♪ Every day when you're walking down the street ♪ ♪ Everybody that you meet has an original point of view ♪ (laughing) ♪ And I say hey ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ ♪ You've got to listen to your heart, listen to the beat ♪ ♪ Listen to the rhythm, the rhythm of the street ♪ ♪ Open up your eyes, open up your ears ♪ ♪ Get together and make things better ♪ ♪ By working together ♪ ♪ It's a simple message, and it comes from the heart ♪ ♪ Believe in yourself, for that's the place to start ♪ ♪ And I say hey ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ Hey!

Hey, D.W.!

Hey!

Whoa... (piano notes playing) Binky Barnes knows music better than any other kid I know.

He can play classical... (playing tune on clarinet) He can play jazz... (playing jazz tune) He can even play a little Klezmer music.

(playing in Klezmer style) A sheynem dank!

And there's no one who appreciates music as much as he does.

He even likes really challenging music, like this piece by... No!

Don't play it!

Once they hear it, they'll never be able to get it out of their heads!

It grabs on to you and takes over your brain until you can hear nothing else!

I'm warning you, don't listen!

But I thought you liked it.

Who says I didn't like it?

I think it's great.

You've been warned!

(piano notes playing) I think you can handle it.

(playing experimental music) MUFFY: With a name like "Bang on a Can All-Stars," I thought we were going to hear something dance-able.

Sorry I dragged you along, Francine.

Are you kidding me?

I loved it!

You did?

Yeah!

I never knew what was going to happen next.

Some of it was scary, some of it was funny...

It was like nothing I've ever heard.

JULIA WOLFE: Now that's exactly what I like to hear.

And by the way, you can dance to it.

You just look really funny doing it.

I've tried.

Oh, no, I just meant that...

It's okay; I know the music I write isn't for everyone.

Are you the composer?

I thought all that stuff was made up on the spot.

Nope.

Everything that goes on up here winds up in the score.

It looks like chicken scratch!

Very beautiful chicken scratch.

Hey, would you consider coming to our school?

I'd love for my friends to hear some of your music.

Oh, yes, I'm sure they'd appreciate your... "dazzling array of originality!"

We do have a few weeks before our next gig... And I'd love to explore Elwood City.

It's so uniquely average.

We'd love to.

The Bang-on-a-wha?

Bang on a Can All-Stars!

They're this really cool band.

I met the composer, and they've agreed to come to our school next week.

What kind of music is it?

It's très avant-garde, Binky.

It might be too sophisticated for you.

Ha!

Too sophisticated for me?

I know music better than any of you.

Wow.

I feel like I was just on another planet.

I wonder if this is what it's like to be Buster.

(music playing on mp3 player) When do they stop tuning their instruments and play the music?

That is the music!

(music continues) (panting) What on Earth was that?

It's called "Big Beautiful Dark and Scary."

Pretty wild, right?

Well, it's dark and scary, but it sure isn't beautiful.

MUFFY: I told you.

You have to have a very refined ear to enjoy it.

Oh, come on!

You're not telling me you actually like that music?

Of course!

Okay, well, maybe not yet.

But I'm trying to.

I think it's so... different.

So?

A tuna and jelly sandwich is different, but that doesn't mean it tastes good.

Here, take it and listen to some more tracks.

I'm telling you, it grows on you.

I doubt it.

(music playing on mp3 player) (music paused) (screaming) That's it!

I got to go wash my ears out with some real music.

(engine running loudly) (crows cawing) (thunder rumbling) (sawing noises) Ah!

Something's happened to my ears!

They're fine, Binky.

Are you sure?

Then why am I noticing all these sounds?

It's like that can-banging music infected me.

What music?

You're better off not knowing, Mom.

Believe me.

(loud, echoing drips) (groans) Thanks a lot for giving me that music.

It changed my brain forever.

That's ridiculous!

Is that the Bang on a Can All-Stars?

Arthur was telling me all about them.

No, don't do it!

You'll be sorry.

I downloaded some of their music last night.

You know, I actually am starting to like it.

See?

I told you, it grows on you.

Yeah, like some creepy musical mind mold.

Ask him.

He'll understand.

Wow.

It's like someone has recorded the way I think.

Can I borrow this?

(groans) You've all lost it.

That stuff isn't music.

Finally.

It's just me, you and Beethoven.

(metronome ticking) (playing classical piece) (banging on window) Be quiet, tree.

(car alarm beeping) (groans) (muffled car alarm beeping) Silly Bang on a Van...

Beat on a Cone... Clang on a Clunk... (groaning) ARTHUR: Listen to it, Binky... You must listen... MUFFY: It will grow on you... Then you will be one of us... No!

Get back!

That's not music!

This is music!

(quacking noises) (screaming) (gasping) They've all been brainwashed.

I've got to prove it.

