#53 Theme Music Ideas: A-D - Updated 06/16
Topics -- (Just click on the category you want to view)
A,B,C's--American Revolution--ANGELS--"America the Beautiful"--Animals--Ants--Apples--Baseball
Beach--Bears--Beavers--The Beatles--Bedtime--Bees--Bells--Birds--Birthdays--For BUGS, see #54 Theme Music Ideas: E-O/INSECTS
Bulls--Body--Bullying--Butterflies--Camping-- Candy---Cars---Cartoons----Cats--Caterpillars--Celtic Music---Chicks, Chickens--Circles
Circus--Clocks--Colors--Columbus Day--Community Helpers----Cookies!!--Cooperation--Continents--County Fair--Cows
Cowboys--Days of the Week--Dinosaur--Dogs--Dragons--Dreams--Drugs
Also see these other files:
#39 & 40 Program Ideas, #4 American Song
, #2 African, African-American Music
, #34 Native Americans, #32 Multicultural Ideas, #54 Theme Music Ideas: E-O, #55 Theme Music Ideas: P-Z
A,B,C'S
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O And on this farm he had an "a" (short sound) E I E I O; With an a, a, a, An a, a, a, there Here an a, there an a, Everywhere an a, a, ETC.; (You can then change it to consonants, making the sound. Hold up the letter or better yet, something that begins with the sound or ends with the sound, providing the children are ready to decipher that.)
If You're Happy and You Know It. I use the tune, but change the words and replace with a consonant's sound. For example for the letter "S"
If you know a sss word raise your hand, If you know a sss word raise your hand,
If you know a sss word then you surely should be heard, If you know a sss word raise your hand"
Then each child with a hand up gets to tell7 their word and we discuss where the "s" is in it.
My little ones like ABC Rock in Music Connection's Kindergarten book. It comes with a vocal track for practice and an instrumental track for performance.
Tom Chapin--Alphabet soup
Red Grammer has a nice tune called "The ABC's of You" on his recording called "Down the Do-Re-Mi". I have a 1st grade teacher in one of my buildings who has the children write an acrostic using the letters that spell their name as the initial letter for a positive adjective describing them. (Wow, was that a long, drawn-out sentence!) I always teach this song to the class prior to this activity since it is a musical version of the same idea.
It is distributed by: Red Note Records, 5049 OrangePort Rd., Brewerton, NY 13029. ISBN: 1-886146-07-1 This recording was a Parent's Choice Gold Award winner and was named the best children's recording if 1991 by Pulse Magazine. It also has really terrific renditions of "Land of the Silver Birch", "Rattlin' Bog", and "Grandfather's Clock".
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a great song for K children. My sons have all done it with actions for their Mother's Day brunch. They made T-shirts last year-white T-shirt with a brown tree and the alphabet as the branches. It was adorable.
"Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star"
Z Y X
W V
U T S
R Q P
O N M
L K J I H G F E
D C B A
I know now that I can say
My ABC's the backwards way
How about "A You're Adorable". This is a cutie that goes through each letter and ends with "it's fun to wander through the alphabet with you..." (using the book I ordered from Music in Motion or Friendship House
There is a great one we use in schools over here (Australia) called Ants in the Apple. Basically it's like an alphabet song, but the kids have to sing the sounds of the letter 3 times and then sing that that is the sound the letter makes. It is very repetitive and I didn't think they'd like it...but it's been a big hit with the littlies. I made a coloring and puzzle book to go with it, so they also had picture clues as to the sounds of the letters when we weren't singing. It is to the tune of "Skip to my Lou"
Ants in the apple a a a (sing 3 times) And that's the sound that A makes
Ben's big boot b b b " And that's the sound that B makes
Crocodile crunching c c c " And that's the sound that C makes
Empty eggshells e e e
Fat frog fishing f f f
Giggling goats
Itchy insects i i i
Jellybean jumping j j j
Kangaroos kissing k k k
Many mice munching m m m
Not a nice nose n n n
Orange octopus o o o
Two Queens Quarrelling q q q
Soft snake sliding s s s
Umbrella up u u u
Vampire vacuuming v v v
foX in a boX x x x
Zippy Zebras z z z
How about "Apples and Bananas"? It goes over vowel sounds
For Your ABC bulletin boards:
A cappela Accelerando Accent Acoustics Adagio Al fine Allegro Alto Andante Arpeggio A tempo Autoharp Ballad Ballet Band Bar line Baroque Bass Clef Bassoon Beat Bow Brass Bugle Cadence Canon Cantabile Castanets Cello Chamber Music Chimes Chorale Chord Chorus Chromatic Clarinet Classical Music Clef Coda Concert Conductor Cornet Crescendo Cymbal De capo Decrescendo Diatonic Dissonance Dominant Double Bar Duet Duple Time Dynamics Drum Eighth Note Embouchure English Horn Ensemble Espressivo Euphnium Expression Falsetto Fanfare Fantasia Fermata Fifth Finale Fine Flat Flute Folk Music Form Forzando Forte Fortissimo French Horn G Clef Glissando Glockenspiel Gong Grace Note Guiro Guitar Half note Half rest Harmonica Harmony Harp Harpsichord Improvisation Imitation Instrument Interval Intonation Inversion Ives, Charles Jam Jazz Jig Kazoo Kettle Drum Keyboard Key Signature Kodaly, Zoltan Lamento Largando Largo Leading tone Legato Leger line Lento Lute Major Mandolin Maraca March Marimba Measure Melody Meter Metronome Mezzo forte mezzo Piano minor minuet Modes Moderato Motive Movement Natural Nocturne Noel Notation Note Oboe Octave Opera Operetta Opus Oratoria Orchestra Orff, Carl Organ Overtone series Overture Part song Passage Pedal Percussion family Period Phrase Piano Pianissimo Piccolo Pitch Prelude Prestissimo Presto Pulse Quarter note Quarter rest Quartet Quintet Ragtime Recital Recorder Reed Register Repeat Rest Rhythm Ritardando Rondo Round Saxophone Scale Scherzo Sequence Sforzando Sharp Signature Sixteenth note Sixteenth rest Skip Slur Snare Drum Solfege Solo Sonata Soprano Space Staff Stave Stem Step Strings Syncopation Tacet Tambourine Tempo Tenor Theme Third Tie Time Signature Tonic Transition Transpose Treble Triangle Trio Trombone Trumpet Tuba Tune Ukulele Unison Upbeat Valve Vamp Variation Viola Violin Vivace Vivo Voice Waltz Whole Note Whole Rest Whole Step Wind instrument Woodwind Family Xylophone Yodel Zither
BACK to Theme Music Ideas topics
AMERICAN REVOLUTION & COLONIAL DAYS
Although you seem to be looking more for dances, what about shape note singing? It was a solfege system used in singing schools a little later than the colonial period but it might be close enough from what you describe. In this system each note had it's own shape - I've had kids transcribe pieces into shape notes and also try to figure out the "code" of the notes based on the shapes. In fact you could set up a singing school as one of the sessions of the day if that's the way it works. There is a lovely canon called "The Singing School" that I teach when my fifth graders study this period. Other songs I use include "Chester", by William Billings, which was one of the most popular songs of the American revolution period and "Soldier Soldier Won't You Marry Me" which I use with the Pam Adams picture book - it's lovely to sing to or with younger kids but even my older kids like it. Two other early folk songs are "When I First Came To This Land" and "Jenny Jenkins" and of course there's "Yankee Doodle".
This year I also ordered a set of 2 CD's called Colonial and Revolution Songs by Keith and Rusty McNeil. Each disc has songs from different time periods: 17th and 18th Century Colonial America, and The American Revolution and The War of 1812. There is an historical narration about each song before it is performed and the booklet has some additional information.
My wife has a CD of contra dances, the type of dance that was done at that time. The dances are from a latter time period. Besides having dance length music selections, the CD also has selections with the moves called. It comes with a short guide. You can check out more details at: http://purl.oclc.org/NET/PWave
Colonial Williamsburg has a similar set of recordings and dances available for purchase.
I purchased a book at Williamsburg when I was there a few years ago. This book had several colonial singing games. Ones I have used are: London Bridge; Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow; Lavender Blue; Old Roger is Dead. I also have used Paper of Pins (singing only); games such as thread the needle or wind the bobbin are also considered colonial. Yankee Doodle with or without a dance would work. For older children, Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier and Chester are appropriate.
Contact Plymouth (that's how they spell it) Plantation, in Massachusetts. I was there last summer. They had a workshop teaching dances of the period.
06/07 SONGS: One that is truly simple and truly lovely is "All Night, All Day" the spiritual. A little sign language -or hand choreography - adds to it beautifully.
The Angel Band is an old counting song in AB that kinda rocks if you want. There was one, there were two, there were three little angels......
Hark, the herald angels sing
Angel in the morning and a devil at night -- Martha in Tallahassee
Angels Among Us - Alabama
Wild Angels - Martina McBride
Angels - Jessica Simpson
Angels We Have Heard on High -- Donna Sutherland Tatum Primary SchoolTatum, TX
Chatter with the Angels - spiritual -- Barbara Lee
"AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL"
An activity to reinforce steady beat, melodic line and form using paper plates.
Practice steady beat movements while singing and listening to recorded music of all kinds. Start with movement that involves single, parallel motions and increase difficulty gradually. Encourage children to create steady beat movements while exploring the movement possibilities of their bodies. Paper plates can add variety to steady beat movements and will help many children to be less self conscious as they move.
Practice the same movements as before while holding paper plates. The teacher can improvise movements while listening to the music, but it is also possible to prepare a sequence of movements based on form of the music. Below you will find a description of a sequence of movements based on America the Beautiful. Red, white and blue plates will add to the patriotic theme.
INTRODUCTION: sway to the beat
OH BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES blue and white, move up and down as if cleaning a wall in front of you
FOR AMBER WAVES OF start waist level, and move higher each beat (plates on each side of the body)
GRAIN shimmer, and move downward
FOR PURPLE MOUNTAIN MAJESTIES red and white, move up and down as if cleaning a wall in front of you
ABOVE THE FRUITED start waist level, and move higher each beat (same as before)
PLAIN shimmer, and move downward
AMERICA, AMERICA, GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON windshield wipers movement (one plate in each hand, on each side of the body, high into the air moving out then in, and vice versa)
THEE, AND start waist level and move higher each beat
CROWN THY GOOD WITH BROTHERHOOD FROM alternate; tap plates together and open plates while over the head
SEA TO SHINING SEA movement imitating ocean waves, sweeping from thighs to over the head ending with all plates in the air.
I have used paper plates before but in a different way. Each student gets 2 plates (I assume this is what happens here too) and they hit them together to the beat of a march. A student director leads them in "clapping" the plates over their head, under the legs, behind their backs, front etc. I have also drawn music notes on the paper plates. Some quarter notes, some eighth notes, some half notes. They start out by trading plates so they get a pair of the same note. As I call out the notes they play the beat that is on their plate. Then two kinds of notes together and then 3. For a performance (Veterans Assembly etc.) they could perform America the Beautiful and then march off playing the beat to Stars and Stripes.
They used red, white, and blue paper or plastic plates. Each child receives one of each color. They used a soulful, gospel version of "America The Beautiful" with this activity. If you have any questions about it, please ask. You can vary this in many ways.
12/ 13 K-8 "A Bunch of Animals!" Love it!
"It's Ruff Being a Dog" is fun. May be "rough" instead of "ruff." - Find on Youtube
10/12 THEME SONGS: My kids LOVE: The Cow says, "Meow" from Vol. 9, #5. It has a lot of different animals which would tie into your theme and it ends with: That's That! ---- Debbie Roe
"Talk to the Animals"
Mommy's "Taking Us to the Zoo tomorrow"
"Talk to the Animals"
"All God's Critters Got a Place In the Choir "---- Debbie Roe
06/09 BOOKS: A collection with Eric Carle illustrations called "Animals, Animals"
"Oodles of Animals" by Lois Ehlert
06/06 SONG: Talk to the Animals from Dr. Dolittle (not the Eddie Murphy version)!!
10/05 SONG: FRIENDLY BEASTS (ideas)
POETRY/RHYTHM INSTR: Select lines from poetry about animals such as: "In the Beginning" by Copland. (lines from the song texts) If spoken seriously, the boys could get into to the drama of it.
Involve the art teacher making a mural (modern art?) of animals in a creche scene - Sandy Toms
You could add a simple rhythm (non-pitched) instrument on each verse--just playing the first beat on each measure. Something that seems to fit each animal. I did this once--don't remember exactly, but think maybe we used a maraca shake for the sheep, something scraped like a guiro for the donkey, of course the cowbell for the cow, and I believe I used a recorder unfingered, and figured out how to blow a sort of fluttery sound into the mouthpiece for the dove. - Louise Eddington, Muncie, Indiana
02/03 "PHILADELPHIA CHICKENS: While rummaging through Amazon.com I came across a book and CD Called "Philadelphia Chickens" by Susan Boyton. It came today and I previewed it with a couple of 3rd/4th gr classes. They loved it and want to learn the songs. It is a collection of 19 original songs about an animal musical revue (imaginary). songs are in different "musical show" styles. And really cute. We all laughed at the "Belly Button round" . A number of famous persons sing most of the songs. Meryl Streap, Patti LaPone, Scott Bakula, Kevin Kline etc. The illustrations are darling. At the back are the songs with complete lyrics for a sing-a-long. The best part was that the hardback book and CD together were only $12.00. I definitely have gotten my money's worth.
08/02 "OVER IN THE MEADOW" Was planning out my lessons for 1st grade and will be including the song Over In the Meadow (STM). I thought the text's approach to teaching this song was a bit lacking in interest for these little bumpkins, and I found myself coming up with something on my own that I think will work nicely. Thought I'd share...
1. Place the following props on the floor: turtle,fish, bird, and other beanie baby.
2. Play song on cd and tell the kids to listen really hard and see if anyone can discover which of the animals are mentioned in the song.
3. After song, call on students. If answered correctly verse by verse, let the answering kids come up and take that particular beanie to hold.
4. Remove the xtra beanie and lay out the next set of props: yellow scarf, blue scarf, and a ring (ring toss type), xtra scarf or other item.
5. Play song again, but ask kids if they can id where each animal lives (sand/sun, blue stream, hole in tree).
6. Do same as in #3.
7. Play song again asking kids to see if they can discover which animal lives where.
8. Invite answers and then pair those prop holders together up front. As they approach front, see if anyone can also tell how many children each animal mother has (1 turtle, 2 fish, 3 birdies). Let each beanie holder choose the number of children corresponding to his/her verse & come up too (Should have a total of 12 kids up front)
9. Play song again and ask those up front to act out their verse (dig, swim, sing). The scarf/ ring holders can also add appropriate mvmt.
10. Repeat song with new actors.(Of course by the end, all will hopefully be singing along on all the verses).
When I usually do this song, I show them the picture book, "Over in the Meadow" by John Langstaff as I sing the song.
05/21 "Animals All Around" collection by Alice Olsen. It's suggested for grades K-2 and includes BX parts for teacher or advanced students plus additional parts for other students to add. Some songs that would easily fit our plates are Birdies Song, Hip Hop Cottontail, Fish, Piggy, Barnyard Song, Frog, Rover, Do the Duck Walk, Crocodile, Elephant, Animal Alphabet, Run Run Run (mouse), Dancing Bee, and Lively Leaping Lizards. Some are speech rather than singing, and suggestions for use are included for each. I'm sure I just saw that this is still listed on Alice Olsen's web site
05/21 FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE We did all of that unit, plus we sang all the bumblebee songs we could think of, and then we added Bumblebee Buzz from Sounds We Found. THAT led us into using kazoos and talking about how to make kazoos at home. (Combs and toilet paper rolls w/wax paper). We didn't want to quit, so we expanded into other bug songs:
The Worm Song
Flea, Flea Fly Mosquito
The Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly
Today we made thumbprint bugs (we followed designs in Ed Emberly's Great Thumbprint Drawings Bk.) They turned out really well! I made a big poster of them and titled it "We're going 'buggy' in 1st grade music!" and listed the songs we had sung/listened to. We had such fun!
