Friday Fave: Halloween!

by | Uncategorized

Halloween Songs for Children | Listen & Learn Music

Coming down with the flu can really set a girl back, you know? I’ve spent the last two days catching up on the work I should have been doing on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, when instead, I was laying in bed with a fever, cough, and headache. But thankfully, I am all better now and ready to take on this busy weekend!

And that includes, of course, HALLOWEEN. So in celebration of the spookiest day of the year, today’s Friday Fave is dedicated to dressing up, trick-or-treating, and scarfing down candy. I will be doing all of the above tomorrow at a friend’s costume party…what about you? Do you have any big Halloween day plans?

Oh, I also have to tell you that two of my students won our paper’s local costume contest and were featured on the front page of the State Journal-Register today! Take a look at these cute little slices of pizza:

Adorable, right? The girls’ mom made those costumes, and their win was well-deserved :) What are your little ones going as? I had so much fun looking at all of my students’ costumes at school today, from cheerleaders to jailbirds and everything in between.

Enjoy your Halloween; stay safe and have fun! Here’s a little tune to hum as you go to door-to-door with your little ghost or goblin.

Do you know about a day
That’s not so very far away
Everywhere there’s orange and black
And chills are running up your back.

Jack-o-lanterns and ghosts and bats,
Witches and goblins and big black cats
Spooky spooks come out to play
On the thirty-first, Halloween Day.

Let’s pick a costume we can wear
And all the neighbors, we will scare
When at their door we trick or treat
And they will give us something sweet.

Jack-o-lanterns and ghosts and bats,
Witches and goblins and big black cats
Spooky spooks come out to play
On the thirty-first, Halloween Day.

Shapes are Everywhere

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Shape identification is a skill I’ve addressed through music with countless students, and I think I’ve also lost count of the songs and activities I’ve used for this particular goal area. There are plenty of songs out there about shapes, but I decided to write my own so that I could choose which shapes I wanted to include, as well as specific examples of each.

Rectangle, circle, triangle, square,
Find them here and there.
In your house, and outside too,
Shapes are everywhere.

Books and doors and picture frames
Are rectangles, usually.
Two sides are short, two sides are long,
Which rectangles can you see?

CHORUS

Wheels and buttons and lollipops
Are circles, usually.
Circles are round and have no sides,
Which circles can you see?

CHORUS

Slices of pizza, cake, and pie
Are triangles, usually.
Three sides that can be short or long,
Which triangles can you see?

CHORUS

Blocks and cheese and checkerboards
Are squares, usually.
Four sides that are all the same,
Which squares can you see?

CHORUS

See what other objects your students can identify in these four different shapes…I actually had a hard time coming up with a few of them! This song just begs for pictures to accompany it, which would be a great art project. What songs or activities have you used to teach shapes? I’d love to hear your ideas!

The Birthday Song You Haven’t Heard (Part 2)

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

When it comes to ending a music class or music therapy session, I have plenty of goodbye songs from which to choose. But last year for Maggie’s birthday party, I wanted to do something a little different.

So instead of ending the music portion of her party with a goodbye song she already knew, I sang one I wrote especially for her. Thus, the “Birthday Goodbye Song” became a tradition, and I have been using it ever since.

Now it’s time for me to sing my last song.
I’m so glad you came today and sang along.
Thanks so much for joining in and listening too,
I had a wonderful time with all of you!

Music time is over but the party’s just begun,
There’s still so much to do so let’s go have more fun.
Maggie’s turning five so we’re gonna celebrate,
With presents to open and ice cream and cake.

Now it’s time for me to sing my last song.
I’m so glad you came today and sang along.
Thanks so much for joining in and listening too,
I had a wonderful time with all of you!

Short and sweet, because by the time the music portion of a birthday party comes to an end, the birthday girl or boy and guests are getting antsy in anticipation of sugar…lots and lots of sugar. And I don’t mind having a piece of cake and some ice cream, myself!

The Birthday Song You Haven’t Heard (Part 1)

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Last year I had the pleasure of helping two of my favorite church mice, Maggie and Samantha, celebrate their birthdays. Not only did I lead music time at both girls’ birthday parties, but I also made them special CDs with some of their favorite songs included.

The girls’ mom has asked for birthday CDs again this year, so I decided to take it one step further. I wrote a personalized birthday song which includes both the name and age of my birthday buddy, in this case, Maggie. I combined my new words and melody with the classic “Happy Birthday” song, which resulted in this:

Doot-do-do, do-do-do
Happy birthday, Maggie!
You are turning five years old.
Celebrate yourself today,
And all the fun this year will hold.

Birthday parties, presents to open,
Cake and ice cream too.
Friends and family come together
And it’s all because of you!

CHORUS

It’s your very special day
So do what you want to do.
Laugh and smile, have a ball.
And may your birthday wish come true!

CHORUS

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday, dear Maggie,
Happy birthday to you!

This tune starts the CD, letting the birthday girl know that it is her very own special song collection. The rest of the playlist includes both favorites recommended by her parents and other Listen & Learn songs I think she might enjoy. There is also a special birthday goodbye song at the end, which again is personalized. Come back tomorrow to hear it :)

‘Dem Bones, ‘Dem Bones

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

How about a Halloween song that almost everyone knows, or at least has heard once or twice? It’s actually an old spiritual, but over the years has become a staple for this time of year. Most of my students instantly recognize this when I begin singing or playing one of the many versions that has been recorded for children.

My favorite is in the style of a barbershop quartet, and you can find it on the album Wee Sing for Halloween. What’s great about “Dry Bones” is that it doubles as a fun way to work on body part identification.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones!
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones!
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones!
Oh see dem skeleton bones.

The foot bone connected to the leg bone,
The leg bone connected to the knee bone,
The knee bone connected to the thigh bone,
The thigh bone connected to the back bone,
The back bone connected to the neck bone,
The neck bone connected to the head bone,
Oh see dem skeleton bones.

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around,
Dem bones, dem bones, gonna walk around,
Dem bones, dem bones, gonna walk around,
Oh see dem skeleton bones.

The head bone connected to the neck bone,
The neck bone connected to the back bone,
The back bone connected to the thigh bone,
The thigh bone connected to the knee bone,
The knee bone connected to the leg bone,
The leg bone connected to the foot bone,
Oh see dem skeleton bones.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones!
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones!
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones!
Oh see dem skeleton bones.

I usually pass out rhythm sticks for this song, and yesterday, one of my students did the cutest, most clever thing with them. She made a “skeleton” out of an entire tub of sticks, and then pointed to each different “bone” as it was sung. Seriously, these kids never cease to amaze me.