Once every few months, I write a song to be used with the instrument being played in the picture above: the tone block. These are a staple in my early childhood music classes, because they are excellent for targeting fine motor skills. They also sound nice and are fun to play!
Ring, ring…that’s the sound of a tone block.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound of a bell.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound that ______ makes.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound that ______ makes.
{Repeat for all students}
Ring, ring…that’s the sound of a telephone.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound of a school bell.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound that we all make,
But now it’s time, to put our tone blocks away.
Very simple, but great for a group setting since it allows for each student to “solo” on the tone block. Before we begin the song, I ask my students to name different instruments and objects that make a ringing sound. They are more creative than I was when writing this song, that’s for sure :)
When I first found these canary sticks, I wasn’t sure exactly how I’d use them — I just knew I had to have them. They are easy to “play” and the bird chirping sound they make is pretty realistic.
They sat unused for a few months, but I finally decided to try them out with my students. But before I did that, I asked my Twitter friends for songs about birds. I received about 15 or so great suggestions, but ended up going with two pretty well-known songs. I combined them into one, and it turned out like this:
He rocks in the treetop, all day long,
Hoppin’ and a boppin’ and a singin’ its song.
All the little birdies on jaybird street
Love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet.
Rockin’ robin! (Tweet, tweet, tweet.)
Rockin’ robin! (Tweet, tweet, tweet.)
Go rockin’ robin ’cause you’re
Really gonna rock tonight.
All the little swallows, all the chickadees,
All the little birds in the tall oak trees.
The wise old owl, the big black crow,
Flappin’ their wings, singin’ “go bird, go!”
Rockin’ robin! (Tweet, tweet, tweet.)
Rockin’ robin! (Tweet, tweet, tweet.)
Go rockin’ robin ’cause you’re
Really gonna rock tonight.
Don’t worry about a thing,
Because every little thing
Is gonna be alright.
Rise up this morning,
Smile with the rising sun.
Three little birds perch on my doorstep.
Singin’ sweet songs,
Of melodies pure and true,
Singin’ “this is my message to you.”
Don’t worry about a thing,
Because every little thing
Is gonna be alright.
One of those birds,
Its name was _______
And it made a pretty tweeting sound.
Singin’ sweet songs,
Of melodies pure and true,
Singin’ “this is my message to you.”
Don’t worry about a thing,
Because every little thing
Is gonna be alright.
In the second verse of “Three Little Birds” I leave a space for the child’s name. I repeat this verse for each child in my group, giving them each a chance to be the birdie star. The little ones like that part, and their parents dig the fact that they know both songs and can sing along.
Have you ever used these sweet little instruments? I’m thinking another great use for them might be a singable story with designated places for bird chirps…another project to add to the hopper (along with too many others to count).
I have a piano student who would like nothing more than to dive right into each piece, skipping all the intermediate steps and playing both hands together the first time he lays eyes on it. This, of course, causes lots of frustration for him (and me).
“Slow and steady” is a term I’m always using with him, and it applies to many of my other students, as well. Piano pieces aren’t mastered in a day, nor are music therapy goals achieved in a single session.
This song is one I wrote specifically for tone blocks, but my intention is that while my kiddos sing and play along, they are also internalizing the value of going “slow and steady” across settings and situations.
Slow and steady,
Slow and steady,
Ring-a-ding-ding. Ring-a-ding-ding.
Hear the pretty sound,
Echo all around,
Ring-a-ding-ding. Ring-a-ding-ding.
Slow and steady,
Slow and steady,
La-la-la-la-la. La-la-la-la-la.
Hear the pretty sound,
Echo all around,
La-la-la-la-la. La-la-la-la-la.
Slow and steady,
Slow and steady,
Ting-a-ling-a-ling. Ting-a-ling-a-ling.
Hear the pretty sound,
Echo all around,
Ting-a-ling-a-ling. Ting-a-ling-a-ling.
I’m sure you recognized the piggybacked tune, which has quite a calming effect on especially energetic groups (like my Church Mice). I also adapted this song for drums, changing the word sounds to “rum-pum-pum, pum”, “thump, thump, thump”, and “boom, boom, boom”.
As much as I love an upbeat song — and that is apparent if you go through my song collection — it’s always nice to take a breather. What are your favorite “slow and steady” tunes?
It’s raining, it’s pouring…but that’s what we expect in April, right? Luckily, I thought ahead and prepared all sorts of rainy day songs and activities for my students. Here are just a few of my favorites for rainy April days like this.
One staple of every classroom music therapy session at my school is the weather song. (If you’ve joined my newsletter, then you’ve already received a free download of my weather album.) Today’s song, of course, will be “Rainy Day” — or “Pitter Patter” as everyone around here calls it.
Pitter patter, pitter patter
Down comes the rain today
Clouds are forming in the sky,
Inside we’ll have to stay.
Thunder crashes, boom boom boom!
We see lightning too.
Don’t go outside,
Until the storm is through.
This picture book has been a staple in my collection of singable stories for years now. The illustrations that accompany the added verses about the old man are cute and funny, and the song is familiar to almost everyone.
And there are plenty of great songs out there about rainy days. At the top of my list are Leaky Umbrella by Jim Gill, Raindrop Pop by Bobs & LoLo, and The Raindrop Song from Barney. I also like to sing about rainbows throughout the month of April; one particular fave is We Are the Colors of the Rainbow by Holly Brook & Candy K.
And I can’t forget instruments! I’ll be pulling out my rainsticks, chiquitas, and thunder drums this month. Now it’s your turn: what are your favorite songs, books, and activities for rainy April days?
The end of a month-long Church Mice session is always a little bittersweet. On one hand, it’s nice to have Sunday afternoons to myself again until the next session begins; on the other hand, I miss the fun times with my sweet kiddos. I mean, just look at those faces!
My helpful husband came to our last class of the winter session earlier this month and caught some of the action. (You can see all 60+ pictures here.) One of the best parts is the hugs and thank you’s I get after we’ve sung the Church Mice goodbye song:
It’s time for us to go, oh, oh, oh,
Church Mice is over for today.
It’s time for us to go, oh, oh, oh,
So tell me, what do we say?
Goodbye, goodbye,
Farewell, and so long.
Goodbye, goodbye,
This is the goodbye song.
I wish that we could stay, hey, hey, hey,
But I’m afraid our time is through.
I wish that we could stay, hey, hey, hey,
But I have to say goodbye to you.
Goodbye, goodbye,
Farewell, and so long.
Goodbye, goodbye,
This is the goodbye song.
Listen & Learn vets may recognize this song as a repurposing of the goodbye song I wrote for my students at The Hope Institute a couple years ago. That’s one of the great things about my different jobs: there’s lots of overlap :)
I’m already gearing up for the spring session of Church Mice, which begins the first Sunday in May. But until then, I’m going to enjoy my free Sunday afternoons!
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two.
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