OVER IN THE MEADOW (song) would be ideal --- I just used the Caldecott picture book with my little guys for Earth Day, but the song is in most Kdg and first grade texts. And it's a counting song to boot! (It's in the 1988 Macmillan 1st grade book, so maybe it will be in the other editions as well.)
"OH, A-HUNTING WE WILL GO" Book by John Langstaff
......"we'll catch a_______and put it in a _________and then we'll let it go........" Kids can create new verses.
05/21 "Animals All Around" www.musick8.com (Plank Rd. Pub.) or www.westmusic.com or 1-800-397-9378 catalog # MUOL03 ($14.95)
- or any local large distributor of educational music might have it. It's a pretty standard resource that's been around for almost 10 years.
Look for John Jacobson's E-I-E-I-OOPs. Lots of cute animal songs.
For my first grade program, We're doing "The Ants Go Marching" (MK-8 version) and pairing it with the book "One Hundred Hungry Ants" (I've added a song and rhythm stuff to it.) We'll be doing the Tortise and the Jackrabbit book by Susan Lowell and songs from the Kindergarten Share the Music Series (slow & fast study)
12/11 Music K-8 songs: (www.musick8.com) APPLE ON A STICK, Vol. 20, No. 1 page 28
APPLE SONG, THE, Vol. 14, No. 1 page 40
APPLES AND BANANAS, Vol. 16, No. 1 page 50
BALLAD OF JOHNNY APPLESEED, THE, Vol. 9, No. 1 page 40
LOOK AT ALL THE WORMS IN THE APPLE TREE, Vol. 2, No. 1 page 39
12/11 at www.mk8.com: mailing list/list archives Ideas in the Idea Bank: Apple Fractions For Kinders/Firsts
Apple Instrument Activity For Fall, An
Apple Song Activity, The
Apple Song Lesson Inspiration, The
Apple Song, The - Extended
Apple Song, The - Jerri's Activity
Apple Song, The - Karen's Activity
Apple Tree Game for Vocal Exploration
Apples And Bananas Alternate Lyrics
Ballad Of Johnny Appleseed, The - Dance
The Ballad Of Johnny Appleseed Dance
http://www.musick8.com/html/ideadisplay.php?ibid=1737
12/11 Poem: 2 little apples sitting in a tree (hold fists out to side)
2 little apples smiling down at me (smile at the ground)
I shook the tree as hard as I could (shake the tree trunk)
Down came the apples. Mmm were they good. (slow motion fall to the ground)
The kids learn the words by rote, then we add some movements. After this I add some silly voices (shake your voice and make the phrase long) I shooooook the treeeeee as hard as I coooooould. Dooooowwwwnnnn (vocal gliss down) came the apples MMMMM were they good.
Now we perform the poem ABA (say, think, say) with the movements!
The next thing I do is the game apple tree. I got the idea of the game partially from Denise Gagne, but the song from someone else. S-M song:
Apple tree, apple tree, Will your apples fall on me? I won't cry, I won't shout, If your apples knock me out!
After we learn the song I have 2 kids in the middle of a circle. The gong plays and they close their eyes. After the song the gong plays again and they open their eyes to see the kids in teh circle making faces and statues (the apple hurt, the apple made you goofy, the apple made you feel sick, the apple made you sleep etc.) They pick their favorite statues and get to play the gong. If the same kid gets picked a 2nd time they just say I'm a rotten apple, pick someone new. ---- Summer Bostick
12/07 FINGERPLAY: Up in the apple tree (make a tree with your arms)
High off the ground (point up, use voice to make a high sound on "high")
I see an apple (put "glasses" on with fingers making rings around eyes)
So big and round (use both hands to mime a large, round ball)
I climb up the tree (mime climbing up)
And hold on tight (hug tree)
I pick that apple (grab apple out of the air)
And take a big bite (pretend to bite the apple)
(Chew vigorously, with wild abandon. Everyone looks at their apple and says what color apple they have. Then everyone watches juice run down their arms. Then find a worm, eat it too, say, "Yummy, yummy," laugh a lot, then repeat the whole thing.) -- Meredith Harley Inserra
12/07 I made up an apple song to the tune of "Bingo" and I used the performance track of "Be my Valentine, Oh" from MK8 vol 5/3. Here are the words:
There is a snack I love to eat And apple is it's name-o
A-P-P-L-E
and apple is it's name-o -- Cheryl Elder
12/07 SONG: We sing this song along with "The Apple Song" MK8 14/1 in third grade. We read the story of Johnny Appleseed, read the words to the song, add actions to help us remember it and play rhythm instruments on the chorus. On Johnny Appleseed's b-day, which I believe is the 28th of Sept.,we sing the songs and crunch an apple at the end of "The Apple Song."-- Kristin Lukow
12/07 SONG: The Amidons have a Johnny Appleseed song on their CD, The Faerie's Gift. Mary Alice sings it and it is kind of a ballad, very sweet. -- Julie Jones in Williamsburg, VA
12/07 SONG: MK8 song, "The Ballad of Johnny Appleseed?" (Volume 9:1) I LOVE this song and so do my students.? We also sing "The Apple Song" this time of year. I made PowerPoints for both of these songs.? "The Apple Song" ppt. is posted on the music education madness website.? I don't think I ever sent in my Johnny Appleseed ppt. but would be happy to send it if you are interested. I included a few slides that tell about Johnny and his legacy. -- Monica Autry
FOUND AN APPLE(Clementine): There is a great Johnny Appleseed song in MK8 (Plank Road Publishing) called "Look At All The Worms in The Apple Tree" in the last 2-4 years. First graders love it--
FARMER BROWN: (Math song) Kids love to play Farmer Brown. I have big cards with apples on them numbered 1 to 10 which were a cinch to do on the computer. Can't wait each year to do Farmer Brown.
Note: /=eighth note, 7=eighth rest, - = additional beat, s'=low sol etc., if the syllable has no suffix (ex. /) then the rhythm value for that note is a quarter note)
(4/4)Farmer Brown had 5 green apples hanging on the tree.
d. d/ d m s. s/ s m r f m r d- -
Farmer Brown had 5 green apples hanging on the tree. And he/
m. m/ m f s s s/ m. f l s f m d/ d/
Plucked one apple and ate it hungrily Leaving
l l s/ m. m/ r d r m s s'/ s'/
Four green apples a-hanging on the tree.
d d d/ s f/ m d r t' d-
"Johnny Appleseed" play by Jill Gallina?
Found an apple, found an apple Found an apple on a tree
I was napping just cat napping, underneathe the apple tree
Then it hit me, then it hit me as the apple fell on me
I discovered, yes discovered Newton's law of gravity
I LOVE APPLES ( You are my Sunshine)
I love red apples. I love red apples And I could eat them every day.
I love the sweet ones and I love the tart ones Apples keep the doctor away
I love green apples, I love green apples And I could eat them everyday
I love them crunchy I love them munchy, Please don't take my apples away.
APPLE SONG(Shoofly)L Apples are fun to eat Apples are nice and sweet
Apples are such a treat Apples are hard to beat
I eat them for my lunch, I eat them before bread.
They are my favorite food that's juicy, round and red.
I eat them for my snack and almost every day
I like them raw or baked or cooked most any way.
"Talking Baseball" in the early '80s, which went through a list of a lot of players, and gets played a fair bit at baseball games, or baseball TV shows; "Center Field" by Steve Goodman. How bout "Hey Hey Holy Mackeral" and "Go Cubs Go" if you are in Illinois and every other decent town in the US - Ha! You could recite "Casey at the Bat", or add some music to it or, hey, Make it into an mini opera.
"Damn Yankees"; By the Intruders called "(Love is Like a) Baseball Game."
"Say Hey Willie" about Willie Mays, Cas Patrick
Grace Nash has a song called "Baseball Game" sung on sol mi and arranged for orff instruments and action.
Song "Centerfield" from the Kidsongs Sports Video.
Jill Gallina's musical play called "The Inside Pitch" has some great baseball songs. Most of these could be adapted for first graders.
"Put Me in Coach"
"Watching The Dandelions Grow," sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary.
Some of you might know it by the title "Here in right field," which is part of the refrain. Its "singer" is the kid who can't throw or catch, so they put him playing right field. At the end of the song, the ball accidentally drops into his glove and he becomes the hero of the game. One of my staffs also wanted a talent show song. I let them use "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in K8 Vol.8 No.5. It's a familiar song to the students, costuming is easy, it's baseball season and the kazoo part is great! All of the staff joined, and it was a huge hit. They had a ball! (Sorry, no pun intended)
06/07 PARODY: Take Me out to the Ocean (Take ME out to the Ballgame)
06/06 We have a section of the Magazine Index dedicated to "Summer" songs (shortened link): http://snipurl.com/ljk9 Also try searching the pull-down menu under "May/June" or by "Oceans/Seas/Beaches": http://www.musick8.com/ Kristyn Johnson, Plank Road Publishing, Music K-8 Magazine 1-800-437-0832
06/06 "Down At The Beach" (Vol. 14, No. 5, page 31) http://www.musick8.com/html/c1.tpl?volumeid=V14_5 is PERFECT for your concert, as it is done in a style similar to The Beach Boys. It's really fun! - Kristyn Johnson
05/03 I bought a little inflatable pool and a bunch of beach balls at an end of summer sale YEARS ago. During the last week of school we have a beach party. I pile the balls into the pool to keep them at bay. ;o) I play fifties/sixties music (the American Graffiti album is my favorite to use) and we do lots of beach ball activities. We do partner work and lots of fun movement activities. Beach balls are great! -- Contributed by Pam Young
12/08 BEAR I love, love, love "I can't wait to hibernate" maybe it's called the "Bear Song". At any rate it is in Musicplay for Kindergarten. (www.musicplay.ca) I usually read "The Bear Snores On" before teaching this song. When I see the first graders in the hall or on their way to Music (I don't teach firsts in my school) they ask me about that song! --- Kathleen Bragle
01/07 "Can't Wait to Hibernate" -- Brent Holmes CD: "Bear Tunes for Kids" (www.amazon.com amoung others carry this cd) 10/02 There is a recording of this song on "Action Songs Children Love Volume 1" available from Musick8.
I had a downs syndrome student in my music classes for 5 years and this was his all time favorite song. He's now in grade 7, and whenever I run into him (his Mom teaches with me, so I see him often) he starts to sing it again!
There are lots of other familiar (and some not so familiar) action songs on this CD - it's split track so you can use accompaniments only in performance.
(Bear Hunt:) Three words: Greg and Steve. Their recording is awesome! I just discovered it two weeks ago and my kindergarteners clamor for it every time they come to music. I may even use it for the 2nd and 1st grades. I love it too.
Bear Hunt: Basic directions: Tell the children they must echo everything I say or do with a steady beat! Teacher says a line, class echoes the line and action "Let's Go on a Bear Hunt" (say while patting a steady beat on lap)
Coming to a river, Can't go over it (use high voice)
Can't go under it (use low voice), Can't around it (use medium voice)
We'll have to swim across it
Alright, okay here we go ( change motion to use swimming strokes)
Swimming, swimming, across the river,
Swimming swimming looking for that bear!
We don't see a bear, so let's go to shore
Let's go on a bear hunt (change motion to pat steady beat on lap)
I see a forest Coming to some trees
Ooh look, a great big tree! Can't go over it ( use high voice)
Can't go under it ( low voice) Can't go around it (use medium voice)
We'll just have to climb it! (change motion to use arms and climb)
Climb, climb, up this tree!, Do you see a bear? No bear anywhere!
Let's climb down, down, down.
Let's go on a bear hunt.(change motion to pat lap)
I see a corn field. Can't go over it (use a high voice)
Can't go under it. (use a low voice) Can't go around it (use a medium voice)
Do you see a bear? No bear anywhere!
Let's go on a bear hunt! (change motion to steady beat on lap)
I see a cave. a great big cave! Can't go over it (use a high voice)
Can't go under it (use low voice) Let's go in it! (use medium voice)
(USE a WHISPER voice here:) It sure is dark in here!
It sure is cold in here!
I feel something furry (put hands on hair and tossle your hair)
I feel something big! I think it's a bear! It is a bear!
(NOW go backwards through the above lines and leave out the echo parts going very fast, saying each line as you go)
Finish by saying" Hurray we're back home.
I'm glad the bear didn't catch up with us!)
I love this and constantly change it, adding more parts, changing others, etc. to keep the creative juices flowing. Rather than repeating after "did you see a bear", "NO BEAR ANYWHERE", I have them silently count to four and say "NO!" Each time we do this activity, it gets better as we listen to see if "everybody can say it at the same time", thereby strengthening our internal counting. K and 1st grade love this part.
GOLDILOCKS & THREE BEARS:
Once upon a time in a tiny little forest, lived the Three Bears, yes the Three Bears.
One was the Papa Bear One was the Mama Bear and one was the Wee Bear, cha-cha,
One day they went-a-walkin' in the cool woods a-talkin' and along came a girl a girl with long blond hair
Her name was Goldilocks and on the door she knocks but nobody's there, nobody's there.
So, she walked right in and had herself a ball cause she didn't care, no she didn't care.
Then home, home, home came the Three Bears. "Someone's been eating my porridge," said the Papa Bear
"Someone's been eating my porridge," said the Mama Bear "Hey, Papa ReBear," said the little Wee Bear
"Someone has broken my chair!" CRASH!
Goldilocks a-woke up, broke up the party and beat it out of there. "Bye, bye" said the Papa Bear
"Bye, bye," said the Mama Bear "Bye, bye," said the Wee Bear. Cha-cha and that's the story of the THREE BEARS.
"Baxter the Bear" from Rich Charette's "Where Do My Sneakers Go At Night" album.
When the Wind Bears Go Dancing by Phoebe Stone; ISBn 0-316-81701-5; Little girl dances with with wind bear band on stormy, windy night.
BEARs is also an acronym for Be Eager About Reading;
*The Bear in the Cave (In fingerplay books)
*Bears in Chairs; an action/movement song, on "Pizza Boogie" [songbook also available]
Bare Necessesities Disney, Jungle Book
*The Bear Song (call and response, with all joining in on last phrases)
*The Bear that Snores (Kevin Roth, on "Unbearable Bears")
*The Bear Went Over The Mountain (trad.)
*The Boy who Lived with Bears (Iroquois story w/song - in "The Singing Sack")
*The Bear You Loved (Kevin Roth, on "Unbearable Bears")>BR? *Eating the Bear (Joan Armatrading, on "Walk Under Ladders" - not exactly a children's song
*Fuzzy Wuzzy - a round, on "Pizza Boogie" [songbook also available])
*Fuzzy Wuzzy (Brad's Zoo)
*Going on a Bear Hunt
*Going to the Zoo (Tom Paxton - 1 verse about bears)
*Goldilocks
*Grizzely Bear (African-American song from time of slavery - the grizzely bear is a code for the overseer)
*Hear Comes a Bear (The Wigglies, Australia)
*Hibernating (Jay Mankita - includes a bear. "It's a wonderfully fast-paced rap style for the verses with animals scurrying around in preparation for winter and a slow bluesy chorus about hibernating. My students love it!")
