Ten Twinking Trees

by | Listen & Learn Music

Good morning everybody. It’s Monday, and we’re only a few days away from Christmas! It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Today is my last day of school before a two-week break, but don’t worry, I’ll still be updating my blog as usual. I have a full day of classes, a dentist appointment, and a graduation ceremony to sing, so let’s get to it. Today’s song is called “Ten Twinkling Trees” and here it is:

Ten twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it’s not made of pine,
Let’s look at the other nine.

Nine twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it’s trunk’s not straight,
Let’s look at the other eight.

Eight twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it doesn’t point to heaven,
Let’s look at the other seven.

Seven twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for there’s too much to fix,
Let’s look at the other six.

Six twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it didn’t thrive,
Let’s look at the other five.

Five twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?

Not this one here, for it came from a store,
Let’s look at the other four.

Four twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it’s too big for me,
Let’s look at the other three.

Three twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for its branches are few,
Let’s look at the other two.

Two twinkling trees, standing strong and tall,
Which twinkling tree is the best of all?
Not this one here, for it’s brighter than the sun,
Let’s look at the other one.

One twinkling tree, standing strong and tall,
It surely must be the best of all.
With branches full, and sized just right,
I’ll take it home and trim it tonight.

My own Christmas tree is trimmed and most of my presents are wrapped and waiting beneath it, though I still have a few last-minute items to add. These next couple of days will be hectic, but I love this time of year!

The Other Eight Reindeer

by | Uncategorized

Good Wednesday morning! I hope you’re all surviving the elements out there…mine include ice, snow, and more ice, not to mention freezing cold temperatures. ‘Tis the season for snow days, shoveling, and lots and lots of lesson cancellations :(

Today’s topic is reindeer. We all know and love Rudolph, because after all, he is the most famous reindeer of all. I sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with my students last year more times than I care to count, so this year I decided to change things up a bit.

The result was “The Other Eight Reindeer”, an ode to Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. This song confuses everyone upon first listen, because I purposely wrote the first line to sound like the original “Rudolph” song. Most people get a kick out of it, though!

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer lights the way,
Rudolph leads the pack when Santa flies his sleigh,
But Rudolph’s not the only one, he needs a little help to get the big job done,
What I’m talking about is clear: the other eight reindeer.

Next in line is Dasher, Dasher, fly away,
Now there are seven more, helping guide the sleigh.
Next in line is Dancer, Dancer, fly away,
Now there are six more, helping guide the sleigh.
Next in line is Prancer, Prancer, fly away,
Now there are five more, helping guide the sleigh.
Next in line is Vixen, Vixen, fly away,
Now there are four more, helping guide the sleigh.
Next in line is Comet, Comet, fly away,
Now there are three more, helping guide the sleigh.
Next in line is Cupid, Cupid, fly away,
Now there are two more, helping guide the sleigh.
Next in line is Donner, Donner, fly away,
Now there is one more, helping guide the sleigh.
Last in line is Blitzen, Blizten, fly away,
Now there are no more, helping guide the sleigh.

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer lights the way,
Rudolph leads the pack when Santa flies his sleigh,
But Rudolph’s not the only one, he needs a little help to get this big job done,
What I’m talking about is clear: the other eight reindeer.

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,
Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen,
Reindeer. The other eight reindeer.
The other eight reindeer.
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer needs some help.

I hope you and your students enjoy this tune just as much as we have. Oh, and it’s ok to sing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” every once in a while, too!

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?

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 :)

Ten Little Candy Canes

by | Uncategorized

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!