Friday Fave: My Piano

by | Uncategorized

Can I tell you a story? It’s about a girl and her piano. The piano came long before the girl did…it belonged to her mother, and what a prized posession it was. The piano was the centerpiece of the living room, and a source of endless entertainment for the girl even when she was very little. When she turned five, her mother asked her if she’d like to take piano lessons. Of course she said yes, and so she began her first of many, many years learning to play.

The girl had lots of different piano teachers. First a whole slew at the music store in the mall, then a nun named Sister James Marie throughout junior high and high school. But while her teachers changed, she came home and practiced on that same piano. She didn’t practice as much as she should have, but she did the best she could. After all, she was a very busy girl.

When the girl’s mother turned 40, her family threw her a surprise party. But the biggest surprise was a baby grand piano, which sat front and center in the living room. The old piano still had a spot in that room, but it was mostly ignored. When the girl’s parents moved to a new house, the big shiny one had it’s own room upstairs while the old piano was relegated to the basement. There it stayed for several years, collecting dust.

By now, the girl was all grown up. She and her husband bought a new house, which had a room perfect for her teaching studio. All it needed was a piano. So all the men in the girl’s family got together and rescued that old piano from the basement, lugging it up a flight of stairs, out the door, onto a truck, and finally into the room where it will live from now on.

And that is the story of this girl and her piano. It’s amazing to me that the very same instrument I once banged on as a toddler will be used to teach countless other children how to play. I love my piano.

Friday Fave: Jingle Sticks

by | Uncategorized

See this yellow beauty right here? I have fifteen more where that came from, and it has quickly become my most popular instrument among the students of the Hope Institute. They are a relatively new acquisition; I received them just in time for the Christmas season to be over…they would have been the perfect accompaniment to “Jingle Bells”, “Jingle Bell Rock” and other seasonal favorites. But hey, I’ll take what I can get!

These jingle sticks are a total steal, ringing in (pun intended) at just $3.15 over at West Music. I plan to order several more for my private practice, since I donated the ones I already owned to the Hope collection. What I like best about them is that they are easy to play, only requiring one hand, and they just sound so cheerful. Pair them with a fast-paced song, and in no time you’ll have a roomful of happy kids.

So that is it for this week’s installment of Friday Faves. I have some lofty goals for the weekend, including lots of recording, songwriting, cleaning and packing (my husband and I are moving in a little over a month). I hope your weekend is simply wonderful!

When the Saints Go Marching In

by | Listen & Learn Music

When I’m not composing original songs, you can bet I’m writing new lyrics for existing songs that are familiar and well-liked. I’m shared many of these songs in the past, and today I have a new one for you. Last month as I was brainstorming songs that might work as accompaniment to a drumming activity, the old standard “When the Saints Go Marching In” popped into my head.

Most everyone knows it, and if they don’t, it’s easy enough to learn. The melody and words are repetitive, and better yet, the song invites new verses. So that is exactly what I did…here is the song as I sing while my students bang away on the drums:

Oh when the saints go marching in,
Oh when the saints go marching in,
How I want to be in that number,
When the saints go marching in.

Oh when we play upon our drums,
Oh when we play upon our drums,
How I want to be in that number,
When we play upon our drums.

Oh when we hear the instruments,
Oh when we hear the instruments,
How I want to be in that number,
When we hear the instruments.

Oh when we keep that steady beat,
Oh when we keep that steady beat,
How I want to be in that number,
When we keep that steady beat,

Oh when the saints go marching in,
Oh when the saints go marching in,
How I want to be in that number,
When the saints go marching in.

You can change the words to this song to fit almost any activity, instrument-based or otherwise. I’m thinking of retooling it as a movement/following directions ditty sometime in the near future. The possibilities are endless!

Do You Hear the Reindeer on the Roof?

by | Uncategorized

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 :)

Tap Tap Your Rhythm Sticks

by | Uncategorized

Kids love rhythm sticks, and with good reason: they are loud, and they get to hit them together. It doesn’t get much better than that when it comes to instruments. I use the 8″ Basic Beat sticks, which you can find at West Music, but there are lots of others out there from which to choose.

Playing rhythm sticks is not only fun, but they are a good tool to use when addressing skills such as discrimination of loud, soft, fast, and slow. I put all of the above to work in this rhythm stick song:

Tap tap, your rhythm sticks
Oh 1, 2, 3,
Tap tap, your rhythm sticks
Oh tap along with me.
We’ll tap and tap, and tap some more,
We’ll tap until we hit the floor,
So tap tap, your rhythm sticks with me,
Oooh-wee!

Now you’re gonna tap tap, your rhythm sticks so soft,
Shh, shh!
Tap tap, your rhythm sticks so soft,
Shh, shh!
We’ll tap and tap so softly now,
No worries ‘cause we all know how,
So tap tap your rhythm sticks so soft,
Shh, shh!

Now you’re gonna tap tap, your rhythm sticks so loud,
Mmm, hmm!
Tap tap, your rhythm sticks so loud,
Mmm, hmm!
We’ll tap and tap so loudly now,
No worries ‘cause we all know how,
So tap tap your rhythm sticks so loud,
Mmm, hmm!

Tap tap, your rhythm sticks
Oh 1, 2, 3,
Tap tap, your rhythm sticks
Oh tap along with me.
We’ll tap and tap, and tap some more,
We’ll tap until we hit the floor,
So tap tap, your rhythm sticks with me,
Oooh-wee!