*Honey Bear (Kevin Roth, on "Unbearable Bears")
*In a Big Gum Tree from Australia "about going bushwalking and spotting koalas in a gum tree")
*Jazzy Three Little Bears (Cathy Fink, on "Grandma Slid Down the Mtn.")
"Kuma San."Japanese teddy bear song
*Larry, the Polar Bear (Fred Small, on "Heart of the Appaloosa")
*Little Bear (Japanese children's song w/movement)
*Lullaby Bears (Kevin Roth, on "Unbearable Bears")
*My Uncle Terwilliger Waltzes with Bears (Dr. Seuss, in "The Cat in the Hat Song Book")
*(Oh Let Me Be) Your Teddy Bear (by Kal Mann/Bernie Lowe, recorded by Elvis)
*The Other Day I Saw a Bear (echo-song)
*Please don't call me a Koala Bear (Don Spencer, Australia)
*Polar Bear Stomp (Chenille Sisters, on "1-2-3 For Kids")
*Show Biz Bear (Kevin Roth, on "Unbearable Bears")
*Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (jumprope rhyme)
*Teddy Bear Hug (The Wigglies, Australia)
*Teddy Bear's Picnic (by Kennedy/Bratton - on many recordings)
*That Bear Makes me Crazy (Kevin Roth, on "Unbearable Bears")
*There's a Bear in There (theme song for Play School, TV show in Australia)
"The Three Bears Boogie"
*"Unbearable Bears" (this is the title of Kevin Roth's recording dedicated to songs about bears; individual songs are listed alphabetically)
*The Very Scary Hairy Bear (Katherine Dines, on "Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta-GNU")
*Waltzing On Air ("features waltzing with a dancing bear)
*Waltzing with Bears (based on Dr. Seuss, adapted by Dale Marxen, many recordings)
http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/b004.html KIDiddles: Song Lyrics: The Bear
http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/b005.html KIDiddles: Song Lyrics: The Bear Went Over the Mountain
http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/t036.html KIDiddles: Song Lyrics: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/t047.html KIDiddles: Song Lyrics: The Three Bears
http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/d007.html KIDiddles: Song Lyrics: Down By the Bay
1. "Baby Bear's Chicken Pox", cute song on p. 52 of Sniggle, Squirrels, and Chicken Pox by Miss Jackie Weissman. ISBN 939514-06-0 Kids like this one. It starts "Waah, waah, waah cried Baby Bear. I've got chicken pox in my hair."
2. "Goldilock's Song" on p. 113 of Story Songs by Carmino Ravosa, Shawnee Press. This is an older publication. Don't know if it is available anymore. It also had a recording. This songs starts "The first bowl was too hot, etc"
3. "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", a Q and A rap that starts "Hey there, Big Bear, What d'you like for breakfast?" It is on p. 50 of Kaye Umansky's book Three Singing Pigs. ISBN 0-7136-3804-4 This rap lends itself to teaching the concept of high, medium, and low pitches, can be accompanied by instruments and could be used as a connection between reading and music. (I'm crazy about this book. There is an underlying humor in many of the activities that appeals to children. It is published in London by A&C Black and distributed by the Talman Company.)
CHANT: (If you have a beaver puppet or beanie baby, use itfor added effect)
BEAVER CALL
(holding both hands at chest level and signing the n letter)
Refrain (doing a "chewing" motion with the n signs)
Ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch
Beaver 1 Beaver all (hold up finger and gesture forall)
Let's all do the Beaver call (do refrain)
Beaver 2 Beaver 3 (hold up fingers)
Let's all climb the Beaver tree (tree climbing actions)-- (Refrain)
Beaver 4 Beaver 5
Let's all do the Beaver jive (pointer fingers in air w a disco move)-- (refrain)
Let's all go to Beaver heaven (praying hands) (refrain)
Beaver 8 Beaver 9 STOP! (Palm out in stop postion)
It's Beaver time!--refrain but do disco move with pointer fingers up)<
06/15 Here's something that I made up to the Beatles' "Twist and Shout":
Ahhhh -- touch your toes
Ahhhh -- touch your waist
Ahhhh -- touch your head
Ahhhh -- wiggle your hands in the air
Shake it up baby -- walk around the room wiggling EVERYTHING like Jello You know you're twisting -- do the twist wherever you are on the floor instrumental-- jumping jacks ---- Nikki Febinger
BEDTIME, MORNING
12/13 "Big Dreams" from MK8 Vol 7/1., All night, All Day (Angels watching Over Me) from MK8, BEDTIME STORY K and 1st general music classes (concept and poem by Alison Rohrbach-got permission), "Sing Me a Bedtime Story", Good night, Sleep Tight and Pleasant Dreams to You (Lawrence Welk), At the Gates of Heaven in the program, which would also be sweet. They sang in English and Spanish., Dreams of Harmony" though not in a round, Rest Your Head" from Mary Poppins, Tender shepherd from Peter Pan
I did "A Little Night Music" with my 1st graders. All the kids brought teddy bears or favorite bedtime stuffed animal that they used to show high/low; "teddy bear turn around", etc. We ended with Music K8's "Rockin' Frere Jacques". Fun, fun, fun!, Other songs we did were: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (fast/slow), Bear Went Over the Mountain (high/low), Grizzly Bear (sleeping in a cave; for loud/soft), Goin' On a Bear Hunt (call & response with parents responding), Five Little Monkeys (high low voices of mother and Dr.), Ten In a Bed, Loose Tooth, All Night, All Day---- Lauretta Harvey
"A NEW DAY" MK8 from Volume #10,, Rise and Shine song as an opener., Neil Sadaka's book, "Waking Up Is Hard to do"
"Wake Me, Shake Me," Raffi's "Brush Your Teeth"
We did a Pajama NIGHT not too long ago, and here's what we did (and let me say, it was a BLAST): Superintendant read "The Napping House"
A 3rd grade teacher and I did "Mama Dont' Allow..."
Principal read "Hey, Pizza Man!"
Librarian did "Goin' On A Bear Hunt"
I did "There Was An Old Lady"
4th grade teacher wrapped it up with "Goodnight, Moon"
Other Songs:
Goodnight, Irene (Raffi book) Goodnight Ladies Ten in the Bed
5 Little Monkeys Jumpin' on the Bed Brush Your Teeth (Raffi)
Mac Huff and John Jacobson musical - "It's Saturday" - has song called "Slumber Party Tonight" (complete with pillow fight)
Teddy Bears Picnic Morningtown Ride (Raffi)
Silver Burdette Centennial Ed., grade 1, p. 109 (Bananas in Pajamas)--easy to make-up additional verses Grandma's Feather Bed (Share-the-Music - 4th grade.)
Hush Little Baby Lazy Mary Lazy Bones
Pallet on the Floor (Sharon, Lois, & Bram) Wake Me, Shake Me
Shake My Sillies Out Bed is the Coziest Place (Gemini)
Waltzing with the Bears (Share-the-Music-gr. 4) Abiyoyo (Pete Seeger)
Aiken Drum (Moon Song) All the Pretty Little Horses Getting Ready for Bed Songs: Splish Splash It's Bathtime (Raffi)
Peanut Butter Sandwich made with Jam Popcorn (Raffi
Popcorn (green Raffi book)
It's Bathtime Splish Splash Slumber Party Tonight from Mac Huff and John Jacobson's musical called "It's Saturday"
12/13 BEE LESSON: - "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee" - sing with motions - Read aloud Berlioz the Bear
- Play "Flight of the Bumblebee" & have the stuffed bee "fly" around. Talk about the music afterwards - what it represents, how did it start (was it quiet? NO!), etc.
- Distribute bees - SOMEWHERE I have some bee cut-outs that I bought at the Dollar Tree but can I find them now? NO. So... I bought some bulletin board board from the Dollar Tree that has bees on it. I cut the border into sections, taped each section that has a bee onto a craft stick & the students use these while listening to the music a second time.
- Use stuffed bee to play "Bee Bee Bumblebee" game, tapping each student while singing the song. When a child is "out," he/she gets 2 egg shakers & sits in a designated spot to be the bees for the rest of the game (shaking the eggs to make bee sounds - K totally thinks this sounds like the hum of bees).
- When everyone is out & has egg shakers, deviate from the bee theme & have the students follow directions in "Shake Your Egg" & "I Know a Chicken" (both songs available on iTunes & both VERY, VERY fun). ---- Tina Morgan
04/03 Here's a site with some activities for Bee Bee Bumblebee
http://harmony.millersv.edu/curriculum/music/kindergarten/Bee/Bee.htm
05/21 "Bumble Boogie" is on the Disney "Melody Time" video. "Buzzer Bee" in Jim Solomon's "Monkey Business" collection is a nice rhythmic/speech activity good for duration--especially whole note intro. I highly recommend his materials for the well-explained process.
05/21 Tune is to "Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-aye"
Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-aye
This is your birth-day song, it doesn't last too long
04/02 "Flight of the Bumblebee" on the HUSH album with Bobby McFerrin & Yo Yo Ma is great for a comparison lesson with the original orchestral version, and "Bumble Boogie"--on one of the Disney video collections is really neat. (I hope to pull it out sometime this month for Jazz Appreciation Month activities.) There is also a neat lesson on "Buzzer Bee" in Jim Solomon's MONKEY BUSINESS book.
04/02 One my favorite things to do with Flight of the Bumblebee is this: I gather flashlights from all the teachers in my school. My room gets very dark (no windows) so we start with all our flashlights shining on the intercom (beehive). When the music starts, they "fly" all around the room. When the song ends they return to the hive. The kids love this and it looks really cool.
04/02 1. Listened to "Flight of the Bumblebee" - guessed what animal it was about. Talked about why the composer wrote it the way he did. Listened again and moved to the music.
2. Sang "Bringin' home a Baby Bumblebee" (Musicplay 1)
3. Read the rhythms for "Bee Bee Bumblebee" (Musicplay 1) - talked about the difference between beat and rhythm. The rhythm is "the way the words go". Played the metronome and reviewed the chant "The beat is the part that doesn't change - the beat is the part that stays the same" while we pat-clapped the beat. Had half the class step the beat / half the class clap the words.
4. Played the game "Bee Bee Bumblebee" - used tiny bumblebee (Buzzina) and great big stuffed bumblebee (Buzzy) to play the game. One child is beat keeper (bee keeper) and shows the beat with the bee. The child on the words you are "out" becomes the next bee keeper. We alternate between tiny bee singing in a very high voice and big bee singing in a low chest voice. The purpose of this is to help the kids find head voice - the extreme jump really makes them aware of the different quality.
5. Accompanied "Bee Bee Bumblebee" with instruments. Played the beat on the instruments.
We actually added another activity on unpitched instruments - looking at this it's a lot of material for 30 minutes, but went very smoothly.We'll repeat many of the activities in the next lesson to reinforce beat / rhythm and practise high /low voices.
Continuation Bumblebee lesson with Grade 2:1. Quickly reviewed game
2. Had the song written on 4 separate flashcards. Put flashcards in the pocket chart in mixed up order. Read the flashcards - first ta's and titi's and asked what part of the words does this fit with? Then they read the solfa, and put the song in order.
3. Gave them a worksheet: Mixed up Bumblebee at the top. I had notated the song in mixed up order. At the bottom was a blank staff with the title "Fixed up Bumblebee." They had to write the song out correctly. I had a pretty good success rate (probably 98% could do this) with this activity with the grade 2's, but needed more time! This took a full 30 minutes, and I sang a couple of songs to start the class.
04/02 I hope you are familiar with The Flight of the Tuba Bee...performed by The Canadian Brass on their recording The Essential Canadian Brass/Phillips Digital Classics #432 571-2. Performed as only the Canadian Brass can perform. It's a stitch!
04/02 I do this comparison lesson with 1st graders. We listen to an orchestral version in the Share the Music. Then I bring in Bobby and Yo Yo, then I've found an arrangement by Wynton Marsalis. He plays in one minute flat. The kids are impressed by that. Now to find a way to use the bumble bee paper plates.!! ***********************************************************************
11/10 Silver Bells, Carol of the Bells, Ding Dong Merrily On High I Saw Three Ships (last verse, and all the bells on earth shall ring...)
There's the lovely, easy round: Oh, How Lovely Is the Evening, or its German form, Oh, wie wohl ist mir am abend.
12/11 BIRD SONGS – notated: http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/birds/music/
06/06 Oliver Messiaen [biography: http://www.answers.com/topic/olivier-messiaen ] wrote a flute/piano piece called "Le Merle Noir" (The Blackbird) There are some bird-imitating organ pieces by Messien, too, I believe ["Oiseaux Exotique"].
"Cock-a-doodle doo, My dame has lost her shoe And master's lost his fiddlin stick And doesn't know what to do." (great arrangement by Betty Bertaux)
Mrs. Jenny Wren by Sir Arthur Baynon
Bye, Bye Blackbird-- A Turkey Named Bert from Randy DeLelles and Jeff Kriske She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage -- De Colores includes "los pajaritos" and so does Las Mananitas Lullaby of Birdland --Who Killed Cock Robin? -- Nancy Reycraft
06/06 I really love the "Manx Lullabye". It includes bird sounds and cultural awareness. Also Stephen Leeks "Birdsongs" available from Morton Music www.mortonmusic.com My favourite is "the Seagull." Michael Roper, Melbourne Australia
MarlisKZ@aol.com 06/06 Respighi's "Birds", [is] a wonderful composition featuring the dove, the hen, the cuckoo and the nightingale. I had the kids draw to it or some made poems and we put it together as a book. Marlis Kraft-Zemel
06/06 Elaine Larson has a Birds thematic unit - you can find it at aeideas.com Great stuff! Barbara Wiliams
06/06 "Little Bird Dance" (Italian) otherwise known as the Chicken Dance. -- Dana McCabe, Minnesota
06/06 How about Papageno's first aria, "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja" from "The Magic Flute?" It's not exactly technically suitable for second graders to sing, but I've seen English translations. It would be a nice way to introduce kids to opera with some very accessible music. Steve Daigle
06/06 Ah, Poor Bird (beautiful song), The Battered Elm, The Cuckoo, Mary Wore a Red Dress, Rockin' Robin Bluebird, Bluebird -- David Thaxton
06/06 For listening, play them Charlie Parker doing "Ornithology" -- John Handley
06/06 "In my hours of gloom, when I am suddenly aware of my own futility, when every musical idiom. . . appears to me as no more than admirable, painstaking experimentation without any ultimate justification, what is left for me but to seek out the true, lost face of music somewhere off in the forest, in the fields, in the mountains or on the seashore, among the birds."--Oliver Messiaen -- http://www.esp.la/sound.html
06/06 Olivier Messiaen wrote some amazing pieces "Catalogue d'oiseaux" (catalogue of birds) for piano. Here's my personal connection to all this: A good friend just co-wrote a book (published by Yale press) about his life and work. He showed me copies of notebooks that Messiaen kept when studying bird song- really interesting process. I think I remember reading something about how Messiaen thought his notating of bird songs were some of his most important/interesting work. I found a web site with a short excerpt of some of the music http://www.move.com.au/disc.cfm/3299 Sue Woodruff in Napa
11/01 A teacher just showed me a book called Birdsong by Audrey Wood.Each page features a bird, sound of the bird and children of different cultures are featured in different settings. The drawings are beautiful.
A bird's voice organ (called a syrinx [SIR-inks]) is located much deeper in its body than the vocal chords of a mammal. In most birds it is just above the place where the windpipe branches into two bronchi (one for each lung). But in songbirds, through evolution the syrinx has moved into the bronchi and split in two. That's why songbirds can make such rich sounds. With two syrinxes, they can sing in harmony with themselves.
There are many mysteries in how songbirds sing. No one has explained how they manage to sing so loudly, and much is unknown about how they learn songs and modify them. The syrinx itself is a very complex organ that is not fully understood.
