Dear readers,
My last blog was from 2015. I thought it might be useful for teachers and parents if I updated my old blogs and sent them out each month. Let me know if they are useful and worth the time.
Since it is a new year, I added a new “Hello” song for the threes and fours that I learned from the late, Betty Bertaux, founder of the Children’s Chorus of Maryland. I like it because I can let the children know what to expect in class for the day. The melody is “Are You Sleeping”.
The words are:
Today is music (the children echo).
Let’s begin. (echo)
I am glad to see you. (echo)
Join right in. (echo)
Instead of “I Am Glad to See You” we might sing, “We will play the sticks today” or “We will sing some winter songs today.”
We began the year with “Frosty the Snowman”. Everyone loves the song but no one remembers the words. As the children are coming into class I play “Frosty” by the Hampton String Quartet from their album, “What If Mozart Wrote, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. It’s fun to see if anyone can “name the tune”, since there are no words. It also allows me to introduce the concept of the string quartet. Using pictures from the internet, I used my iPad to show them pictures of the 4 instruments in the string quartet. In case you are interested, a string quartet is made up of 2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello.
I also have a wonderful book with nice large pictures that we use to sing “Frosty”. See the booklist at the bottom of the blog.
Our songs are mostly winter related this month. To help the children put on their mittens we begin with “The Mitten Song”, sung to the tune of “Down By the Station”. I tell the children that it’s a great song to sing to their younger brothers and sisters to help them put their mittens on.
Another song that has been successful is Julie Berkner’s song, “I’m a Little Snowman”. You can download a copy of it in any online store. Of course, it’s also a great time to get out the guitar, banjo or other accompanying instrument because the melody is taken from “I’m a Little Teapot”, which everyone knows. There is probably a YouTube video of this song.
You might have heard a bit of the chant (spoken instead of sung) we used in January called, “I’m Freezing”. It is taken from the Music Together Sticks Collection. It’s very silly and I like it because it teaches the children to count the beats between sneezes. After awhile we remove the counting and count in our head, always good for musicians. Is this a song or chant? Does it have a tune? If not, it is a chant.
One of our favorite circle games is “Frosty Weather”, during which we sing about the weather of the day and use the clothes we have on to decide who comes in the circle (If you’re wearing blue today, all go together). This comes from a collection of songs and games by Jill Trinka, who I studied with at Hartt School of Music when I was getting my Kodaly Certification.
Skating with paper plates was another of our movement activities this month. I brought in small paper plates and used them as skates to skate around the room. I tried the "Skater's Waltz" for this but ended up using a song called "The Snowstorm" by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, from their album The Pleasures of winter. It can be found on Spotify.
Another song we sang was "I Have a Little Snowman" that starts at low 'do' and goes up the scale to high 'do' and when he melts the song comes down the scale back to low 'do'.
We also sang two other books;
"The Itsy Bitsy Snowman" - to the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"
"Alaska Lullaby" - can also be found on iTunes and a lovely video on YouTube.
Songs:
Mitten Song (to the tune of “Down By the Station”)
Thumbs in the Thumb place.
Fingers all together.
This is the song, we sing in mitten weather.
When it is cold, it doesn’t matter whether,
Mittens are made of wool or finest leather.
I Have a Little Snowman
I have a little snowman.
He is so fat and round.
I made him from some snowflakes
That fell upon the ground.
I gave him eyes and nose and mouth
A nice warm scarf of red.
I put some buttons on his coat
A hat upon his head.
Watch him as he melts to the ground.
I’m a Little Snowflake (Laurie Berkner on Whaddaya Think of That? album to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”)
I’m a little snowflake, icy and round.
I fall from the sky and I don’t make a sound.
When it’s cold, I stay all day.
When it’s warm, I melt away.
I’m Freezing (From the Music Together Sticks Collection)
I’m freezing. I’m freezing,
I hope I don’t start sneezing,
Achoo (2, 3, 4) Achoo (2, 3, 4)
Mushy, slushy, cold and wet
Snowsuits and boots,
Is it over yet?
Achoo (2,3, 4). Achoo (2,3,4)
Frosty Weather
Frosty weather, snowy weather (sunny, cloudy, foggy, etc.)
When the wind blows we all go together.
(Three steps back and 1, 2, 3.)
Recordings:
1. “Frosty” by the Hampton String Quartet’s album What If Mozart Wrote Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
2. “Frosty” from the Canadian Brass
3. “Frosty” by Raffi’s Christmas Album
4. "I'm a Little Snowman", by Laurie Burkner from her Whaddaya Think of That album.
7. The Snowstorm" by Jay Unger and Molly Mason from their album, The Pleasures of Winter.
8. "Alaska Lulluby" by Mary Jane Riemann
Books:
Alaska Lullaby, Mary Jane Riemann and Lynn McCarron, Illustrated by Joy Steuerwald, 2013.
Frosty the Snowman, Steve Nelson, Jack Rollins and Richard Cowdrey (Sept. 1, 2003). ISBS 10-0448431998.
Jingle Bells, Illustrations by Anna Jones, Paragon Books in 2011, ISBN 978-1-4454-4561-8.
Jingle Bells, Illustrations by Veronica Vasylenko, for Tiger Tales, in 2007. ISBN-13: 978-1-58925-821-1 or ISBN-10: 1-58925-821-1
The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, by Jeffrey Burton, Illustrated by Sanja Rescek, Little Simon, New York, 2015.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland, song by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith, Illustrated by Tim Hopegood, Henry Holt and Co. New York, 2016
YouTube Videos
"Alaska Lullaby" - https://youtu.be/Zq4aPniDwf0?si=3t-iBH9jN1UDCxc0
