Songs for Teaching
Friday Fave: Wedding Music
Zach and I have dubbed November as “Wedding Month” due to the fact that we’ll be spending the next two weekends traveling the country for the nuptials of our friends and family. Next Friday we’ll be jet-setting to Orlando for the wedding of my friend (and former bridesmaid) Vanessa and her fiance Luis. Then the following weekend, we’ll head to Connecticut to participate in the wedding of Zach’s brother Rob and his fiance Shannon.
I’m extremely excited about both events – I love weddings! And one of my favorite aspects of the special day is (no surprises here) the music. I love it all: the instrumental (Pachelbel’s Canon in D, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desire, The Wedding March), the vocal (Ave Maria, The Prayer, Sunrise, Sunset), and of course the dancing (American Pie, Sweet Caroline, and Hey Ya! are always fun).
I am singing at both of the weddings we’ll be attending this month, and both brides have discovered that choosing the selections isn’t as easy as one might assume. I got married last summer (08/08/08 to be exact) so I know firsthand that planning the music can be an overwhelming responsibility. Luckily, I had a wonderful advisor (aka my mom) who not only helped choose the music, but actually wrote one of the songs that was performed at the ceremony. She named it “Child of Mine” and asked my good friend and bridesmaid, Victoria, to sing it at the wedding. Listen to a recording of it (sung by me!) below:
Isn’t it beautiful? It was such a special and amazing day, and hearing a song written especially for me by my mom made it even that much more spectacular.
Silly Sounds Hello
Hello, and happy Friday to you! I’d like to start the day with a greeting song: it’s called “Silly Sounds Hello,” and it targets consonants. This particular tune was written for a little boy named Rocco, who I worked with two years ago, so it was tailored to the consonant sounds he was struggling with at the time.
However, you can change those words and sounds to fit the needs of any child, no matter how silly it might end up sounding (because after all, that’s the point!). Take a listen:
I know a silly way to sing hello.
You can sing it to your friends,
And the people you know.
The words of this song are fun to say,
Won’t you sing along with me today?
Hi, hi, pie pie pie.
Hi, hi, tie tie tie tie.
Hi, hi, my my my.
Hi to you.
Hello, no no no.
Hello, go go go go.
Hello, dough dough dough.
Hello to you.
Hey there, bear bear bear.
Hey there, fair fair fair fair.
Hey there, pear pear pear.
Hey there to you.
So there it is. Rocco loved singing this song because it was so silly and nonsensical, and by the year he had mastered most of these sounds. Progress is that much sweeter when you have fun making it.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series of hello songs. And if you have any great ones up your sleeve, I’d love to hear about them! As always, thanks for reading, and come back later for “Friday Faves.”
Everyone is Doing the Maraca Rock
At least, they will be after hearing today’s song! Maracas (and shakers in general) are a favorite instrument for most of my students, so I’m always looking for ways to incorporate them into music therapy. Maraca Rock does just that…and as a bonus, it also addresses an important skill: discrimination of space (high, low, back, forth).
Maraca rock-a, rock-a, rock!
Maraca rock-a, rock-a, rock!
Got the rhythm shakin’ and the beat is quakin’
The maraca rock-a rock!
Rock your maracas way down low, maraca rock-a rock!
Way down low, rock them way down low, maraca rock-a rock!
Rock your maracas way up high, maraca rock-a rock!
Way up high, rock them way up high, maraca rock-a rock!
Maraca rock-a, rock-a, rock!
Maraca rock-a, rock-a, rock!
Got the rhythm shakin’ and the beat is quakin’
The maraca rock-a rock!
Rock your maracas back and forth, maraca rock-a rock!
Back and forth, rock them back and forth, maraca rock-a rock!
Rock your maracas all around, maraca rock-a rock!
All around, rock them all around, maraca rock-a rock!
Maraca rock-a, rock-a, rock!
Maraca rock-a, rock-a, rock!
Got the rhythm shakin’ and the beat is quakin’
The maraca rock-a rock!
The first Monday of each month is always exciting, because that is when I introduce all my new songs to my students (although I think sometimes the staff and parents look forward to it more than the students!). I also have a fun new book I will be sharing with you all in the coming days. Stay tuned!
November is Here
I hope you all had a fun and happy Halloween! Now that it’s over, it’s time to dive into November and all the fun things this month brings. I love Thanksgiving, and I’m excited about the songs I’ll be posting in relation to it in the coming weeks. But before we get to those, first things first. Below is the November song…I hope you like it!
For thirty days November’s here
Let’s give thanks and show good cheer.
The days are short and the wind will blow
It’s the eleventh month I know.
For thirty days November’s here
And Election Day will come.
Grown-ups will go to cast their votes
There will be a celebration for some.
For thirty days November’s here
Let’s give thanks and show good cheer.
The days are short and the wind will blow
It’s the eleventh month I know.
For thirty days November’s here
And next comes Veteran’s Day
We’ll remember those who served
And home from school we’ll stay.
For thirty days November’s here
Let’s give thanks and show good cheer.
The days are short and the wind will blow
It’s the eleventh month I know.
For thirty days November’s here
And then comes Thanksgiving Day.
While we eat turkey and pumpkin pie
We’ll be thankful in our own way.
For thirty days November’s here
Let’s give thanks and show good cheer.
The days are short and the wind will blow
It’s the eleventh month I know.
Elections, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving…what a busy month! I hope it’s off to a good start for you – see you tomorrow for some rockin’ with maracas :)
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