Friday Fave: White Christmas

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It’s Friday, and you know what that means! But first I’m going to share an unprecedented Friday Worst: Laryngitis. This is perhaps the most frustrating predicament for any music therapist, teacher, or anyone who needs a voice to do his/her job. And I must be a glutton for punishment, because I get a pretty severe case of laryngitis at least once a year, rendering me pretty much useless when it comes to my work.

But I must press on, so here I am, sharing with you today’s Friday Fave: White Christmas. I’m referring to the 1954 film starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen, and most notably, the music of Irving Berlin. It has been one of my favorites since I was little, and it is just as much a holiday necessity as putting up a Christmas tree in my house.
Because I’ve seen the movie more times than I can count, I can sing along with every song and even recite most of the lines. My favorites songs include “Sisters”, “Snow”, “Blue Skies”, and of course, the title song, “White Christmas”. I recently purchased the sheet music collection so now I can play and sing the tunes. The greatest thing about this movie is that the whole family can watch and enjoy it. I watched it with my family growing up, and when Zach and I start a family, it will no doubt become a tradition for us.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of Friday’s Fave…now go out and sing some Christmas carols, because I sure can’t!

Clap, Stomp, and Spread Christmas Cheer

by | Listen & Learn Music

There’s no doubt that the Christmas spirit is alive and well at the Hope Institute, at least during music therapy. One of the songs I’ve included in my December activities is a play on “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, which I found at the great site Preschool Education. It incorporates movement, following directions, and singing; in my opinion, that is the trifecta of elements that makes a great children’s song.

Let’s all do a little clapping,
Let’s all do a little clapping,
Let’s all do a little clapping,
And spread Christmas cheer.

Tapping (knees)
Stomping (feet)
Stretching (arms)
Nodding (head)

We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year!

I ask my students for other movement suggestions, and some of my more active kids love to jump, skip, and run in place. Other ideas are snapping fingers, whistling, and clicking the tongue. Be creative! Also, I always ask everyone to sing with me during the last verse. It is a great way to end the music session, because it’s a familiar song that makes everyone feel good.

Do You Hear the Reindeer on the Roof?

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I wrote this song specifically as a rhythm sticks activity, but it’s so darn catchy that it works perfectly fine all on its own. This is the first of two reindeer songs that I’ve written this month, so stay tuned for the other one in the next couple of weeks.

Do you hear the reindeer tapping on the roof?
Tap tap tap tap tapping on the roof.
Do you hear the reindeer tapping on the roof?
Tap tap tap tap tap.

Dasher and Dancer are tapping on the roof,
Tap tap tippy tippy tap.
Prancer and Vixen are tapping on the roof,
Tap tap tap tap tap.

Comet and Cupid are tapping on the roof,
Tap tap tippy tippy tap.
Donner and Blitzen are tapping on the roof,
Tap tap tap tap tap.

Here comes Rudolph tapping on the roof,
Tap tap tap tap tap.
Good old Rudolph is tapping on the roof,
Tap tap tap tap tap.

Do you hear the reindeer tapping on the roof?
Tap tap tap tap tapping on the roof.
Do you hear the reindeer tapping on the roof?
Tap tap tap tap tap.

Another idea for this song is that instead of naming the reindeer during the verses, you can sing:

I hear “Susie” tapping on her sticks,
Tap tap tippy tippy tap,
I hear “Bobby” tapping on his sticks,
Tap tap tap tap tap.

And name each child in the group. I do this with my younger kids, and they love hearing their names sung.

Well, back to work. I’m working on January songs, and for some reason it’s just not as fun of a month as November and December. This is where my creativity really needs to kick in…I don’t have the convenience of major holidays to inspire me :)

Ten Little Candy Canes

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It’s counting time again! You probably have lots of these peppermint treats around the house or in your classroom, so go ahead and use them as a teaching tool while you sing this counting song with your students.

Counting time, it’s counting time,
So let’s all sing this simple rhyme.
Ten little candy canes 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 candy canes?
Ten little candy canes,
All lined up in a row.

Before I sign off, I’d like to ask for some feedback from you: what are your favorite Christmas songs to sing with your child or students? I’m especially interested in hearing about unique and original songs, even if they are simple as can be. Sometimes keeping it simple is best, especially when it comes to kids!

Friday Fave: The Carpenters at Christmas

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The Carpenters may have been before my time, but I have fully embraced their music thanks to my dad, a big fan himself. As I mentioned last week, one of my holiday traditions is listening to the album A Christmas Portrait, which the Carpenters released in 1978. I first heard the album as a freshman in high school, and I remember borrowing my dad’s copy of the CD and practically wearing it out that year. Now I have my own copy, and it remains my very favorite Christmas music ever.

This is one of the few CDs I can listen to over and over and never get bored…in fact, it’s been in my car CD player for the past three weeks. Richard’s arrangements are lush and beautiful, and Karen’s voice is stunning, really. Though I enjoy every song on the album, my favorite is “Sleigh Ride”.

Close runners-up are “Christmas Waltz”, “It’s Christmas Time” and “Merry Christmas, Darling”. You can listen to snippets of all the songs here, courtesy of Amazon. And the next time you hear one of these songs while you’re shopping at the mall or in your car listening to Christmas radio, think of me :)

That does it for this week’s Friday Fave. I have a busy but fun weekend to look forward to, which includes leading music activities at my church’s Breakfast with Santa and singing at the birthday party of one of my favorite three-year-olds, Samantha. Have a great weekend!