I know... (dog barking) (garbage truck whirring) (flushing) (sizzling) (thunder rumbling) (stomach rumbling) (dog barking on computer) (yawning) FRANCINE: Gesundheit?

You've never heard of them?

They're this great band I found on the Internet.

They're really classy and sophisticated.

In fact, the Elwood City Times called them, quote, "really classy and sophisticated," end quote.

Want to hear them?

Okay.

(stifling laughter) (recorded sounds playing in rhythm) (laughing) (laughing) (laughing) So, what did you think?

I thought it was kind of funny.

It was weird, but I'd like to hear it again.

Well, it's no Bang On A Can All-Stars, but it's still pretty interesting.

I really liked it!

Aha!

You're all wrong.

It's awful.

And you know how I know?

I made it.

You made that, Binky?

Yep!

I just threw some sounds together on my computer.

All it took me was three days.

And three nights.

I'm exhausted.

Sounds like it was a lot of work.

You have no idea!

I had to get the barks just right, and the stomach gurgles were flat, and I wanted the toilet flushes to sound like woodwinds.

Binky, it's really good.

JULIA WOLFE: I agree.

I thought you might want to add in a little clarinet.

It would blend in nicely with the toilet flushing.

You're here!

This is the band I've been telling you all about.

Your principal, Mr. Haney, said we could practice here.

I've been thinking: if you change your name to the Bang on a Car All-Stars, I could guarantee you sponsorship.

That was really good, by the way.

Have you composed other stuff?

I didn't compose anything.

I just put a lot of different sounds together.

I call that composing.

You should keep it up.

You've got talent.

Okay!

Julia, let's add some instruments to Binky's soundscape.

That's a great idea.

That is, if it's okay with you.

You bet it's okay!

Hey guys, let's get set up and jam with this composer here.

I guess I really am a composer.

(playing along with Binky's recording) That was wild!

What if we switched chords now?

Or we could try it in a minor key.

Yeah!

I guess the music finally grew on him.

(music continues) (playing swooping notes) (playing together) (instruments stop playing, Binky's recordings continue) And now... (making loud squeaks, pops and squawks) If you're like me... (singing gibberish) (imitating) You just love sounds, and you love making sounds.

Today, we're at the Brookline Music School.

My name is Mark Stewart.

(banging) And I play in a group called Bang on a Can All-Stars.

Mark was showing us made-up instruments.

I think they're sticky so they make a squeaky rhythm.

He had tubes and pipes and slide flutes.

(flutes playing) We put a stethoscope in our ears so we can listen to one of his very quiet instruments.

(quiet music) (music amplified in stethoscope) (laughing) (music amplified in stethoscope) He made up one instrument called a chaladoo.

(low notes playing) STEWART: They're not traditional instruments.

They just do different things.

We're going to build a big, long chaladoo.

We are going to have a long horn.

(low note playing) (pitch dropping as holes are covered) Fantastic!

Whirlyband!

KIDS: Whirlyband!

(high-pitched notes) They sounded like music.

(music slows down) And now... BUSTER: Hey, check it out!

Another ice cream shop opened up down the block.

"Yumbobo: the new way to say delicious."

What language is that?

No language that I know of.

It's probably just a made-up word to catch your attention.

Ooh, they have something called a Gelatinator.

"Our patented ice cream dispenser guarantees that every scoop is super cold!"

All ice cream is cold.

That's why it's called ice cream.

(gasps) Oh, they have "edible waffle holders"!

That sounds delicious!

It is, but here we call it a cone.

Guys, I can't believe you're falling for all these cheap marketing gimmicks.

We're not falling for anything.

It's just nice to see some creative advertising.

Yeah, give us some credit, Brain.

We're your most loyal customers.

(door opens) Hey, there's a giant blue penguin outside Yumbobo giving away free samples!

FRANCINE: No way!

I've got to see this!

I give away free samples all the time.

(kids cheering) (circus music playing) (goofy laugh) BRAIN: A tail?

Not only are you blue, you're also anatomically incorrect.

(goofy laugh) Welcome, 62nd customer!

Yay!

I'm Mustardseed, your Yumbobo guide!

Are you familiar with our ordering process?

Um, no, this is my first time.

Yay!

Could I have a scoop of vanilla in a... Oh, sorry.

We don't have vanilla, but we do have Tahitian Trance.

(sighs) Okay, I'll take one of those.

One Tahitian Trance, Mr. Elderberry.

(machine whirring) This is vanilla.

Um, no, it's Tahitian Trance.

See, it says so right here.

You can call it whatever you like.

It's still vanilla.

Puk-Puk!

Can you give our 62nd customer his Yumbobo Club Card and escort him to the register?

(goofy laugh) It's vanilla!

I can prove it!

Another satisfied customer.

Yay!

(liquids bubbling) Aha!

I knew it!

