Little did I know when I was performing this song in my school musical as a junior in high school that I would still be singing it 11 years later. No wonder Schoolhouse Rock was such a popular cartoon back in its day!
It was before my time, but it’s fun to watch the YouTube videos. Some of my favorites include I’m Just a Bill, Three is a Magic Number, Mother Necessity, and Interjections. Did you ever watch this classic show?
I love the cabasa because not only is it totally fun to play, but it is also multi-sensory. The unique sound it produces, coupled with the tactile input, makes this one of my most frequently used instruments during music therapy sessions.
Play the Cabasa serves as a great introduction to this instrument, but there is so much more you can do with it. I don’t have any other specific songs I’ve written for the cabasa — instead, I usually just make up a song based on how I’m using it in a session. For example, I might ask my student to roll it over different body parts (foot, leg, arm, etc.) or do that myself if he/she is not able.
How do you use and play the cabasa?
After all the crazy-hot weather we’ve already experienced, it’s hard to believe that the official start of summer isn’t even here yet. But it will be on Tuesday, so I wanted to give you a little jump start.
I think my summer song embodies the happy laziness I feel (when I’m not super busy working, of course!) on a long summer day, especially when I’m poolside. But it does double-duty as an educational tune, since I threw in some facts about my favorite season as well.
Summer started for me on June 2 (the last day of school and my job at The Hope Institute), and it’s been amazing so far. In the time since then, I’ve already been to three weddings, celebrated my birthday, spent an awesome weekend in Florida, and opened my new studio. How’s your summer going so far?
Rhythm sticks aren’t the most exciting of instruments, but this song makes them a little more fun…don’t you think? My little church mice would agree: they’ve been hammering, sawing, and painting in rhythm to it for the last few weeks.
Charity Kahn and the Jam Band have a pretty great collection of music that gets kids moving, and I’ve used several of their tunes over the last couple of years. Another favorite song is “Your Body’s an Instrument” from their CD, JAM.
Oh, and if you actually do have a treehouse (because most of us do, right?!) and you’re weather is anything like mine today, you better be climbing up into it today. Or maybe you could just take your dog for a walk or do some gardening instead ;) No matter which way you spend this beautiful Sunday, enjoy!
I recorded this video on Friday, so my comment about the weather being gorgeous wasn’t a lie! But this weekend has been gross (we’re talking highs in the 50s and rain), so I guess this song isn’t so timely after all.
But the discordant weather does NOT change the fact that summer break is a mere 20 days away, and that there are only 13 actual school days remaining. Not that I’m counting. It’s just that summer is my very favorite season, and there are lots of exciting events happening to kick it off.
One fun pre-summer event is happening today, and that is the baptism of my niece, Maggie. I’m taking a whirlwind roadtrip to St. Louis for this occasion, and then booking it back here for the early childhood music class I teach this afternoon. I’ll be exhausted tonight, but it will be totally worth it.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I hope it’s actually “beginning to look a lot like summer” where you are, or at least a little less cold and soggy than it is here!
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