Free Download: “Little Red Apples”
This is one of many counting songs I’ve written, which focuses on counting both up to 5 and down from 5. I created simple apple visual aides (using red construction paper and then laminating) which my students can then manipulate as we count.
Click here to download the mp3 and lyrics/chords.
P.S. If you want access to my entire collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music, consider joining me over at Listen & Learn Plus!
Foggy Day
So foggy, in fact, that driving to school this morning was a little scary! I’m a nervous driver in any case, so unfavorable weather conditions do not help my cause whatsoever. But I made it here, and it’s Friday, so I can’t complain too much. In fact, this gives me the opportunity to share my “Foggy Day” song, which I’ve been waiting to do since November. A true example of lemons to lemonade!
When I go outside and look around,
It seems like there’s a cloud on the ground.
It’s hard to see, everything is gray,
It’s a foggy day.
Be careful, move slow,
Everywhere you go.
Like a blanket from the sky,
A foggy day for you and I.
When I go outside and look around,
It seems like there’s a cloud on the ground.
It’s hard to see, everything is gray,
It’s a foggy day.
So there you have it. Hopefully the fog will soon disappear, and the sun will come out to grace us with its presence. Not much can top a warm, beautiful Friday…except maybe Friday Faves at Listen & Learn! Make sure you stop by later today for this week’s installment.
Ring and Sing
Aside from my job as music therapist at the Hope Institute and in private practice, I also lead a music class for very young children at my church called Church Mice. One of the instruments that we play in every class is the resonator bell, similar to those pictured above. The set that we use is made up of D and A tones, which I need to keep in mind when choosing songs to accompany the bells.
The sound that the bells produce is light and pretty, so for the current Church Mice session, I decided to write a song to complement that sound. “Ring and Sing” is the title, and though it was written specifically for the resonator bells, you could also use it to accompany any type of bell.
It’s a beautiful day, so ring your bell.
Ring your bell, come on and ring your bell.
It’s a beautiful day, so ring your bell.
Ring, ring along with me.
Ring and sing, oh ring and sing,
Make a sound and do your thing.
Ring and sing, along with me,
Because it’s a beautiful day!
There is music to make, so ring your bell.
Ring your bell, come on and ring your bell.
There is music to make, so ring your bell.
Ring, ring along with me.
Ring and sing, oh ring and sing,
Make a sound and do your thing.
Ring and sing, along with me,
Because there is music to make!
And because it’s a beautiful day!
As far as adding additional verses, the possibilities are virtually endless. There are so many reasons to ring a bell…simply change the first phrase in the verse (and continue throughout the song) to make it work it any situation. A few examples:
1) It is time for school, so ring your bell
2) If your name is _______, then ring your bell
3) If you’re wearing ________, then ring your bell
Easy, right? Be creative and see what you can come up with. Or better yet, let your students write new verses, and don’t forget to share them with me!
Down by the Station
This isn’t the first time I’ve posted about this book: Down by the Station, by Will Hillenbrand. I wrote briefly about it in reference to a student who has a very strong connection to this particular story, so I thought I’d expand on that today.
I like this book because there are so many opportunities to work on specific objectives, including identifying colors and animals, memory skills, and producing sounds. And of course, it’s fun! I’m currently using it with a small group of kids ranging in age from 1-5, and they all love it. It’s funny to listen to my students imitate the animal sounds – theirs are usually much better than mine! One way to adapt this activity is to have your students come up with additional animals and corresponding sounds…the creativity I see never ceases to amaze me.
May Day!
May is one of my favorite months of the year. As a kid, it meant that the school year was nearing the end, and now that I work in a school, that remains true! It is amazing to think that there are only four full weeks left before a nice little summer break, and then a much more relaxed summer school schedule.
There are a few other notable happenings this month, including Mother’s Day, my brother’s college graduation, and the day my husband and I have been waiting for…we’re getting a puppy! But in the meantime, let’s kick off the month of May with a song:
May is here, month number five,
Trees and flowers come alive.
Thirty one days from start to end,
So help me sing about May, my friend.
First comes May Day on day one,
Celebrate spring and have some fun.
Then don’t forget about Mother’s Day,
Each family honors Mom in its own way.
CHORUS
Memorial Day is a time that we
Should think about our history.
Let’s honor those who went to war,
And appreciate what they were fighting for.
CHORUS
We’ll have a break when May is through,
Summer time for me and you.
Play outside and sleep in late,
Enjoying our vacation will be so great.
CHORUS
What are you looking forward to this month? I am hoping for May flowers in place of the April showers we’ve been experiencing all week, but it looks like I’m not going to get my wish anytime soon. I am also hoping for a more relaxing weekend than the last one…we’ll see if that happens! Happy May Day to you all.
All Tied Up
Ahh, shoe tying. It’s one of those rites of passage that most children go through in their early elementary years…at least, that’s the goal. There are so many ways to go about teaching this skill, and a google search led me to countless rhymes, poems, and little ditties breaking down this skill into manageable steps. I thought I may as well throw my hat in the ring, so this is my addition to the collection.
I can tie my shoes, do you wanna see?
I can tie my shoes independently.
First I make a criss-cross, in the air,
Then loop one end under there.
Pull both laces nice and tight,
Make one loop that has a tail just like a kite.
Now I take the other string and wrap it round the loop,
Guide it through the hole, and that’s the scoop.
Now I’ve got two loops, so I’ll pull them snug,
All I really need is a little tug.
