Graef
Elementary
Middle School/High School & Beyond
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Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution by Todd S.Purdum
- The Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection – piano music from 70 songs from 11 of their musicals
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For a short read on the real VonTrapp Family, read the article from biography.com: The von Trapps: The Real Family That Inspired 'The Sound of Music'
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The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria A Trapp
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Listen to (or read the transcript) from NPR’s podcast How Rodgers and Hammerstein Revolutionized Broadway, featuring Todd Purdum, author of Something Wonderful: Rodgers And Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution
One Week with Rodgers & Hammerstein
Have fun with this letter! Watch the movie with Julie Andrews or the musical with Carrie Underwood, listen to and learn the songs. Let the beauty of music fill your home and life with this letter! If you’d like an activity to do with your studies, check out our free printables that include a Solfege Poster and matching cards that combine the Solfege hand signals with the notes “do-re-mi…” which can be used with the song “Do-Re-Mi” or practice putting the words to “My Favorite Things” in order.
If you or your children play musical instruments, try learning to play one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s songs!
Day 1: Learn about Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein
- Read the Heritage Letter from Rodgers & Hammerstein
- Listen to one of the songs from The Sound of Music—start with the title song, The Sound of Music
Day 2-5: Listen to more songs from The Sound of Music & watch the movie with Julie Andrews or the musical with Carrie Underwood
- “My Favorite Things”
- “Do-Re-Mi”
- Climb Every Mountain
- So Long, Farewell
- Edelweiss
- The Lonely Goatherd
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