Today Is…

by | Uncategorized

Good morning! Like many of you, this is my first day back to school after a nice break, and I’m ready to dive head-first into the month. Today I’ll be introducing several new songs to my students, which is always exciting. And while new songs are great, it’s the songs that are familiar to the kids (and staff) that keep them engaged and eager to participate.

The hello song, weather songs, and a couple of the calendar songs are standards throughout the year, and I’m going to share one of those with you.

Each day after singing about the month, we sing the “Today Is” song. I chose to set the lyrics to the tune of “You Are My Sunshine” because it is familiar, and it just happened to fit the words perfectly.

Today is Monday, today is Monday.
Today is Monday, January 5th.
Yesterday was Sunday, tomorrow’s Tuesday.
But today is Monday, January 5th.

The song changes with the day, which definitely keeps me on my toes :) Some of the classes have even started doing sign language while singing the song, which is a great option if your students use that form of communication.

I hope your first day back is a great one! See you again soon.

January

by | Uncategorized

Ahh, January. A month that seems to stretch on and on, after all of the excitement of the holidays has passed. Luckily for me, January is filled with birthdays – my husband’s, sister-in-law’s, and brother’s – so that makes it just a little more festive. And of course, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s birthday is coming up in just a few weeks, which means a day off :)

It’s a month of fresh starts, so without further ado, here is a fresh new song:

January brings a brand new year
The holidays are over and winter’s here.
Thirty-one days of snow and cold,
We’ll find out what this year will hold.

January brings a brand new year
Which starts on New Years Day
Celebrations and parties too
“Happy New Year,” we all say.

January brings a brand new year
The holidays are over and winter’s here.
Thirty-one days of snow and cold,
We’ll find out what this year will hold.

January brings a brand new year
Let’s make a resolution.
To try our best, be nice to friends,
And help to stop pollution.

January brings a brand new year
The holidays are over and winter’s here.
Thirty-one days of snow and cold,
We’ll find out what this year will hold.

January brings a brand new year
And special days to plan.
Martin Luther King Junior’s birthday
Remember this great man.

January brings a brand new year
The holidays are over and winter’s here.
Thirty-one days of snow and cold,
We’ll find out what this year will hold.

Goodbye, 2008!

by | Uncategorized

For those of you who have been checking in throughout the last week and a half, I have two words for you: I’m sorry :( I said I’d be blogging as usual, but I did not uphold that promise…it has just been a blur of activity and time spent with family and friends. Unfortunately, Listen & Learn had to suffer, but I am ready for a fresh start with the advent of 2009.

It’s hard to believe that 2008 is ending. It’s been a great year, full of BIG events. I got married, which meant inheriting a new last name, a wonderful family, and a few days later, a brand new nephew named Mason. I’ll always remember 2008 as a year of new beginnings, but I am excited to see what 2009 has to bring.

Have fun tonight, and be safe. Come by tomorrow for a brand new song that you and your kids can sing for the next 365 days. Cheers!

Ten Twinking Trees

by | Listen & Learn Music

Good morning everybody. It’s Monday, and we’re only a few days away from Christmas! It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Today is my last day of school before a two-week break, but don’t worry, I’ll still be updating my blog as usual. I have a full day of classes, a dentist appointment, and a graduation ceremony to sing, so let’s get to it. Today’s song is called “Ten Twinkling Trees” and here it is:

Ten twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it’s not made of pine,
Let’s look at the other nine.

Nine twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it’s trunk’s not straight,
Let’s look at the other eight.

Eight twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it doesn’t point to heaven,
Let’s look at the other seven.

Seven twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for there’s too much to fix,
Let’s look at the other six.

Six twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it didn’t thrive,
Let’s look at the other five.

Five twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?

Not this one here, for it came from a store,
Let’s look at the other four.

Four twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it’s too big for me,
Let’s look at the other three.

Three twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for its branches are few,
Let’s look at the other two.

Two twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it’s brighter than the sun,
Let’s look at the other one.

One twinkling tree, standing strong and tall,
It surely must be the best of all.
With branches full, and sized just right,
I’ll take it home and trim it tonight.

My own Christmas tree is trimmed and most of my presents are wrapped and waiting beneath it, though I still have a few last-minute items to add. These next couple of days will be hectic, but I love this time of year!

Friday Fave: James Taylor at Christmas

by | Uncategorized

Today is Friday! For many of you who work or teach in a school, this is probably your last day before the holiday break. If that’s you, hooray! My school has one more day in session (Monday) before a two-week break, and as much as I love it here, I have to say that the vacation will be nice.

I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again: I love Christmas music. And when it comes to the sounds of the season, I’m not biased at all – I will listen to anything the all-Christmas radio stations play. But of course I do have my favorites…the aforementioned Carpenters’ Christmas Portrait, Bette Midler’s Cool Yule, Christmas With the Rat Pack, and today’s featured Friday Fave, James Taylor at Christmas.

James Taylor is a music legend, and one of my very favorites any day of the year. “Your Smiling Face” makes my heart happy every time I hear it, as do most of his songs (except “Fire and Rain”, which makes me a little teary). So when I discovered his Christmas CD a couple years ago, I just had to add it to my collection. It’s soulful, jazzy, and just plain good…the kind of music that makes you want to curl up in a cozy chair in front of the fire with a big mug of hot chocolate.

My go-to track (which I included on a compilation holiday CD I made for all my students this year) is “Go Tell it On the Mountain”. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy every time I hear it, and I love the gospel choir that accompanies him. To listen to a sample of this song and all the others, go here.

That’s all, folks. Today is a double-post day, so stay tuned for another song that will be sure to get your kids talking…about Christmas!