Read about bird songs:
ALL ABOUT BIRDS: http://birds.cornell.edu/bow/
BIRD PROGRAM
After the potluck dinner, I told an Iroquois legend about the "Hermit Thrush", which I call "How the Birds Got their songs". I heard it on a Joe Hayes tape that I checked out from the public library. I don't remember the name of the tape, but check Joe Hayes out. He is the best.
Anyway, I integrated actual bird songs from the Musikgarten curriculums based on nature, like "cycle of seasons." (You can buy CDs of bird songs from the Wild Bird Centers.) The sound effects were fabulous, and everyone hung on the edges of their seats for thirty minutes.
I had a backdrop with real pictures of birds that I had copied from my bird book. I also inserted some songs into the story - "If you go into the night, there's music in the night" and another one "Be like a bird". (Be like a Bird is a gorgeous round on one of the Libana albums)
Afterwards, I was thinking about what made it work so well. I realized that children love things that are immediate to their world, and what is more immediate than nature. And somehow, all the funny parts of myself, like my somewhat southern accent slipping into how I said things, my high childlike voice, all sort of integrated into making it really real to everyone. It was one of those nice moments, like, yes, this is what I am supposed to be doing with myself. It was fun to watch the faces of the audience. I think the adults enjoyed it as much as the children.
Donald Crew's "Freight Train" is a wonderful book to use with or without instruments. (My objective with this book has been simply starting and stopping together.) I read it once, in a rhythmic pace, beginning with the picture of the empty track saying, "is there a train yet?" When the train moves (the picture is marvelous showing movement) I bounce lightly. I invite the children to say with me "ch ch ch ch" or to make the sound of the train whistle; we increase the tempo a little. The second time I read it, I pass out egg shakers (you could make your own with the children) saying "no sound until the train comes." Even very young under 2's understand and marvel at the ending when all the shakers stop together.
06/15 I have a Cheryl Lavender book called It's Your Turn with a song in it called the A Calypso Birthday Party. The words of the song are telling the birthday person to play the birthday bongo. The class sings it and the birthday person accompanies on the bongos. It's fun and students sometimes tell me it's their birthday so they can play the birthday bongo. I know how to verify that information, though. Here is the amazon link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Resource-Games-Activities-Teachers-Manual/dp/B003AGHBCG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1408042736&sr=8-6&keywords=It%27s+Your+Turn+Cheryl+Lavender
I likewise have "the birthday gong" and you only get to ring it if you have a birthday on the day that your class has music. So few students get to ring it. They tap it after each phrase. ----- Teresa Osbourne Brown
Ferdinand (from Disney movie, on Michael Feinstein's "Pure Imagination")
My Pre-K classes learned a cute song from www.choosykids.com called "This is MY Body.". Greg & Steve also have a song called Mr. Knickerbocker that asks for a different body part to dance each verse. Hap Palmer's Bean Bag song also asks for the bean bags to touch head, elbow, etc. -----Sarah Davies
You could sing "Elephants Have Wrinkles," "Tony Chestnut," MK8s "Wash Your Hands" and even "The Hokey Pokey!!". My preschoolers sing these MK8 songs - "Hello," "I'm So Glad to Be Here," and "Are You Ready" as openers. Also "Hola Amigos". We also sing a couple of goodbye songs from MK8 which I can't remember names of right now. We sit in a circle every day and pat once, clap once and say their name (helps me learn their names) , then we say their favorite colors, animals, drinks, foods, restaurants. Just go around the circle and keep the beat. I have my Master's in Reading and have also taught remedial reading for 20 years and I can tell you right away who the good readers and the problem readers will be. Preschool is one of my favorite grades to teach. I do tons of activity songs. They love "The Statue Game" from Denise Gagne. We do lots of beanbag activities and scarf activities, lots of color, number and animalsongs. They love finger plays. I think MK8 has a lot of other body songs.----Carole
"Mi Cuerpo" is in Share the Music K . Very cute song...Mi cuerpo , mi cuerpo, hace musica...mis manos hacen ( clap clap clap) , mis pies hacen ( tap tap tap), etc. Its also in English. Perfect for your little ones! ---- Dianne Park
Here's a video of Mi Cuerpo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRe7TnHjjg4&feature=related
Play some instrumental music and have them follow your beat keeping movements on different parts of the body - each time saying the body part you are tapping The Hokey Pokey
Body Boogie - MK8 15/1
Head, Shoulders Baby 1,2,3
The Body Rock - Greg & Steve
Bones - Jim Valley (Rainbow Planet) iTunes
Freeze Dance - Play instrumental music and stop and freeze copying you or a student leader with hands on different body parts
My kids love "My Body makes Music" That would make a great theme for the unit. ---- Lee Cain
One of my colleagues (his name is Andy Shull) wrote a song and recorded it with his first graders. (speaking of intellectual property/copyright...) This is to go along with our district no-bully theme. Here is the SchoolTube video:
http://www.schooltube.com/video/eee8c1e17c6e49d4132a/RESPECTDont-Bully ---- Sally in SC
06/16 SONGS: Linda Arnold: "BUTTERFLY," "FLUTTER by, Butterfly" Scott D. Guzi, "FUZZY CATERPILLAR" (melody: Eency Spider), THEY'RE JUST BUGS! - Music K-8, Vol. 8, No. 4, BEE, A BEETLE AND A BUTTERFLY, A - Music K-8, Vol. 9, No. 4, "BORBOLETINHA": A Brazilian Butterfly Song - Music K-8, Vol. 15, No. 3, B IS FOR BUTTERFLY (recorder tune) - Music K-8, Vol. 21, No. 1, Lynn Freeman Olsen: "BUTTERFLY," - Jennifer Gasoi: "BUTTERFLY" Mary Pinzino, : "BUTTERFLY COME PLAY WITH ME" ABEBE is a folk song about butterflies from Paupa New Guinea that is on Quaver's ClassPlay that is GORGEOUS!!! Every kid who heard it just sits in a sacred silence for a second or two after. Chill inducing.
LISTENING: In the Listening Resource Kit 2 (Denise Gagne) there's a listening selection, "Butterfly" by Grieg.
08/04 "Flutterby Butterfly" in Musicplay for Kindergarten - by Lee and Sandy Paley In the "Listening Kit Level 2" there is a listening/movement piece by Edvard Grieg called "Butterfly". You can make fingerpuppet butterflies (patterns included) to move to the music, or move with scarves. Info on either book can be found at www.musicplay.ca
08/04 Rick Charette has a wonderful butterfly song that we used with our 1st graders. It's called "Butterflies Fly" and it's on his album "A Little Peace & Quiet." I just found and ad for it on Amazon for $14.95. -- Contributed by Stephanie
08/04 There is a cute song in MK8 vol 8/5 (http://www.musick8.com/) called "Time to Graduate"
Butterfly song: "Butterflies Fly" by Rick Charette on the CD "A Little Peace & Quiet" (1-800-486-0967 to order) or visit www.rickcharette.com. The recording/songbook is called "Singing Songs of Science" and is available through AIMS Education Foundation. They have a toll-free number, 1-888-733-2467, website: http://www.AIMSedu.org/ (Includes Butterfly song) John Jacobson has "the Caterpillar Song" in his "Hop till you Drop" The caterpillar turns into a butterfly (naturally) and my kids love it!
Butterfly, butterfly where did you go?
I flew onto a flower in the meadow.
I sipped some nectar from a flower.
Butterfly, butterfly fly away.
Will there be more to come and play.
John Jacobson has "the Caterpillar Song" in his "Hop till you Drop" The caterpillar turns into a butterfly (naturally) and my kids love it!
Sound Carpet is composed of layers of sounds, usually ostinati, that become the background for a poem, story, etc. They can be vocal (spoken, whispered, sung) or instrumental (pitched, non-pitched, body percussion) and should relate to the subject at hand. In a poem about butterflies (for example) the sound carpet might have the following elements: a tremolo on the BM (BX) random pitches on glockenspiels (simulating the random path the butterfly follows) voices softly exploring the sounds of the word "Butterfly"--"BBBBBB," "FFFFFFF" "Flaaaaaaahy (fly)" hand drums played lightly with fingertips The layers of ostinati accompaning as song--as in the OS Vol. I are also considered sound carpets.
c d e f g f e d c d e f g
ta - te ta-te ta -te ta- te ta - te ta - te ta--
Fuz-zy fuz-zy cat-er-pil-lar craw-ling craw-ling by
f	a f d e g e c d f d b c e g
ta - te ta -te ta -te ta- te ta-te ta -te ta-te ta
Don't you know that some day you will be a but-ter-fly------
Don't you know that someday you will be a but-ter-fly.
(RAM SAM SAM): A lightning bug A lightning bug A dragon fly and A lightning bug
Mosquito Mosquito A dragon fly and a lightning bug
A bumble bee A bumble bee A BUTTERFLY and bumble bee
A Grasshopper A Grasshopper A butterfly and a bumble bee
CAMPING, CAMPFIRES
06/14 I use Classical songs to do Directed Drawing. If you google Directed Drawing you will get lots of ideas. For instance, you can teach John Towner Williams and use the music Star Wars for the students to do a Directed Drawing Alien. Or you could have the students make their own space creatures out of toilet paper rolls, etc.
Another book could be Rumble in the Jungle. You can have students make large animals by tearing paper and adding the special features with other pieces of paper and then creating a huge jungle out of green and brown paper twisted and suspended from the ceiling. A hallway is a great place to place a jungle scene, so that the animals can be even hanging as well as on the wall. Then you can teach songs about the different animals. ----- Caryn Mears
12/13 Camp Skits FREE online http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activities/camp-skits.html
12/13 CAMPFIRE SONGBOOK: http://halifaxukulelegang.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/campfire-song-book.pdf
07/11 I take a Halloween electric cauldron with the light in the middle that shines onto little pieces of material that flicker with a little fan that is inside the cauldron. I put some twigs of some sort around it in a Teepee shape.... I have even added clear plastic red and yellow cellophane to make it look bigger..... looks pretty good. Before the Cauldron days I just took an electric light, put it in the middle of the room, took long rhythms stick or drum stick put a rubber band around the middle of the bunch of sticks and fanned them out to look like a teepee and placed that over the light. I used red and yellow cellophane for the the fire effect. ---- Eva Hooper
06/09 http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activities/camp-songs.html
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/trails/5542/Alphabetical.html
12/07 BOOK: I used this book when I was music director for a day camp.]Kids Make Music: Clapping & Tapping from Bach to Rock! By Avery Hart and Paul Mantell.
(A Williamson Kids Can! Book) (Williamson Publishing,1993).Ages 6-11
Three sections: Body Movement, Sound and Sound Production, The world of Classical Music --- Heather Lovelace
06/07 FIRE: I made a campfire by using sticks fallen from nearby trees, which I put over some white twinkle lights and intersperced orange, yellow and gold tissue paper rolled and squished to look like flames (need to use your -- Millie Webb, Williamsburg VA
FIRE: Make a campfire out of red, yellow and orange cellophane and red, orange and yellow lights, those Christmas lights that are in a tube. It [is] pretty neat. -- Cheryl in Milwaukee
06/07 INSTRUMENTS: Last year with third and fourth graders I did "Hello Mutha, Hello Fatha" and the kids played the glockenspiel between phrases "hello mutha (low high low), hello fatha (low high low), we played the cup game, sang music from the book "gross & annoying songs," that I got at Wal-Mart, and some classes did "Ode to a Marshmallow" and "The Tree Toad" -- Dana Wessel
POETRY: I have some poems from a book called Toasting Marshmallows by Kristine O'Connell George. -- Sherry Stahl
06/07 CAMP SONGS, ETC.: [I read] one or two stupid ghost stories; I have a tape with some that I use, think it's called Story in my Pocket; hands down favorites are "Tillie" and "On a Dark and Stormy Night."
Songs: Ants Go Marching; On Top of Spaghetti; Found a Peanut; She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain; I've Been Working on the Railroad; Kee Chee; basically anything you can do without needing a book or songsheet. So much fun!!! -- Julie Jones
06/06 Here's some ideas you might be able to use:
GAME 1: Bouncing the ball and speaking about yourself - Getting to know you game. Supplies needed: One soccer-size ball for each group of students. Prep: Discuss with the whole chorus descriptions of different ways to sing. (Opera, Jazz, Pop, Rap, Folk, High, Low, Soft, Loud, etc.) Procedure: Separate the students into circles of eight. Give each circle one ball - soccer ball size. One student bounces the ball a total of four times (to a steady beat) as he says: "I am Joey and I like to sing HIGH." On the fourth bounce (when the student states how he likes to sing, he bounces the ball away from himself on the fourth bounce towards another student. That student then begins the same chant. It is over when everyone has stated his name and describes how he likes to sing.
GAME 2: Singing the scale as you roll the ball. Supplies needed: Up to seven tennis balls for every sixteen students. Prep: Review and/or teach a scale. Procedure: Students sit in a circle. Hand out the seven balls to students in the circle - one ball per seven of the students. Assign an order for entering each ball in the circle. (Begin with Jane. Each time a ball is entered into the game it should be entered by the person to the right of the last ball's entrance.) Game rules: (1) Students should sit in a circle with their legs spread so they are touching toes. (V shape for each child) This closes up the circle so they won't loose the balls. (2) If a ball goes out of the circle they can not retrieve it. (3) The winning team is the team who has the most balls at the end of the game. (4) Teacher should instruct them as to how many times they are to sing through the scale and if they are to ascend and descend or just ascend. Game begins: Everyone sings "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do" (If your group is ready, tell them to ascend and then descend - repeating the top do on the descending portion.) If they are only at the point of ascending, tell them to ascend only. Round one: (You'll only need four of the tennis balls for this round.) Begin singing the scale at a moderate tempo. First ball is entered on the low do. Second ball is entered on the Mi, third on Sol, fourth on high do. (Increase the tempo each time they repeat the scale until they can't control the singing, rolling of balls, and the steady beat.) THEN... Round two: Begin singing the scale at a moderate tempo, enter one of the seven balls on each pitch. Each time you sing through the scale increase the speed.
GAME THREE: Carrying on the scale individual (or by pairs.) Singing the scale and bouncing the ball. Students are standing in a circle of eight students. First student begins bouncing and sings low do. He bounces the ball two times. The first time he bounces the ball right in front of his own body. Catches it and then bounces it towards another student on the second bounce. When that student catches the ball he is to sing the next pitch in the scale (re) as he bounces the ball. On his second bounce he bounces it towards another student. That student catches it, sings and bounces on mi, etc. (This is rather hard but when they can achieve this they not only "know their stuff" as an ensemble but individually they are "ready to sing!" My students loved this game even though it was hard for them to achieve. (I usually started by letting them work in pairs - for confidence.)
The students will probably not be able to stay in perfect body position during these games but I have found that these games takes all the pressure off of focusing upon singing the right pitch. They begin to focus upon the balls and singing the scale becomes automatic! After we play the games I have them stand, focus upon posture and tell them I would like to hear them sing like a chorus using beautiful tones. You'll be amazed at how much better they will sound as well as the amount of confidence they will gain from these games. -- Pamela Rezach
I took a plastic black cauldron, wrapped it in orange tissue paper so that it reached up in peaks around the edges. Then I cut apart some fall-looking leaves I found on stems and glued them around the outside. I stuffed the inside with red, orange and yellow tissue paper, leaving "flames" poking out of the top. In went a flashlight, which I covered with one of the tissue paper flames. I surrounded it with 4 small logs I found in the shed and voila. I felt mighty foolish carrying it all in this morning, but it was worth it. About fifteen minutes before the end of each class, I had them sit in a circle on the floor and close their eyes. I set out the campfire in the middle of the circle, turned off the lights and we were in the woods. The real wood worked well.