Repeat these steps for the other shoe,
Oh I can tie my shoes, and you can too!
This is a skill that takes lots and lots of practice, and it is one that requires patience on the part of both student and teacher. A song may help, but hands-on action is what will get the job done. Happy tying!
Jingle Joe
Happy Tuesday! It’s another gray day, but it’s always sunny inside the walls of the Hope Institute :) I have been burning CDs and preparing materials for May all morning, so I thought I’d take a break and do a little blogging.
Yesterday as I was brainstorming new song ideas, a character popped into my head. His name happened to be Jingle Joe, and he plays the tambourine. So I opened up a new Word document, and immediately, the lyrics to “Jingle Joe” came pouring out of my fingers. The melody came just as quickly, and this is the result:
Jingle Joe is a guy I know,
I saw him just the other day.
His hair was green, and he had a tambourine,
And he taught me how to play.
He showed me how to jingle, jingle!
Tap the tambourine against my hand,
Jingle, jingle,
Jinglin’ with Joe, he’s the tambourine man.
He showed me how to shake it high, shake it low.
Shake it fast, Shake it slow.
Tap against my hand,
Jinglin’ with Joe, he’s the tambourine man.
Jingle Stu, well I know him too,
I saw him just the other day.
His hair was red, and this is what he said:
I have a tambourine and I’m gonna play.
He showed me how to jingle, jingle!
Tap the tambourine against my thigh,
Jingle, jingle,
Jinglin’ with Stu, he’s the tambourine guy.
He showed me how to shake it high, shake it low.
Shake it fast, Shake it slow.
Tap against my thigh,
Jinglin’ with Stu, he’s the tambourine guy.
I think next month we’ll dust off the old tambourines and jam to this tune. Maybe I’ll even add a few verses…I think Joe and Stu need some female counterparts :) Well it’s time to get back to work – so long for now!
Counting Time: Umbrellas
Rain, rain, go away! I’ve been singing that tune an awful lot this month, which means I’ve also spent a good amount of time counting umbrellas with my students. Of course I’d rather be counting things like suns, sunglasses, and flowers, but I’m just happy to be through with snowflakes, jackets, and mittens. I’ll take what I can get!
Counting time, it’s counting time,
So let’s all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little umbrellas, 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 umbrellas?
Ten little umbrellas,
All lined up in a row.
I think I probably have ten umbrellas between my car, house, and office at school. You’ll never know when you’ll need one next!
Friday Fave: Warm Weather Has Arrived!
Finally…and I think it’s here to stay. We are in for two 80-degree days, and then a string of 70s, which is more than okay with me! It feels so good to be able to go outside without a jacket. And in honor of the beautiful warm weather, here is my “Warm Day” song, which I’ve been waiting to share for a couple weeks now:
Well it’s not too cold and it’s not too hot,
It’s warm, it’s warm.
Don’t need a coat, won’t sweat a lot,
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.
It’s warm outside, right in between
Spring is here, the trees are green
And so today we’ll play outside
Hop on our bikes, and take a ride
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.
Well it’s not too cold and it’s not too hot,
It’s warm, it’s warm.
Don’t need a coat, won’t sweat a lot,
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s
Warm, not hot, not cold, just right.
Enjoy the day, it’s shining bright.
It’s warm, it’s warm, it’s warm.
I can’t wait to get out and ride my bike, walk our soon-to-arrive puppy, and just enjoy the spring. Unfortunately, I won’t have much time to do so this weekend, however. Tomorrow is my dad’s 50th birthday, which we’ll be celebrating in the afternoon. Then tomorrow evening, I am singing in a gala fundraiser for the Child Advocacy Center. Church Mice, a music group for little ones I lead, begins its spring session on Sunday afternoon, and then the weekend will be over! Have a great weekend yourselves – hopefully it will be more relaxing than mine :)
Happy Earth Day!
It’s April 22, which means it’s time to recycle, plant a tree, and be thankful for Mother Earth. Of course, we should do those things every day of the year, and today – Earth Day – only reinforces our awareness. What are you going to do to celebrate? The students at my school will be planting trees this afternoon on the school grounds, and I’ll be singing “Good Green Earth” from the album Good Morning Sun, Good Night Moon.
You won’t be surprised to hear that this was another great iTunes find, originally written and recorded by James K. I absolutely love this song, and it’s been a hit here at the Hope Institute for quite some time now. I love using shakers with this song – we shake them up high, down low, and in a circle during the chorus. Another plus is that we can work on days of the week and months of the year at the same time!
Have yourself a wonderful Earth Day…the forecast here is 70 degrees and sunny, so you know I will :) See you tomorrow!
The Digit Dance
Memorizing a string of numbers can be challenging, but it is absolutely necessary for each and every child to know his/her home phone number. And what is the best way to learn? Why, with a song, of course! “Digit Dance” makes this task a little more fun…I used a made-up phone number for the first half of the song, so just replace that with the child’s number when you put this tune to use.
I have a little boogie that I do,
When I share my phone number with you.
There are seven numbers that you need to know,
So I’ll say them nice and slow:
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Memorize your number and don’t forget,
Not to share it with the people you just met.
You can tell it to your teacher or friend,
Now I’ll say it once again:
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
A great way to adapt this song is to use sign language when listing the phone number. That way, non-hearing students can still benefit, and everyone can work on signing skills at the same time. You could also play a game using this song, where you take turns pointing to a student, and that student fills in his/her own phone number.