Ergo, there is virtually no difference between their Tahitian Trance and my vanilla ice cream, except the former costs 15% more.

I also took samples of other flavors.

"Exocolato Intrigue"?

Chocolate!

"Wimbledon Wonder"?

Strawberry?

Exactly.

Yumbobo isn't a new word for delicious.

It's a new word for rip-off.

Those mountebanks are hoodwinking us with flimflammery!

(laughing) Still, you've gotta love that Puk-Puk.

Did you see his itty-bitty tail?

Buster, this is serious.

If our shop doesn't get more customers, we could go out of business.

Hmm...

I've got it!

Yes?

Why don't you make a machine that keeps your ice cream super cold and dress up in a penguin suit.

Never!

I'm not going to stoop to their silly gimmicks.

But I guess I could add in a few incentives.

Like a free sundae for your last remaining customer?

No.

Something much, much better.

"Get to know your ice cream.

Free chemical analysis with every purchase."

Hey!

Interested in the special offer?

Come on in!

Then, with the aid of locust bean gum, the milk fats combine with glucose solids.

And that, in short, is why our ice cream is so delicious.

I think it tasted better when I didn't know so much about it.

Brain, you've got it all wrong.

You're not selling ice cream.

I'm not?

No, you're selling an experience.

You've got to tell people a story with your product.

We bought ingredients, we made ice cream, now we're selling it.

It's not that exciting.

That's where we can help.

It's my new ad company.

"Crosswire Creative Solutions"?

Stop by our offices tomorrow and we'll walk you through some campaign ideas.

The year is 1905.

Every morning, Great Granddaddy Brain drives the milk wagon to the ice cream shop.

Then Grandmammy Brain adds her secret spices to the ice cream.

And finally, sweet Billy Joe Brain, your grandfather, tastes the ice cream.

If it's not perfect, they will start all over again.

But this time it is perfect.

This time, it tastes like home.

BRAIN: Stop!

I've heard enough!

We've only had the ice cream shop for four years.

And my grandfather's name was Alan.

But the name Alan didn't test well.

I don't care.

I'm not going to lie about my family's history.

You haven't even seen our theme-park idea yet.

(door closes) (goofy laugh) What are we going to do now?

Don't worry, Alan.

We'll get by.

I was offered a new job today.

Doing what?

Um, I'd rather not talk about it.

(bell ringing) Welcome, 898th customer!

Yay!!!

Yay!!

I only heard two exclamation points after that "yay."

Next time, I better hear at least four, or you'll be cleaning Puk-Puk's cage.

(goofy laugh) Are we clear, Buttercup?

(change jingling) (sighs) Get your samples here!

Try out our all-natural, homemade ice cream.

What's with the get-up?

I'm trying to attract some new customers.

The only thing you're going to attract are flies.

You smell like a wet dog.

Thanks.

Want a free sample?

I call it Plantain Passion.

Mmm, I call it banana.

Not bad, though.

Thanks.

Hey, one per customer!

Oh, hi.

I'm Ursus Maritimus, your friendly neighborhood polar bear.

(goofy laugh) I'm all out of free samples, but if you want to come inside... (bee buzzing) Ah!

Get out of there!

(screaming) (screaming) Mommy, Mommy, it's a crazy talking polar bear!

Help!

It's in my foot!

(screaming) Hey, great polar bear suit.

But you shouldn't lie on the sidewalk in it.

They cost a fortune to clean.

I hope I can get a refund.

I spent my entire allowance on this costume.

I thought you said you'd never stoop to Yumbobo's silly gimmicks.

I know, but I had to try something.

My mom says competition is good, but I don't think she knows what we're up against.

Well, you still have this customer.

Thanks, Buster.

And your customer would like some ice cream.

Oh, just help yourself.

Hey, have you tried juggling your ice cream?

No!

That'd be entertaining.

Or not.

Don't worry.

I'm still covered by the five-second rule.

(gobbling loudly) Mmm.

(swallows) (relieved sigh) That's the best thing I've ever tasted!

Really?

What flavors did you mix?

Um, I think it was pistachio and... coffee?

(gasps) I've just created coffachio!

Nutty, mellow, but with a sardonic kick.

It is good!

Buster, you've just given me a great idea.

I know.

Let's start juggling!

No, no, we don't need to juggle.

In fact, we don't need to do anything.

Once you've paid for your cup, you can mix any ice cream you want and create your own flavor.

Write down what you put in, give it a name and we'll put it up here so other kids can try it, too.

I highly recommend the coffachio.

(door opens) Hi, welcome to our ice cream shop.

Want to make your own flavor with our new Blending Lab?

Yes.

Two, please.

(gasps) I knew you'd be here sooner or later.

Yay!

♪ ♪ ARTHUR: To watch more Arthur and play games with all the Elwood City friends, visit pbskids.org.

You can find Arthur books and lots of other books, too at your local library.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org