10/02 I made a campfire every day in the middle of the band room floor and had it down to a 5-minute job. I used a work light (the kind you hang inside the hood of a car that has a wire frame around a light bulb), a round laundry basket with open-weave sides and the bottom cut out, a square of thin silky red fabric (sheath lining works well), and a few sticks to stand around the basket. Set the basket over the work light. (You need to be near enough to an outlet to plug the light in, of course!) Cover the basket with the fabric. Stand enough sticks around the basket to make the "campfire" look believable. Darken the room as much as possible and enjoy. As for storage, that wasn't my aim.
I have an imaginary campfire in my room. We sing songs, roast imaginary marshmellows, eat imaginary smores and mountain pies and put the imaginary fire out with an imaginary bucket of water and sand! One time I was observed while doing this and the principal imagined he burnt his tongue when he imagined his shmellow caught on fire!
I took a big deli tray with lid, cut a hole in the bottom to put a cord through, arranged a set of twinkly (eight different patterns) Christmas lights inside with the cord through the bottom, then covered it with red, orange and yellow cellophane (the art teacher just happened to have! !) - - pulled the cellophane up from the bottom and wrapped a piece of fishing line around it so that the "flames" stick out the top. My "flames" are really folded over so they don't tear so easily. In a dark room, it'll do fine!
You could put a flash light under a bunch of red and orange scarves--works great!
We built one and put stuffed animals around it, each holding a stick with a cotton ball on the end - - a marshmallow!
I brought a work light from home and put it inside an old inverted round latticed laundry basket with the bottom cut out. Spread a piece of bright red silky fabric over this and made a teepee of 18" branches around. Quite an effective "campfire" with the lights out. By the time I assembled it every day for most of the month, I was really good at it! We sat tailor-style around the fire for our singing and only gathered into "rows" when I read my daily book selection to them.
Using red tissue paper and Christmas lights (large type) can make an easy campfire
06/16 Big Rock Candy Mountain, "One Green Jellybean" - video on YouTube, also in one of Denise Gagne's collections, "I Am a Gummy Bear" - there's a Just Dance Kids 2 video on YouTube. My Kindergarteners requested it this morning & danced along, The Candy Man
The following are all songs that can be purchased with or without cd accompaniment at musick8.com:
CANDY CANE LANE Vol. 23, No. 2 page 27
CHOCOLATE SUNDAE Vol. 9, No. 4 page 32
DOGGIES SHOULD NOT EAT CHOCOLATE BUNNIES Vol. 21, No. 4 page 23
JELLY BEAN BLUES Vol. 12, No. 4 page 27
LADYBUG IN MY SODA Vol. 18, No. 5 page 33
LET'S BUILD A GINGERBREAD HOUSE Vol. 25, No. 2 page 32
ODE TO A MARSHMALLOW Vol. 14, No. 5 page 34
PEPPERMINT CANDY CANE Vol. 26, No. 2 page 53
THIS CANDY HAS WORDS Vol. 22, No. 3 page 37
TRICK OR TREAT Vol. 14, No. 1 page 62
WHEN YOU EAT A CHOCOLATE BUNNY Vol. 24, No. 4 page 21
12/13 The Good Ship Lollipop (Shirley Temple), I Want Candy (Bow Wow Wow), The Lollipop Guild (from The Wizard of Oz); There is a really cute song about being locked in a candy store in "One, Two, Three....Echo Me!" by Loretta Mitchell. Turned that into a rhythm game where we found the rhythms of various types of candy; "Sugar Sugar"
08/04 "In Quest Of Columbus" by Michael & Jill Gallina. The publisher is Shawnee Press and the copyright date is 1991. -- Contributed by Monica in WI
Randy DeLelles and Jeff Kriske have a cute one --- name escapes me --- something about a cat, I think. Once on an Island
06/07 LITTLE NASH RAMBLER ….starts off with beeps and each verse gets a little faster---it's an old novelty type of song and I used it for showing five different tempos. --- Irish Ingram
I'm a little piece of tin. (ms sl ms s)
Nobody knows where I have been. (pronounced 'bin') (ms sl mr d)
Got four wheels and a runnin' board. (ms sl ms s)
I'm a Ford, oh, I'm a Ford. (ms sl mr d)
Honk, honk, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep! (md dddd sd d)
01/16 I just looked up Enjoy the Show and I think it may be just the thing!
08/04 "Sparky(R) & the Firehouse 5(4 C's & A Q)(R)"-Cd of fire-safety songs written under the auspices of the NFPA. (National Fire Protection Assoc).
These can be ordered through Gloria Nissenson, 150 East 77th St.
"I PURR" songs for cat lovers of all ages
10/01 The Old Gray Cat is sleeping - Singing Games Children Love, volume 1 This is a great 6/8 song - I do it as 'The Witches Cat' at Halloween in minor. (may be available through Plank Road marketplace -)
'My Cat' - song from 'The Best Pet Show Ever' - lots of great cat moves.
The Cat from Peter and the Wolf - on Listening Kit CD1 the excerpt is isolated for this very purpose.
The Cat Came Back - in Musicplay 2 and 3 For more information on any of the above see www.musicplay.ca
10/02 I stumbled on something that the first and second graders love. I had those cheap maracas with the tinsel hanging from Oriental .com and gave each a pair for butterfly wings. I used Hal's "Caterpillar Song." For the first part they hold the maracas to their heads for antennae, drop their arms down on the "worms," and gently bring them up with the music on "but I'll be a butterfly." Standing in place they move their arms with the beat trying out their wings, and then on the "la la la la" part I let them move around the room. We also swung them back and forth to the next song in that book, "Sway."
You can get 12 pair for $12 at Oriental Trading Co. They're pretty cheap sounding, but perfect for the little ones to learn to move slowly sometimes.
I am planning to do a Celtic Christmas with my 4th and 5th graders. The songs we will be performing include:
Masters in this Hall (16-2)
Peaceful Night (18-2)
I Saw three Ships (27-3)
Noel (18-2)
Peace on Earth (14-2)
Be Grateful (12-2)
Candle for Peace (15-2)
We Wish you a Merry Christmas (An Early American Christmas)
Auld Lang Syne (An Early American Christmas) -- Becky Melhus
Christmas In Killarney. This is a favorite and you can dance a reel to it! -- Dianne Park
"Winter Walk" from MK8 issue 13:2 has a wonderful Celtic lilt to it. It's a GREAT song!!! My students performed it for a winter concert a few years ago. (Individual issues + cd available at: www.musick8.com) --- Meredith Harley Inserra
CHICKS, CHICKENS
O7/05 "Chicken, Chicken" from Nancy Cassidy The Book of Kids Songs Chicken, Chicken you can't cluck to much for me....
07/05 Ballad of the Unhatched Chicks, Had a Little Rooster, De Colores -- Susan Simandle Music Specialist
Birds 07/05 Sounds of birds (our words for them) http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2965/mnemonic.ht>
05/21 "How about "Chickery Chick" in the Reader's Digest children's book?"
05/21 See song (in several books at library, esp. ones with Spanish songs) "Los Pollitos"
05/21 There is a song called "Cute Chicks" (I think - music is at school) in the musical "E-I-E-I-OOPS" by John Jacobson.
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks from Pictures at an Exhibition - Mussorgsky
I have the kids act this out while it's playing - they ball themselves up like their inside a shell with only their feet out and toddle around the room. Can't say anything (their heads are still inside the shell) and when momma hen talks (the oboe) they have to stop and listen, then go again. LOTS of fun!!!!
01/07 "Happiness Runs in a Circular Motions" (sung by Donovan) - Jane Rivera
01/07 "Circle of the Sun" - Sally Rogers (I think this is in Making Music, but I no longer have my books to check.)
"Old Brass Wagon" - (circle to the right......)
"The Peace Round" - Jean Ritchie (My 3rds could handle this, but I wouldn't have tried it any lower.)
"This Pretty Planet" - our all-time favorite round
"Ecology Round" - Joanne Olshansky (Tune of "One Bottle of Pop". Easy to add actions or movement and Boomwhacker ostinato for accomp. It's found in ROUND GALORE by Sol Weber)
"We All Live Together" - Greg and Steve (expanding circles of community ....house/neighborhood/city/county/state/countryplanet) -- Connie Herbon
01/07 Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, the other is gold.
A circle is round, it has no end.
That's how long, I will be your friend.
01/07 If you get Music Express Magazine, there is a nice circle song for younger grades called "Friendship Circle". -- Sabrina LaPointe
01/07 Circle Round the Zero - singing game
Song of the Nations
Will the Circle Be Unbroken - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Circle - Harry Chapin
http://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/wecirclearound.htm
Traditional Arapaho Native American song
Circle of Life - Elton John (Lion King) - Rhonda Schilling
I did "Circus Circus" with my 2nd graders last year. We added Take Me Out To The Circus as our opener, The Greatest Show on Earth, Walking The Tightrope, Barnum & Bailey, and Baby Elephant Walk. Some of the songs were used during our circus acts that we added. The students favorite thing was the surprise at the end whenever one of the clowns was giving me flowers and other clown stepped in and gave me a pie in the face. The students had no idea about it and they loved it. ---- Diana Morris, www.singlish.com
10/12 Denise Gagne has a great Ribbon Routine for the Fucik Circus Music. In Listening Resource Kit....It took a while for them to learn it but it is great fun. --- Lesley-Anne Hill
07/11 Entry March of the Gladiators, Thunder and Blazes
Barnum and Bailey's Favorite (march)
Jeff Kriske and Randy DeLelles (Gasme Plan) have a circus book.
List: http://www.euchronia.net/sotc/titles.html
There's a CD called Screamers that has circus songs on it. I think Fredrick Fennell is the conductor.
I think there is a piece of "Circus Music" from the Red Pony.
06/09 LESSON & POWERPOINT: http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/music/music.htm
SONGS: Craig Cassils has written a musical, "Clowns". Some of the songs from this musical could work well in a Circus theme. ---www.musicplay.ca Musicplay – the Sequential Text Series tvmusic@telusplanet.net 888-562-4647; --- Monkeys ("Movement Songs Children Love" by Denise Gagne), Five Little Monkeys ("Gettin' Down All Around with Mama Goose" by Mark Burrows), Bee Banana/Monkey See ("Stinkey Cake" by Carole Peterson) Elephants Have Wrinkles from Denise Gagne.
BOOK: There is a great Circus book by Kriske and Delelles.
06/08 When The Circus Comes To Our Town (Jacobsen)
The Mane Event
The Amazing Sam The Man!
I made up a drum set solo for a drummer
Seals (Orff) Hanna and her Amazing Bird (solo act - script by Jacquie)
Here Come the Lions (Orff)
The Amazing Trained Flea (script below for the 'Flea')
Monkeys (Orff)
Name That Tune (Bell Routine to Mary Little Lamb) The girls were dressed beautifully circus type stuff and I was the clown leading them, trying to get them to play the song correctly…
Elephants (Orff)
Clowning Around (Jacobsen)
Sad Clown (Jacobsen)
Lighten Up song in MK8 12:1 (Plank Road Pub.)
Three books of songs:
1. Orff to the Circus #6026066 $8.95 Linda Ahlstedt These are very simple but cool Orff arrangement. Simple songs. It adds the finishing touch to the canned music.
2. Circus Circus: Performance CD 3265055 Book 3265022 John Jacobson & John Higgins HAL LEONARD PUBLISHING CORP. Wonderful arrangements of the music.
3. Animals All Around by Alice Olsen
The trained flea song came from the book "Animals All Around" Cheap book but I love the little songs in it.
Ringmaster #1: Ladies and gentlemen! Children of all ages! It's your lucky day!
Step right up! Step right up! It's a circus day today!
Ringmaster #2: We've got a family of acrobats! (Wait for the acrobats to do a pyramid and a tumble) We even have an elephant pair. (Point at the elephants) So what do you think about that?
Ringmaster #3: Step right up! Hurry please! There's two men the size of a house! (Wait for them to come on stage) Don't start the next line, until the audience stops laughing!)
There's even someone on the flying trapeze And a clown who's afraid of a mouse. (A clown shrieks and jumps into the arms of another clown.)
Ringmaster # 4: We've got a man who's strong and tough. He can lift way more than a ton. (A big strong man lifts a bar bell) And if you think that's not enough, Wait 'til you see his son! (A little strong man lifts two barbells)
Ringmaster #1: Look! There's a lady who can walk on a wire All dressed in circus tights! And there's a fellow who can swallow fire And hardly ever ignites!
Ringmaster #2: We know you're going to like our show under our big top! When we go to the circus, The fun just NEVER stops!
Ringmaster # 3: So on with the show and the main event! I can't take the suspense. The lions are getting impatient for the circus to commence.
Ringmaster #4: Oh dear ….what do we have here? The lions are loose and they look ferocious! Let's go find the lion tamer! (Runs off stage)
(The boys sing the LION SONG)The ringmasters come back out on stage after the song with a whip, snapping it at them. (Act scared)
Lion tamer comes out and says… "No need to us a whip my friend. He won't respond to that.What they prefer are M & M's. See, he's a pussycat!
Lion: Oh, Oh…I like the green ones.
(A mouse walks on stage and eeks…at the lions who scream and run off stage!)
Ringmaster: 1 And now, for the FIRST time ever on the Montague stage…… We will hear the Amazing….THE DARING …..the fabulous….SAM THE MAN ! (Sam plays the drums) Ringmaster #2: Here's a fun act for all to enjoy! Here come the seals with their ball! Watch them as they flap, flap, flap! And when they're done, Please…clap, clap, clap!
Ringmaster # 3: And now ladies and gentlemen, we ask that you be very quiet so you will not startle this amazing bird….we bring you…Hanna and her talking bird…Vern.
Ringmaster #4: Here come some wild ones. The KING of beasts! Stop and listen to their great big roar!
Ringmaster #1: And now ladies and gentlemen, Turn you're attention to Tessa…..and her amazing dancing flea "Clyde"
Ringmaster #2: (Both Logans leave the stage to get ready) Watch out! Here come the monkeys…up to their tricks!
(After the MONKEY SONG…some girls will do cartwheels on stage …we'll do a little act….with Mrs. Wood. It doesn't need an intro.)
Ringmaster #3:And now we welcome to the center ring .......some groovy elephants who like to swing!
Ringmaster #4: And now my friends, it's time to see the funniest bunch in town! They make us laugh so easily Here come the clowns!
(Atchison and Stokes sing Clowning Around)
No Ringmasters needed after this.
Speaker 5: What's the matter with that little clown? Why does she look so sad? What in the world has got her down? What could be so bad?
Speaker 6: This is the saddest clown today…not happy like the rest And if I had to guess, I'd say I think that she's depressed.
Speaker 7: What is it clown that makes you blue? What makes you melancholy? Isn't there something we can do? We're here to help by golly!
Sad Clown: ends play by saying…. Ladies and gentleman! East and West! No reason for you to frown! For this is the day that beats the rest when the circus comes to town! Curtain Call music!
LION SONG: While singing "HERE COME THE LIONS"
Bring lions out to podium….be very afraid…..hold them back or they'll eat you.(While their on podium…pretend your're trying to keep them there.)
Vs. 1: Everyone knows that I'm the King. You lay down and they jump over you and back over to the podiums….I'm the King…(hit chests!!!)
