Friday Fave: Graduation

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Today is another special day at the Hope Institute…graduation day! Several students from the senior classes will be taking the next step in their lives after the time they’ve spent at Hope, whether that is moving back home to be close to family, being placed in a development-appropriate job, or joining an assisted living community. It’s a proud time not only for the students themselves, but also for the parents and teachers who have helped them get here. It’s always a bittersweet day, though – many of the students who graduate have spent years at Hope, making it hard for us to say goodbye.

My first experience at Hope was actually at the 2007 graduation, right before I became an employee. My principal asked me to sing a couple of songs, and I have been the official graduation day singer ever since. It’s a nice job to have :)

Today I’ll be singing “You Raise Me Up”, a Josh Groban song that I think perfectly embodies the spirit of this day.

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life – no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Bells Are For Shaking

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Bells, bells, and more bells…I just can’t get enough of them when it comes to developmentally appropriate instruments for my students. They come in so many different sizes and shapes that I have one to suit the needs of even the most challenged kids. A student with little or no grip abilities? No problem – there’s a bell with a velcro strap for him/her. A child with noise sensitivity issues? Give him/her bells with small jingles that produce equally small sounds. What about kids who are working on color identification or turn-taking? I love bells like those pictured above: fun shapes and bright colors motivate my students to participate in such activities.

But the song I want to share today has a different goal in mind…discrimination between right and left. This can be a particularly difficult skill to master; heck, even sometimes I get the two confused ;) Any type of bell can be used for this activity, as long as it appropriate for the student.

Bells are for shaking, bells are for shaking,
Up and down, all around,
Bells are for shaking, bells are for shaking,
Listen to the sound.

Hold the bell in your right hand, grip it tight,
And shake it side to side, with all your might.
Hold the bell in your right hand, up in the air,
Shake it side to side without a care.

CHORUS

Hold the bell in your left hand, grip it tight,
And shake it side to side, with all your might.
Hold the bell in your left hand, up in the air,
Shake it side to side without a care.

CHORUS

It seems that I have a plethora of songs dedicated to playing the bells, which tells me I need to give a little attention to the rest of the instruments, too! Just another thing to add to the list. Luckily I’ll have some time to do that soon, as the school year is winding down and summer break is on the horizon. Only four days left…what about you?

Flower, Stand Tall!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Flowers are popping up all over the place, and they are a great topic for a song around this time of year. Flower songs are good opportunities to address color identification, which is what I had in mind when I wrote the song below.

Red, orange, yellow, green,
White, purple, pink and blue.
Flowers are so colorful and smell good too.
There are many different kinds Mother Nature grows,
In a pot or in a field or garden rows.

Red flower, stand tall,
Red flower, stand tall,
Can you choose your favorite red flower of all?
(You just might be the fairest flower of all!)

Repeat, using each color.

My initial idea was to give each child a scarf and ask him/her to stand up as that color is mentioned in the song. I made visuals for each color flower, and to practice making choices, the child can choose which of three flowers of that color he/she likes best. For children who don’t have that ability, there are alternate lyrics in parentheses.

Safety Comes First

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

I love hearing from my readers, especially when they have a success story to share involving a song I’ve shared on the blog. A close second to that is readers who give me ideas for new songs and activities, because sometimes I need a little grease to get the wheels turning!

Well as I mentioned yesterday, music therapist Amy from L.A. did just that earlier in the week. She asked if I knew of any good street and traffic safety songs, as she was addressing this topic with one of her students diagnosed with autism. I told her I didn’t, but that I would love to try my hand at writing one. She specified that the language should be pretty basic, and then gave me a few key elements to include. Here is what resulted:

Left, right, left.
Left, right left.
Look both ways before you cross the street!
Left, right, left.
Left, right, left.
Use your eyes before you use your feet.

You gotta be safe,
And you gotta be smart,
When there are cars around,
So do your part.
Always think
Before you act,
Because safety comes first,
And that’s a fact.

Do not run.
Do not run.
Walk very slowly in the parking lot!
Do not run.
Do not run.
Slow is good but going fast is not.

CHORUS

Stay away.
Stay away.
From the street unless it’s time to cross.
Stay away.
Stay away.
Because the street is very dangerous.

CHORUS

Watch the lights.
Watch the lights.
Red means stop, and green means go.
Watch the lights.
Watch the lights.
They will tell you what you need to know.

CHORUS

I like that the lyrics to this song can be easily modified or added to, since the verses are so simple. There are many other concepts it could cover, such as walk/don’t walk signals, crossing guards, etc. Hopefully Amy can use this tune, or a version of it, to better teach these concepts to her student!

I’m So Glad it’s Springtime

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Good Wednesday morning! This post is going to be short and sweet, because I can’t wait to get to work on the new song I’m writing about traffic safety (a wonderful suggestion from music therapist Amy in California). I woke up today with this simple song about spring – with a familiar tune – running through my head and thought I’d share:

My eyes can see it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
My eyes can see it’s springtime
The grass is so green.

My ears can hear it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
My ears can hear it’s springtime
The birds sweetly sing.

My nose can smell it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
My nose can smell it’s springtime
The flowers perfume

My arms can feel it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
My arms can feel it’s springtime
The sunshine so warm.

The green grass, the birds sing,
The flowers, the sunshine.

Oh I can tell it’s springtime
It’s springtime, it’s springtime
Oh I can tell it’s springtime
And I am so glad.

My eyes, ears, and arms could definitely tell that it is springtime this morning, but not because of the flowers, birds singing, and warm sunshine…more like the storm clouds, thunder crashing, and rain falling!

Counting Time: Flowers

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

It’s that time again – counting time! I’m so glad to be counting flowers rather than umbrellas, like I did so often last month. One of my favorite things about spring is watching all the beautiful colors pop up in my neighborhood. My neighbors have the most gorgeous red tulips in their front yard, and every time I see them it makes me want to plant my own garden! Soon enough, I’ll get around to that…but for now, I guess I’ll have to settle for counting flowers rather than growing them.

Counting time, it’s counting time,
So let’s all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little flowers in a row,
Now let’s count them nice and slow:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

How many flowers?
Ten little flowers.
All lined up in a row.

Now that I have flowers on the brain, I have the urge to write a new song about all my favorites. From tulips to hydrangeas to roses, there’s an endless list of sweet-smelling blooms to sing about. Do you have any favorite flower tunes?