If there’s one kind of instrument I can’t live without, it has to be the fruit shakers. These fun and colorful instruments hold so many possibilities and bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Pairing the catchy song “Shaky Fruit Salad” with these musical apples, oranges, lemons and bananas is a great way to mix up boring old egg shakers, while still addressing many important developmental goals!
Hi everyone! My name is Cacia King, and I’m going to be writing to you every week about all the goal-based songs available to you through Listen & Learn Music. I’ve been a member of Listen & Learn Plus for over 2 years, and now as a part of the Listen & Learn team, I’m so excited that I’ll get to share how I use these awesome resources regularly in my therapy sessions.
Here’s all you need to know about me: I’ve been a board-certified music therapist for three years, I am from New Hampshire, and I love to sing, tap dance, and drink iced coffee.
I work with children who have special needs, and love being silly and making music every day with all my kiddos. I hope that I can inspire you to try new songs and adapt them to meet the unique needs of the children with whom you work!
Ok, so now onto the good stuff. What song am I really into this week? Well, summer is here to stay, which means it’s time for beach days and splashing in the pool. And what better way to get into the summer spirit than by playing the ocean drum?
The rainstick is one of those instruments I don’t bring out often, but when I do, it’s always a hit. We’ve been playing them in our Listen & Learn classes this past month, which means my “Rainstick Round” song has been put to good use.
Last month when I was brainstorming new songs to write for my early childhood music classes, I had the idea to adapt the song “Havana” to use with fruit shakers. I couldn’t stop singing the original version, so I figured it would make a catchy and effective song for my students…and so far, that has been the case! I introduced “Banana, Ooh Na Na” a few weeks ago in our early childhood and preschool classes, and have also been using it in some of my music therapy sessions. It gets plenty of play at home, too, since my own children request it nearly every day. (more…)
Tap-tap-clap, tap-tap-clap…that’s the body rhythm pattern that accompanies the verses of this catchy winter song. We change things up during the chorus, rubbing our hands together to create that swishy swimming sound as the polar bear glides through the sea.
Nonetheless, winter is a very real thing here in the Midwest, and for some reason, seems to last longer than any other season. So all of my winter songs get LOTS of use in my classes, groups, and music therapy sessions.
I know I’m not the only one in this boat, which is exactly why I decided to bundle up my favorites into one nice little package. Although all of the songs are based around the theme of winter, they also address a variety of goals, objectives, and skills.
Just a few include simple sign language, counting, speech goals, instrument play, academic concepts, body part identification, sequencing, and gross motor movement.
I dubbed this Winter Song Week, because all week long, I’ve shared a video featuring one of the songs from the pack. You can learn more about them as well as listen in the videos below!
While winter definitely is not my favorite topic, singing about it is much better than complaining ;) Oh, and if you live in a place where ice and snow isn’t an issue, consider me a tad bit jealous!
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