Vs. 2: We are the Wild ones (Take off podium …make a pyrmid…stay thru)
I'm the King ….. (face the audience)
Vs. 3: (Jumping thru fire jump one way and then back to podiums) "Look audience….be firm and scared" FLEAS: Good Evening ladies and gentlemen. I would like to introduce you to my trained flea…" Clyde"
Oops…stay up here Clyde….that's the way… (pick Clyde up off the floor he jumped off your leg)
Our act has a few "bugs" in it but don't worry………..
Clyde is a trained professional and no animals or insects were harmed during this training session.
]Are you ready Clyde…..alright ….here we go!!!! (Look down at Clyde as you talk to him. Make the audience think he is real)
Tiny little flea Sitting on my knee He starts to prance Then does a dance and laughs tee hee
Tiny little flea Cute as he can be He jumps so high into the sky And laughs Tee Hee
Tiny little flea Sitting on my knee He does a flip, lands on his hip laughs tee hee
Stand up and take and bow….then say…OH…. sorry Clyde….bend over pick him up in your hand and say …say "take a bow Clyde!"
Go off stage scratching your head…..like you have fleas
VERN THE BIRD…..AT THE CIRCUS
Hanna:	Well Vern, here we are at the circus. How does it feel to be a circus bird?
Vern:	How does it feel to be ugly?
Hanna:	Vern!!!!! That's not nice! Say you're sorry!
Vern:	No way, Jose!
Hanna:	Say you're sorry, or I'll put you back into your cage!
Vern:	Oh…alright! I'm sorry!
Hanna:	Good job!
Vern:	I'm sorry you're sooooooo ugly! (bird laughs)
Hanna!	Well Vern, tell the people what you do here at the circus!
Vern:	Well, I used to fly on the trapeze, but the Ringmaster threw me out?
Hanna:	He threw you out??? Why did he do that?
Vern:	He said I was using "fowl" language!
Hanna:	Vern!
Vern: Yeah…and then I got bit by the dancing dog!
Hanna:	Oh my!! That sounds serious. Did you go to the doctor?
Vern: no…why?
Hanna:	Well….you could get HYDRAPHOBIA!
Vern: Hydro…what ia?
Hanna:	HYDRAPHOBIA!
Vern: What's that?
Hanna: That's a disease. (be serious) They say that everything a dog does, you do too!
Vern: I do??
Hanna: Yes! If a dog bites…you bite..
Vern: NOOO!!
Hanna: Yes…everything he does, YOU DO!
Vern: Hey, this is terrible….I goota go!!
Hanna: Why? What's the matter? What's the Matter?
Vern: I'm in trouble…THAT DOG JUST HAD PUPS!
Hanna: Say Goodbye Vern!
Vern: Goodbye Vern!
-- Jaquie Wood
12/07 SONGS: Man on the Flying Trapeze, Juggling, Waltz of the Elephants from Carnival of the animals
06/07 http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/circus.htm Many links to songs, information
06/06 Randy and Jeff have a book titled "We're Going to the Circus," with 21 songs, poems and dances. Some of the songs they've made arrangements for include "I Went to the Animal Fair," Little Miss Muffet," "Bell Horses," and of course "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze." Their book was published by Kid Sounds in Las Vegas. -- Barbara Williams
10/05 Do you have any Hap Palmer CD or music? In his "Let's Pretend" album is a cute, easy song, "If I joined the Circus I would be a Clown". The album of course has an instrumental side too, so the music is there for performance! -- Kristi Keast
Try this link http://www.kinderhive.net/circus.html
10/05 Songs: We're Going to the Circus (to the tune of The More We Get Together) We're Going to the Circus, the circus, the circus, We're Going to the Circus, now what will we see.
We might see a big clown with white pants that fall down. We're Going to the Circus, now what will we see.
Then there are verses for a juggler, tight-rope, and cotton candy. She made cards with clowns, tiger, juggler, tight-rope walker, and cotton candy.
Each child gets a card (multiples of each of course!)
She made a huge clown (called Harry) and cut out the mouth and put a shoe box behind it and each child gets to "feed the clown" Bozo Bozo was a funny clown, rig-a-jig-a jig-jig-jig.....is how it starts
Bell Horses: A so la mi song, Bell horses, bell horses, what's the time of day.
Eight o'clock, on the dot, time to run and play
For Bell horses, she made a "carousel" out of an old broom stick, 1" ribbons that she put grommets in and then put a screw in the top of the broom stick, stuck on the grommeted (sp) ribbons, and then capped with a cork. There were 4 ribbons on the stick. The teacher holds the stick and sits down. Then 4 kids hold on to a ribbon and walk (quarters) or run (eighths) around)
Someone chimes on the bells the time and that's when the horses move.
Chant: The Circus by Marilyn Copeland Davidson (an old series...one with records..) kids took turns using a floor tom to keep a steady beat.,..hands the first day, with a mallet the 2nd time)
She also made a "naked" clown on tag board and then made foam parts to dress the clown that the kids velcro on. The parts were: his hair, eyes, nose, mouth, shirt, pants, and shoes.-- ! Rhonda Schilling
10/05 We used a circus theme at our summer drama/music camps at the local theater in my community. Most of the songs came from Jacobson's musical, "Circus, Circus." The music is simple and delightful. We wrote our own script about the history of the circus. The script that comes with the musical is short and sweet and would be appropriate for a school setting. A professional clown came in and taught the children magic tricks, juggling and clown routines. We also used some songs from the Broadway musical, "Side Show." We used "Magic To Do" as the underscore for their magic tricks. The tricks were very simple, but the audience loved it.
The children were divided into groups according to age: clowns, magicians, acrobats. The professional clown taught the children how to apply clown make-up. The younger group (clowns) looked adorable for the show. The children wore jeans and bright yellow, orange or red T-shirts with balloon logos for the show.
The Jacobson musical has a wonderful accompaniment CD, but we opted to play it live in the theater. The piano accompaniment is very doable. I was lucky enough to have an eleven year-old in the camp who is a fantastic drummer. The drummer's father happens to be a bass player! It's amazing how exciting just keyboard, drums, and bass can make a piece of music when played live! The three of us played for the show, "Mother Goose, A Pocketful of Rhymes" back in April. So much fun................... Monica Autry
10/05 Randy and Jeff have a publication, "We're Going to the Circus". Full of songs, poems, and dance for elementary K-6, copyright 1990. I got mine from West Music a few years ago.-- Ardith J. Roddy
10/04 We did Circus, Circus by John Jacobsen & John Higgins
http://www.musicnotes.com/searchresults.asp?all=%22John%20Higgins%22&who=Artist&cookie=yes
2 years ago with 3rd grade. We also performed in the gym. We made a huge circus tent out of red, yellow, and blue bulletin board paper. It was probably 30 feet wide and 12-15 feet tall at the peak. (Find a picture of a circus tent for an example.) We had to make it in sections and we taped it together on the back with heavy clear packing tape. You will have to do some cutting and contour with a black permanent marker for the outline of the top of the tent. For the opening, we put a piece of white paper behind and taped the two flaps open. We had to get a ladder and several people to help us put it up. Over the opening, we made a sign in "circus" lettering that said "Circus Circus". We lined the bottom of the wall (about 1 1/2 ft. with a red strip of paper with white zig-zags on it to make it look like those circles they have at circuses (don't know what that's called!) Then we put huge yellow, red, and blue stars all over the wall with the tent on it and the two adjoining walls.
We have several different programs that week, so we had something else on the opposite wall. It was all really very cute. The kids were wonderful.
Lots of clowns - we made a little car out of something, and had them come in through its door, Strong men, lion tamers (and lions- we made a 'cage' for them), tumblers, tight-tope walkers (we made a tight-rope out of some frames the p.e. teacher had and a board with a support on it that held it in place), ribbon dancers, we had some kids come in riding tricycles, vendors with popcorn and peanuts(a local restaurant donated these), we also had a 'ring' for circus dogs to jump through made out of one of those pool noodles and paper fire!
Our kids/parents were responsible for their own costume, and I would say that 90% of them came prepared. We keep a closet with extra props and costumes, and try to make do for the ones who come with nothing.. -- Donna Sutherland
04/03 The K teachers had figured out a fake "weight-lifting" mechanism - - I don't recall if it was cardboard, or some kind of plastic plates on a PVC pipe or what, but they had this feather-weight bar and weights, and this child, who was a stocky little kid, learned how to struggle and heave to pretend it was really heavy. It was just too cute.
They had kids in tights "tight-rope walking" on some kind of string laid out on the floor. The animals were stuffed animals, of course. -- Contributed by Carol Cantrell
04/03 I did a circus program with 2nd grade a few years back. We used a lot of gymnastics for the acrobats number - I made barbells with pvc pipe and black balloons on each end - very cute. Mancini's "Elephant Walk" was cute for elephants, and "The Lion Sleeps tonight" for lions - a mom made little "lion heads" from cheap plastic visors with fun foam, yarn, etc. I also used a sheet and a back light and had kids "pretend" to tightrope -walk across stage - very cute. -- Contributed by Leah McDonald
The Animal Fair, Dance of the Clowns
Two sites that have lots of songs:
http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/circus/songs.htm
http://www.preschooleducation.com/scircus.shtml
01/02 We used to do a full fledged circus at my school with the first graders and our pseudo-Korean ribbon twirlers used those ribbons. I kept them in zip lock bags(gallon size so the wand fits) and even if the ribbons got crinkled, they twirled nicely. I got mine from Oriental Trading and found them to be too long for little kids so I snipped them off a bit. Also I found the tip of the wand broke quite easily on the wands I had, so I devised a duct tape and paper clip solution to that problem as well.
01/02 www.usamusic.org (click on "View Current Lessons" at bottom of page)
Grade 2 Here Comes the Circus - 3 Lesson
8/01 Aaron Copland has a section in The Red Pony, that I think is called Circus Music. I know I have used it with little kids to teach form (ABA, I think). I couldn't find it, but I think there is some kind of story line where a boy is imagining what he would do with his pony at a circus. I haven't used it in a while, but I remember liking the piece. Now I will have to dig it out and use it again!
I also have a CD called Circus Magic by Linda Arnold, that I might use if I was doing a Circus theme. song 8 is Clover the Clown and song 16 is Crazy Clowns. Email young heart @creativeteaching.com for more info on this CD I just had a listen to see if it was OK or not, and its actually kind of cute....very 'circussy' sounding and a great trombone solo.
We have a CD called UNDER THE BIGTOP - 100 YEARS OF CIRCUS MUSIC. It's from Angel records and dated 1993 so might still be available if you have time to find it. It includes opening music, music for the various acts, and "Barnum & Bailey's Favorite" as the grand finale. I know there are also assorted single circus-type pieces in various series books, but this one is all real circus music played by a top-notch band.
If you have the Bomar Series of recordings, there are circus pieces on it. Do you have a recording of "The Entrance of the Gladiators"? Copland has a wonderful piece called Circus Music.
Look for a collection of Karl King or Henry Fillmore marches. Both composers wrote extensively for circuses. You might also check with the service bands in your area, i.e. military bands, they often have excellent recordings for free to band directors/teachers(You might explain why you want them).
Karl King page: http://KarlKing.us
I bought one of those $1.99 - $3.99 CD's from Circuit City called: Circus Music from the Big Top - CD#356 performed by The Merle Evans Circus Band Write for free CD catalog: Legacy International Box 249 Pismo Beach, CA 93448
I've been teaching the concert music (a circus theme): Entrance of the Gladiators - Fucik, Dances from the Bartered Bride - Smetana, Circus Polka - Stravinsky, Sabre Dance - Khachaturian, The Comedians Suite (Excerpts) - Kabalevsky, Dance of the Hours - Ponchielli, Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld - Offenbach, Sabre Dance - Khachaturian: This was a rousing success! I pointed out the, timpani and the repeated melody theme (apparently it was in a PeeWee Herman movie) and later the contrasting sections. Made a "map" of the piece! The kids listened beautifully. Some even wanted to move to it (sure, as long as it fits the music).
BACK to Theme topics
Artie Almeida has a great scarf movement activity with "The Syncopated Clock" in her new book, "Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, Oh My!" Barbara Lee
Try the CD "Kids Can Listen, Kids Can Learn" by Lynn Kleiner.
Look on line for CLASSICS FOR KIDS then find the Harry Janos suite set of lessons and the entire movement about time and clocks very active listening lesson ---- Bonnie Gregory
Folk Song - My Grandfather's Clock (kids love this one!) ---- Becky Luce
Leroy Anderson's Syncopated Clock is always a fun one. ---- Beth
01/02 In my programs each child has one special thing to do, solo, play instrument, hold sign, dance, etc. so that he gets to come down off the risers and be special. The students will wear a tee shirt of the color of their special part song.
Opening - "Sing a Rainbow" from an OLD octavo - just the beginning, unison, section.
Other songs - Bluebells - from STM gr. 1 - Ev'rytime I'm Feeling Blue - STM gr. 2
Los Colores - STM gr. K - Little Red Caboose - STM gr. 2 - Yellow Brick Road - Lummi Stick Activity
Old Gray Cat - STM gr. 1 - Being Green - Sesame Street - Dip An Egg - MK8
The Little (White) Snowflake - MK8 - Finale - Blue and Red and White - MK8
01/02 I once did a program and the students sang about the rainbow. As they sang a certain section in the song, each student had his own designated, colored balloon. When that particular color was mentioned, the children with that color would tap the balloon up in the air to whatever rhythm I had assigned. (Quarter notes and half note combinations.) It really looked great in the show. I wrote the song. It is based upon Roy-G-Biv (order of colors in the rainbow.) Also, there's a song about lollipops that include colors. We sang that one year too. Each child had his own (paper-plate lollipop) and raised it at the appropriate time.
01/02 My K's and 1sts absolutely LOVE the song "Colors" by Hap Palmer. It's on the collection called Learning Basic Skills Through Music. I laminated rectangles of construction paper in red, green, yellow, and blue, the colors in the song, and I randomly put one beneath each chair before students come in. When it's time, they pick up the color and the song tells them when to stand up and sit down. Besides re-inforcing these colors, it's an excellent song for listening to directions. They never get tired of it!
A teacher I know does a thing with Hap Palmer music about colors and months. She has t-shirts in 12 colors and has each birthday month wear a different color, then does a song for each month of the school year.
01/02 Sing a Rainbow, De Colores, Yellow Rose of Texas, Blue Suede Shoes, Red River Valley
Green Green Grass of Home, Purple People Eater, It's Not Easy Being Green, Pink Panther
Mary Wore her Red Dress, I Can Read Colors, The Unicorn, Lavender Blue, Dilly, Dilly
Black & White, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Yellow Bird, Good Morning Blues,
The World is a Rainbow, When the Red, Red, Robin, Rainbow Connection, Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Blue Skies, Blue Moon, Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair, Little Brown Jug,
Where the Green Grass Grows All Around, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Yellow Submarine
Ebony & Ivory, 2 Little Blackbirds, Little Green Frog, 5 Green and Speckled Frogs, 3 Blue Pigeons
Baa Baa Black Sheep, Father's Old Grey Whiskers, The Old Grey Goose, The Old Grey Mare
John Brown's Baby, Little Boy Blue, Little White Duck, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Black & Gold, White Christmas, The Red, White, and Blue, Silver & Gold, Rainbow City
01/02 The Color Factory by Donna Amorosa(I think?) is a great program. Has 5 very singable songs and my first grade loved doing it several years ago.
01/02 I know that The World is a Rainbow is on one of G&S's "We All Live Together" CD's. I forget which volume, but it's yellow with a rainbow on it. It has "The Boogie Walk" and "The Freeze" on it. Some colored streamers attached to sticks would bea nice touch.
01/02 During my student teaching last year my cooperating teacher did "The World is a Rainbow" with sign language. I know the music is in Greg and Steve's songbook and it is on one of their CD's. I don't remember seeing the sign language in the songbook. My teacher thought she got it from a Hap Palmer book...she had a record to go with it.
01/02 Songs about Rainbows? Rainbow Connection? Look to the Rainbow? De Colores? I Can Sing A Rainbow? I once did a program for recorders and school band/orchestra called "The Colors of Music." We played all the songs that we'd earned ribbons for and talked about the tone color of the different instruments. Maybe you could do instrument songs and talk about that too. (The clarinet, the clarinet... Zoom zoom playing my cello...etc)
"The World is a Rainbow"-Greg & Steve, Des Colores; "Red Rover" Old Blue
Many nursery rhymnes with colors in them,"Rainbow Connection"
"Weave me a rainbow" from the video "Puff the Magic Dragon"
"Jenny Jenkins" "Little Red Wagon" (like Punchinella, learned form Avon Gillespie)
"Skip to my Lou" (little red wagon painted blue)
"Blue Moon") "I Dream of Jeannie with the Light BROWN hair"
"Ida Red" "It's Not Easy Being Green" (Kermit!) "Oranges and Lemons" Purple Kitty (by Tom Knight)
Leather wing bat (from Peter Paul and Mary Record)
"Lemon Tree All in R. C. Seeger Folk Songs for Children;
"Down Came A Lady" "Mary Wore a Red Dress"
"Pretty Little Girl with the Red Dress On"
One of my favorite books is "Hailstones and Halibut Bones - Adventures in Color by Mary O'Neill, Doubleday and Company, Inc. Garden City, New York. 1961. Don't let the copyright date fool you - it's a lovely collection. To use it for young children, I'd have a class choose a color and break the poetry down into small groups for small portions of each poem.
Colors of the Wind from the Disney Movie Pochahauntus
"Columbus Sailed With Three Ships," Macmillan 1989 - Grade 1
This is a very singable song and game that my first graders very much enjoy.
Columbus Day Songs that Tickle Your Funnybone" uses familiar tunes (at least familiar to us, shall I say, over-the-hill people) with fun and silly words for kids.
Today I used the Columbus day words with the Paddy Works on a Railway song (on page 8 of 5th grade Silver Burdett) . In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue... Filly me oo re oo re aye... In between singing the song, I'd stop and ask if any students could tell one fact about Christopher Columbus. If correct, I threw out a toosie roll and sang the song again. Stopped, asked for another fact. They didn't want to stop singing! They thought it was a great game! The 5th grade teacher came in and was so happy, they had just read the Columbus story in class and had alot of facts to share!
A site which gives info on Columbus:
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/excolumbus.htm
a couple of parodies..for you purists, just ignore these songs.
COLUMBUS (Tune: Mary Had A Little Lamb)
Columbus sailed the ocean blue, Ocean blue, ocean blue.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue, To find this land for me and you.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue, In fourteen hundred ninety-two.
Three ships he used to sail the sea, Sail the sea, sail the sea.
Three ships he used to sail the sea, The Pinta, Nina and Santa Maria.
At last some land came to view, Came to view, came to view,
At last some land came to view In fourteen hundred ninety-two.
COLUMBUS (Tune: Eensy-Weensy Spider)
Columbus was a sailor who thought the world was round,
He asked for ships but many turned him down.
He went to ask the King and Queeen of Spain,
And he told them of the gold and the spices they would gain.
He had to wait six years for the king and queen to say,
We'll give you ships so you can sail away.
It was the year of 1492
When Columbus sailed from Spain with his tough and able crew.
They sailed upon the ships out of sight of any land
Things didn't go exactly as they'd planned.
They begged Columbus to turn and head for home.
But Columbus urged them onward across the sea and foam.
On October the 12th in 1492
A sailor sighted land and yelled it to the crew!
Columbus went ashore and claimed the land for Spain.
He was thankful that his voyage had not been made in vain.
We sing lots of sailor songs for Columbus Day. Some favorites are "Going Over The Sea" ," Hole In the Bottom of the Sea", and "A Sailor Went to Sea Sea Sea"...this is the hand game with partners:
clap, left, clap, right. clap, 1 2 3 (123 hands together).
A sailor went to knee knee knee
To see what he could knee knee knee
And all that he could knee knee knee
Was the bottom of the deep blue knee knee knee
(Of course they pat their knees on the word knee)
Other verses are head head head (nod head) chin chin chin..arm arm arm...etc.
Last one is goochy goochy goochy (twist hips)
With older kids I sing a lot of calypsos and songs of the West Indies where Columbus landed.
Our Columbus Day songs center around boat songs ( Row your boat done as a round, "Oh the big ships are sailing through the Alley AlleyOh (changing the last phrase to "On Columbus Day "...Oooh as I write, a song comes to mind. But I'm going to have to look up: "Sail Away"( Music K8 June'99) We never had a chance to do it yet ( and the book's at school, so I can't say) Another thing I hope to do is have the kids become "Explorers" of rhythm, dynamics, movement etc. in other parts of the lesson.
In the Grade 1 teacher edition of Music and You, Macmillan's previous music series, Margaret Campbelle-Holman (formerly dugard) has a great little pentatonic song about Columbus. I do it as a story song with first graders--they are the echo part of the song, and have them do a steady beat ostinato on instruments. In second grade we do it again with a different ostinato, and they can sing the whole song. It's called " Columbus Sailed With Three Ships."
Margaret duGard (now Campbelle-Holman) has a beautiful one in "Music and You" 1st grade. My sister, Phyllis Stycos, did a wonderful musical still available from MMB (Magna-Music Baton). I did it in 1992, with each grade singing one song. Kids loved it. "Columbus Sailed With Three Ships" is the song It's really lovely for individual singing. I always had three ships, with three individuals at a time "sailing" them around the room. I think line drawings of the ship are in the Resource Masters. Then all sing the song, with the three "soloists" echo-singing the names of their respective ships at the appropriate time in the book (on so mi). I always loved using it.
Christopher Columbus had a mighty dream .
So-So-So La-So Mi So-So-So-La-so
Christopher Columbus had a sailing team.
So-So-So La-So-Mi So-So-La-So
(Teacher) Who's on the Nina?
So-So-La-So-Mi
(Students) I'm on the Nina.
(Teacher) Who's on the Pinta?
(Students) I'm on the Pinta.
(Teacher) Who sailed away on the Santa Maria?
So-So-La-So-Mi-Mi-So-So-La-So-Mi
(Students) I sailed away on the Santa Maria.
(repeat teacher.)
For the next section I choose a student who holds the American flag and waves it (Chris Columbus) and we reenact a bumpy rain storm (with classroom lights flashing) and unpitched instruments. Then after the storm the lights go on and we sing the song again!
"Three Ships", the theme song from the GS Musical about Columbus is VERY nice. The musical is very informative and historically fun, as well.
I had never heard of either Christy Mathewson (New York Giants, 1880-1925) or Napoleon Lajoie Lajoie, Napoleon (Cleveland Indians,1875-1959), as I'm not much of a baseball fan, but apparently they are famous enough that some of your students may have heard of them. But even if so one might ask whether this will be enough to get anyone busy singing in time for Columbus Day. At least check out this "wonderful" song to arrive at your own answer to this great question
I've just recently begun introducing this latter item by first reading a neat little short rhymed picture book by Jean Marzolo, entitled IN 1492, and singing a little ditty that a 1st grade teacher in my school said she remembered from her own girlhood:
In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue
Columbus sailed the ocean blue In fourteen hundred and ninety-two
(to the tune of Paddy Works on the Railway (Filamee-Oori-Oori-Ay) or When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again without the "hurrah's".
The Marzolo book begins with this same ubiquitous couplet, and I'm finding that it helps put the longer song (A GREAT, CRAZY SAILOR) quickly over. I've been taking the coward's way out and just putting on a tape that I made off the web site and singing along because I've recently joined the ranks of the "music cart army," - I've lost the use of what used to be the music room for at least the time being. Except I'm not even USING a cart because I have to go up and down stairs and I'm doing it all out of shopping bags. So I certainly am not too eager to try and sqeeze bass xylophones etc. in with all the other junk I'm carrying around. But I'd love to hear from anyone that's had some luck doing the song with real-live Orff instruments.
"Please, Mr. Columbus" is a favorite of mine for the children's listening. Peter Amidon sings it ("Mr. Columbus") on his cassette entitled "All I Really Need". And the Bowling Green Men's Chorus has recorded it on their CD's, too. Very funny tune about the seaman Luigi who was on board Columbus's ship, but want to turn the ship around because he is scared.
There is a nice song and dance called "A Famous Man" from the book Highlighting the Holidays unsure of the author... ...an Orff book. It's about Columbus.
As to Chris Columbus songs - there is an all time great most famously performed by Fats Waller. Here are the words and melody in sol-fa notation. Each line has the same rhythm. Hyphens denote syllables added to the word. First line ends on high DO, second on low DO. Both have the same rhythm. I have seen this attributed to Andy Kirk and to Leon Berry. There is an odd MIDI version available at: http://users.desupernet.net/avie07/christopher%20columbus.mid to give you an idea of the melody - But find the Fats recording to get the real feel!
RHYTHM: Ta Ta Ti-ti Ti-ti | Ti-ti Z Z Z | ( "Z"=quarter rest; "|" = barline)
SOLFA: D M F M F Fi | S D' Z Z Z
D M F M F Fi | S D Z Z Z
Mister Christopher Columbus Sailed the world without a compass
When his men began a rumpus Up spoke Christopher Columbus
There is land out there somewhere- Until we- get- there-
We will not- go- wrong- If we sing a swingin' song-
Since the world- is- ro-und We'll be sa-fe a-nd so-und
'Til our goal- is- fou-nd We'll just ke-ep rhythm bo-und!
What a ti-me at- sea-! No more mu-tin- y-
With diplo-ma-cy- Christy made- history-
Mister Christopher Columbus He used rhythm as his compass!
Music ended all the rumpus Wise Old Christopher Columbus!
01/16 01/16 Everyday Heroes https://www.musick8.com/store/alphadetail.php?product_group=1598
Unsung Heroes - Music K-8, Vol. 26, No. 1 https://www.musick8.com/store/alphadetail.php?product_group=3858
You Are Our Heroes https://www.musick8.com/store/alphadetail.php?product_group=917
From The Network section: https://www.musick8.com/html/network.php?volumeid=V16_1 "Community" A song by Pat Finn
Musical by John Jacobson HATS! - musical about different occupations, for K-3 https://www.musick8.com/store/alphadetail.php?product_group=3284
The Muppet's have: People in Your Neighborhood (this original version is a little dated but is still awesome, could be easily tweaked) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2bbnlZwlGQ
Sesame Street: Ben Stiller Sings About Friends & Neighbors (the language has been updated to be more inclusive) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_yohVlVbEA
We have used some of the songs from the Kidsong Video on What I Want To Be.
One of my favorite songs is "Lend a Helping Hand." It came from the musical, This Old Gingerbread House. It is paired with "Everyone Deserves a Home" in this single reproducible kit. Here is the link:
https://www.musick8.com/store/alphadetail.php?product_group=383&cat_id=25&display=searchterm&findme=Lend%20a%20Helping%20Hand&srchfield=title
05/21 1. Opened the lesson with name practise - I see the K once a week, so always start with a name rhyme of some kind. I showed them the cookie tin with some cookies missing, then led into the chant: Zoom zoom zoom - my heart goes kaboom, now "Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar"
Continue until the whole class is accused. When it comes to me, I end it with "possibly". 2. We read the Robert Munsch book "Mmm Mmm Cookies" playing all the sounds on unpitched instruments.
"Whap whap whap" on hand drums
"swish" on sandblocks
"ch ch" on egg shakers
" gluck gluck" on jingle taps
"plonk plonk" on woodblocks
SCRUUUUUUNCH on a cabassa. (I don't know how to spell this!)Very cute book - works very well for this.I didn't think of it till after my lessons were done, but I'd teach them the Sesame Street song "C is for Cookie" to finish the lesson. I'll be teaching it next week.
05/21 "You Gave Me Your Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookie!" - an MK8 song kids love.
Plank Road Publishing: http://www.musick8.com/
06/07 01/07 Celine Dion--Because you loved me
Don't Laugh at Me by Chip Davis
I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony
Shalom Chaverim
Friendship, it's the perfect blendship
L.O.V.E (Nat King Cole)
Theme from Cars by James Taylor
You've got a friend in me - Rob Amchin
01/07 Celine Dion--Because you loved me
06/06 My first year of teaching 2nd grade, one of the teachers put these words to "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" and shared them with EVERYONE. I don't tell them that this is the tune. We just teach the words with the melody:
To learn the 7 continents, think of the letter "A" And if you're down to only 1, an "E" will save the day.
There's Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Asia, too! The oceans run between them with their waters deep and blue.
There are also 2 Americas, North and South, you see. Now we're coming to the end, Europe starts with "E!" --
I would like to share a great Continent chant which my children love. I have written out the words, with the rhythm underneath (q=quarter e=eighth) and then the body percussion underneath that. Once we have learned it with words and action we just do the body percussion and think the words. Then, I ask different children just to tell me the continents off the top of their head, and they ALL can do it!
Asia Africa q q ee q (stamp, clap stamp stamp clap)
North America South America q q eeq q q eeq
------------(pat legs with the rhythm of the words)
Europe and Antartica q q q q q q q
(stamp clap clap clap stamp clap clap)
And hold this out -------- (waves hands from low to high)
Australia q q q (snap stamp clap)
SONGS: Summer Wind, Our State Fair, Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis (at the 1904 World's Fair) and Oh, Dear, What Can the Matter Be? ( Johnny's so long at the fair.). Maybe merry-go-round (carousel) music.
06/07 "Cow Tunes for Kids" Brent Holmes www.amazon.com
http://www.ilovewavs.com/Holidays/Xmas/cc/cc.htm has the A Cowtown Christmas selection "Deck the Halls with Oats and Barley" wav from the cd Artie mentioned recently.
You could do an echo song, like Old Texas or Purple Light. I used the Crazy Moose echo song with my first graders in their performance this year. Had a class of first graders sing the first part and the audience and rest of the first grade classes sang the echo. You could also do something like Lone Star Trail, having soloists sing the verses and the rest of the performers sing the chorus part. ---- Julie Jones MUSICAL: Christmas at the OK Corral - It has speaking parts. It is one of my favorite Xmas musicals. There is Bubble gum Bart, the mayor, his wife, the candy cane kid, the barber, and many more. I've performed this musical at least 4 times at 3 different schools. You'll like it I'm sure. ---- Chrystalle Doyle
To the tune of "The Addams Family"
Days of the week (snap, snap) Days of the week (snap, snap)
Days of the week, Days of the week Days of the week (snap, snap).
There's Sunday and there's Monday There's Tuesday and there's Wednesday
There's Thursday and there's Friday And then there's Saturday.
Days of the week (snap, snap) Days of the week (snap, snap) Days of the week, days of the week Days of the week (snap, snap)
Greg and Steve have a very popular 'Days of the Week' song - simple, catchy: Volume 4
01/16 T-REX: Back to the Cretaceous 3D - Teacher Guide to video: https://www.imax.com/community/education/
06/09 LOTS OF PICTURES: http://www.search4dinosaurs.com/
http://www.prehistory.com/
12/07 SONGS: "I Need a Home for My Dinosaur" by Donna Rhodenizer, it is a great song that kids absolutely love. It is in a collection called Dinosaurs, Dragons and Me.
You can order it through Red Castle Publishing :
http://www.redcastlepublishing.com/printed-music.html#dino ---- Brandi Nicholauson
06/07 BOOK: Grunt Stomp Blow Snore by John Jacobsen (Keep 'Em Moving book or something like that) is great for dinosaur as it leaves out words and adds actions and is not too hard for k!
08/04 "I'm in the MODE for Dancin' Dinosaurs" by Linda Ahlstedt. Nine songs plus Orff orchestrations and movement suggestions. Copyright 1989 Comprehensive Music Services Inc. The kids loved it and so did I!!! -- Contributed by Donna Mason
www.surfnetkids.com/games/j_dino.htmbr>--------------------------------
08/04 I made one up for K-3 using mostly K-8 materials and a bunch of dino joke groaners. The Jr.High art students made pop out windows in a large cardboard box painted like a cave. The kids stuck their heads out the windows to deliver their joke lines ala the old Sat. Night Live. - Contributed by Priscilla
10/02 COMET: My 4th grade choir performed "The Comet" a few years ago. The students found pictures of dinosaurs and comets. We made color transparencies of them. For the concert, we turned off all the lights. The choir sat on the risers and the transparencies were shown on a screen we had on stage. Our high school SADD chapter let us borrow their fog machine, so we had the stage all foggy and mysterious. During the explosion part, we turned off the overhead projector and 3 or four students turned flashlights on and off in the foggy darkness. The ending was sung in complete darkness. It was very impressive and easy to do.
06/22/02 PRESCHOOL INTERACTIVE DINOSAUR PROGRAM - Sandy Toms
Classroom preparation: Children learned different dinosaur songs and I generally had hand motions to go with most songs; I showed them many pictures of dinosaurs, talked about different types and explained that different types of dinosaurs were on the earth at different times. Library books have silouettes of dinosaurs next to silhouettes of humans so the children get an idea of how big they were compared with humans.
Setup: Our directress made three dinosaurs (2 dimensional) out of refrigerator cardboard. She used metallic spray pain of different colors. These looked terrific and form a backdrop for the people to sit in front of;
Keyboard: (to use for rhythm rap); Guitar; Book "Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp" by Carol Diggs; Text for puppet shows; Sound system (needed, believe me!) Microphone, amplification of accompaniments of any kind;
Introductions: Parents sit with kids, kids stay with parents, during movement (try to keep talking to minimum) Songs Please join in on the songs for the refrains. [Note I gave the parents a sheet with just the chorus words printed to make it easy for them] [I interjected dinosaur jokes between each activity as transition material. See websites below.]
Identify: Felt Board Put different dinosaurs on board; identify
Songs (Call numbers): 1. Long Ago, 2. I'm A Three Toed, 3. Thunder Lizard, 4. Pterosaur, 5. Raptor Rap, 6. T-Rex
Story: "Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp" by Carol D. Shields; Great book; I added a refrain for the children and parents to recite and simply interjected this refrain about 8 times during the recitation. This is done as a rap and I played a keyboard rhythm to accompany the story. I held the book for the children to see and had the text printed out for myself so I could read and turn pages without looking at the book. Have all do a rhythmic "Booma Lacka" after each group of spoken words: (See the dinosaurs coming down the track, Booma-Lacka-Booma-Lacka Whack, Whack, Whack)
1. The Dinosaurs (sitting); Read dramatically. (See websites below)
2. I'm a Mean Old Dinosaur (Standing); I found this parody to "I'm a little teapot" at a website; Websites listed below.
3. Did You Ever See a Dinosaur (standing) Parody to "Did You Ever See a Lassie"
(He hides in your bedroom and wears your pajamas; He eats all your peanuts and jumps in your tulips; I made up some verses)
4. (Move to Music) Move like a (I used about 30 seconds of music from "Jurassic" CD of MK8. Great Songs!!
Brontosaurus (Create one long train- Music is Thunder Lizard), Tyrannosaurs Rex, Velociraptor, Pterodactyl
5. Grunt, Stomp, Blow, Snore (music) This is on a John Jacobsen CD - "Hop 'til you Drop"
Cool Down Stretch (I used "Sway" from "Hop 'til you Drop")
Songs I Went to the Pet Store, If I Had a Dinosaur, New song Down in the Valley (parody of Down by the Station - see websites)
Puppets One of the teachers made sock puppets for each child. I had the children come up in groups to perfom a brief puppet show. This was not rehearsed and was a surprise for the children so the shows were adlibbed.
Toddlers I sang a song while the kids made their puppets dance.
Primary Children One of the teachers read a movement verse describing different dinosaurs; "Some were tall, some were small, etc.,............ (see website below) [I crouched down behind our cardboard dinosaurs with the children and with my puppet, showed the kids what to do.
Extended Day (ages 4-6) Another teacher read this text while I did puppets with the kids Long ago about 230 million years ago, dinosaurs began to appear on the earth. A very long time ago! For about 140 million years the dinosaurs were the most important creature on the earth. The earliest dinosaurs were not very big. The largest of these was about 15 ft. long. Some of the dinosaurs were swimmers that looked like dolphins. Other ocean creatures long necks and large flippers! And then came Bronto! (Brontosauruses were plant eaters (raise trees) and didn't have to chase after other dinosaurs.) You see Bronto was verrrrry shy. Every time he heard any noise, he would run away.
Well one day Bronto decided to 'just ever so slowly' peek his head out the door of his cave. He looked carefully around and then he heard a tree branch rustle in the wind. He quickly pulled his head back inside his cave. Well this would just not do! He must try again! So again, ever so slowly, peeked his head, out of the cave and very carefully looked around. What he didn't know was that there were other dinosaurs doing the same thing at the same time! He felt so brave he lifted his body even further out of the cave. "Wow, there's a forest out here!" he thought to himself. Then all of a sudden, he heard the screeching sound of a Pterosaur. He was so afraid his body began to shake uncontrollably. But then he looked around and lo and behold, he discovered he wasn't alone! He saw other dinosaurs like him and thought he might like to get to know one. Ever so slowly, he crept over to one, and said, "Hello!" And what do you know? The other dinosaur said hello right back! They were so happy to find each other that they began to dance! (Music)
LE FINIS! This concluded the program. The children went home with a dinosaur cookie and a packet of pictures to color and activities to do at home.
DINOSAUR WEBSITES:
Crossword (dinosaur) http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/classroom/crossword/Dinocrossword.shtml
PRESCHOOL ONLINE FUN
Click and make an interesting dinosaur http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Slidedinosaurs/Slidedino2.html
Color a dinosaur http://www.enchantedlearning.com/painting/dinosaurs.shtml
Crafts http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/dinosaurs/BR> Math Games (Addition 1st Grade) http//www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/activities/math-code/
05/21 UNIT: Dinosaur Model Thematic Unit
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/Dinosaurs.htm
05/02 We have a new learning kit called "Rock with the Dinosaurs!" Which has a CD and songs to sing with the CD plus activities and research topic for cross-curricular study. Cost is $29.95 with CD. opustwo@on.aibn.com
Our all-time favorite is "Jaws of the Jurassic." (MK8, vol.4-1 and also in a Singles Reproducible Kit) Our first graders "do" dinosaurs, and that's where I introduce the song, but the verse words are much easier for older classes to handle, especially if they have to be memorized. My 2nds performed it one year with complete riser choreography, and it was very effective. Older classes ask for the song regularly, even though they've outgrown their fascination with dinosaurs.
The comet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (MK8). This song is awesome. I did it with my 3rd graders, and when they are 5th graders, they still say- Mrs. Birchman, remember that song about the dinosaurs and extinction? It is a great song. "The pre-historic animal brigade"
For a dinosaur program be sure to check the Music K8 index. Their songs like Jaws of the Jurassic, Pterosur, Thunder Lizard, are the greatest! Also check out the Dino Toothbrushing Song in "Sounds We Found." I have an old Schaum piano book, forgot the name(something like Dinosaur Ditties), that is all songs about the various dinosaurs--words are included. Some are more singable than others. Our classroom teachers also have quite a few dinosaur songs as that's been a hot top these last several years. The Dinosaur song, "Very Long Ago, In Another Age" from "Carnival of the Animals" Revue is VERY good.
John Jacobsen and Mac Huff did a suite about animals a few years back. i forgot what it was called, but there was a cute song called "How Do you Talk to a Dinosaur" -----------------
(For COSTUMES, see file #39 Program Ideas A-M)
05/21 I've done melodies to many of the poems in Jack Prelutsky's Tyrannosaurs Was A Beast book. It's a book of dino poems
05/21 PRESCHOOL: . One song I'm using is "Footprints" from Wee Sing Dinosaurs. I carefully cut out footprints of various shapes and sizes and positioned them on the floor to get their attention. It worked. After we were finally seated, I brought out some brown play dough and toy dinos. Each child had an opportunity to let a dino stomp through the mud. As I was asking them to imagine the brown play dough was mud, one little boy exclaimed, "Looks more like chocolate to me." He was actually pretty close.... I put cocoa powder in it to make it brown.
After they had a chance to make their own prints, I returned to the paper cut outs. We discussed the relationship of footprint size to body size, then distance of pace to speed, etc. While the recording played again, we marched/crawled/growled carrying the cutouts. The next song was Dinosaur Colors. After discussing the lyrics, we colored dinos. We LOVED the puppets from:
http://babyparenting.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cantonpl.org%2Fyouth%2Fdinoact1.html
Another fun song is Dinosaur Rock and Roll from Joanie Bartels "Dancin' Magic" 2184-94408-4.
A quiet ending is the "Land Before Time" Sing along video, ISBN 0-7832-2205-X.
My favorite recipe for Play Dough is 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups salt 6 tsp. cream of tartar. Mix and then add 4 Tbsp oil, food coloring, flavoring (just for aroma) and 2 3/4 cup water. Stir and cook until mixture adheres together (about 3-4 minutes). Take from pan and knead. Keeps for months in Tupperware.
Waiting for permission: Dinosaurs, dinosaurs please beware Dinosaurs, dinosaurs everywhere
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs on land and sea Dinosaurs, dinosaurs for you and me
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs to and fro Dinosaurs, dinosaurs long ago
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs big and small Dinosaurs, dinosaurs friends to all
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs rain or sun Dinosaurs, dinosaurs (rest) WHAT FUN!
My K's like a song called "My Own Pet Dinosaur," from the collection Sing'n Do Songs by Sally Albrecht. The verses need to be sung by the teacher unless the song is extended over a long time, but the refrain is easy:
Dinosaur, dinosaur, stomping 'round the kitchen floor. Dinosaur, dinosaur, I'd love to have a dinosaur!
We begin by patsching the beat on the refrain. Then we move to alternating hands patsching. Next we put it in our feet and step the beat in place. Finally, the beat takes us around the room in path of choice, although I guess they could move in a circle.
I probably still have the tape of the song somewhere, but we alway just do it with guitar. It can be done with as little as G, C, and D7 chords, so guitar or autoharp work well.
05/21 "Rock With the Dinosaurs" (Learning Kit) Which has a CD and songs (parodies) to sing with the CD plus activities and research topic for cross-curricular study. It is $29.95 with the CD.1-800-792-6623
www.opus-two.com
Reading 04/02 Charolette Diamond has a song called Dicky Dinosaur and I do the actions that are on the video tape. Stomp, roar etc.
04/02 My Own Pet Dinosaur," from the collection Sing'n Do Songs by Sally Albrecht.
I probably still have the tape of the song somewhere, but we always just do it with guitar. It can be done with as little as G, C, and D7 chords, so guitar or autoharp work well.
Alice Olsen has some wonderful songs about dinosaurs and also some about monsters ("Look What Followed Me Home") that could easily be adapted.
There's a great picture book called "Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp" by Carol Diggory Shields. (Scholastic, 1997). It's all in rhyme and would make a terrific performance piece: chant, movement, rhythmic ostinatos, improvisation.
There's also a wonderful picture book called Dinosaur Dances by Jane Yolen. I put recorded musical background to each of the poems in the book and put them all together for about an 18 minute reading that kids and teachers in workshops that I have presented love. Some of the music, in my opinion is better than others and certain poems could be picked out instead of doing the whole book and musical beats with Orff instruments and drums could be put to them. Use old 5 gallon buckets filled with sand to put up split rail fence. A big wad of dead weeds can create tumbleweeds. Students could paint a setting sun landscape as a backdrop... anyone have a rocking horse?
Q: What's the best way to call a Tyrannosaurus Rex? A: Long distance! Q: What does a Triceratops sit on? A: It's Tricera-bottom! Q: What dinosaur would you find in a rodeo? A: Bronco-saurus! Q: What dinosaur can't stay out in the rain? A: Stegosaur-rust! Q: What dinosaur loves pancakes? A: A tri-syrup-tops. Q: Why couldn't the long-necked dinosaur see? A: Because it had its head in the clouds!
06/07 B-I-N-G-O, My Little Puppy, Five Puppies (from The Music Connection), Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?, How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?, Old Blue, Bow Wow Wow is a cute dance that they can do, Rags, Oh, I Wanna Be a Dog, Polar Puppies(MK8), MK8 vol. 15/5 has a cute song called "Puppies, My Big Black Dog , There's a song about Clifford in the back of at least one of the Clifford books
See also the file #32 MULTICULTURAL IDEAS
John Rutter's "The Reluctant Dragon" by the Kings Singers that would be cute for listening - even has a belch in the "Banquet Fugue". What about songs from Disney's "Pete's Dragon" or songs that would be about knights or St. George.
Puff the Magic Dragon
Pete the Dragon
06/09 "Big Dreams" from MK8 Vol 7/No. 1 was/is popular with my kiddos.
06/09 Langston Hughes has two great poems--- dream keepers. And dreams. [It] would be fine for an expressive speech piece with instrumental colors. ----Martha Stanley
Try something by Yanni, Enya, or how about some Native American flute music by Carlos Nakai?
Try some Windham Hill recordings or Narada.
A lot of the stuff by Ray Lynch is good for that -- especially his CD "Nothing Above My Shoulders but the Evening". Also, what about the "Aquarium" movement from "Carnival of the Animals" (Saint-Saens)? My students always say its sounds mysterious and dreamy. You might want to invest in a couple of Windham Hill Samplers - there are usually a couple of pieces on those that would work too.
Loreena McKennitt is good, so is the group DEAD CAN DANCE......and how about VANGELIS
There's also, Child of the Universe, in Silver Burdett, grade 5.
Musical: Pocketful of Dreams
(anti) To the tune of Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue: I'm drug free, proud to be, It's as easy as 1 - 2 - 3 Cause I have learned to just say no----so--- I won't buy, I won't try, It's as easy as apple pie cause I have learned to just say no. I plan to stay that way every day. You wait and see. It might be rough, It might be tough, But I'll help you and you help me(Repeat 1st verse)
Try My Mind is Mine by Teresa Jennings (of course). My kids loved doing it and it was a huge hit with both the parents and the DARE program (the kids sang it at DARE graduation). Accomp. tape is great with it.
FOREVER FREE, published by Hal Leonard has many possibilities. Good choreography and songs with the right message.
There is another musical revue on this subject....With a Little Help From My Friends. Maybe some of those selections would work.
All the music from "Forever Free" by Roger Emerson is fabulous. And it is easy for that age to learn.
Take a look at the musical - "People Gotta Be Free". I think it's just what you need.
There is a MIDI file available back on the Homepage for a much easier song, NO DRUGS MARCH. It might be too young for your group, but we really enjoy marching around the neighborhood chanting it when The District organizes our annual Drug Free Day.
The first song, HEALTHY CHOICES, manages to cover the topic without overtly mentioning it, which might go over better with your group. It uses a slow shuffle rhythm, like you'd hear in an accompaniment to "Heart and Soul."
We have done two of these thus far: MY MIND IS MINE (Music K-8, Vol. 2, No. 5) and I WILL DARE (Music K-8, Vol. 6, No. 5). Both of them are also available as singles kits.