Favorite Fingerplays

I love fingerplays, do you? There are so many different ones and the text is typically rhythmic and short, perfect for working on steady beat, rhythmic division, and expressive elements like dynamics and the four voices. They are also perfect to use with older students to develop ostinato (short, repeating patterns that create harmonic texture) and for improvisation. For the full slide set, click here. Here are some of the slides in the set:

Hope you enjoy!

Nightsong Book, Song, and Movement

Nightsong by Ari Berk is a beautiful book about a bat flying off on his first solo adventure. Mama Bat tells him to, "Sing, and the world will answer". 

Several times in the book Chiro, the little bat, sings his song.  When I first read the book I loved it and the sense of quiet determination little Chiro has.  Of course, I loved that he "sang" although you will need to explain to your students that bats do not truly sing, but what a great opportunity to talk bat facts and echolocation! 
The paperback version is available from amazon for about $6.00.  This is perfect for Halloween if your students cannot celebrate Halloween or if you are looking for a song in minor or a song for recorder to introduce E.

 

 

The orchestration is simple; feel free to add whistling tubes, thunder tubes and other sound effects to create a sense of mystery. Ask the children for suggestions of instruments to use instead of the shakers and chimes. Perhaps you have a gong - would the sound be as effective?  Help them make musical choices about timbres.

 

As an extension activity, small groups of students could create a movement piece using black scarves.  Consider turning the lights off and use battery operated tea lights inside hand drums as moons.  The effect is very exciting! 

Enjoy!

 

St. Patrick's Day Song and Sneak Peak of New Book!

I LOVE singing games!  You can probably tell this if you have been on my blog for any length of time!  Children also love them (of course) and they encourage even your most reluctant singers to join in; perhaps it is the focus on the game and the lessening of focus and attention on "singing" as a skill.  They are wonderful, of course, whether you identify yourself as a Kodaly, Orff, Laban, or general music teacher as you can find songs that are within the Kodaly sequence, songs to teach specific concepts and skills, or to encourage solo singing or build sense of community.  Invaluable!

I am currently finishing a book of Singing Games from Around the World and was fortunate enough for one of my lovely Orff friends, Marilyn, to share an Irish one.  The story:  Marilyn was seated on a flight next to a wee Irish lassie and when she found out Marilyn was a music teacher, song after song poured out of her and she helped Marilyn to transcribe the notation and Gaelic!  How incredibly lucky!

1. Lamha Suas

Today I will share the English version Marilyn wrote, you will surely recognize the tune!  The Irish/Gaelic and this version will be in the new book! :)

2.  St. Patrick Was a Gentleman

Lyrics and sheet music can be found here.
I use this song as a dance:
Introduction - Bend knees or rest
Swing all eighth notes.
A -
Circle right 8 beats, circle left 8 beats:  FW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 turn, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 center.
In, in, clap clap clap (ta ta titi ta), out, out clap clap clap (ta ta titi ta), repeat
Rest for 4 beats and get ready - hands at sides
B -
Right heel on floor, right toe on floor (say heel, toe) clap clap clap (ta ta titi ta)
Left heel on floor, left toe on floor (say heel, toe) clap clap clap (ta ta titi ta), repeat, rest until next A Section.
Form:  AB

3.  Getting Me Eire On!

I posted about this last year and have several other activities including my favorite Irish song, "Rattlin' Bog".

Click here for my previous post on Irish music and songs!
Enjoy!

Valentine's Roses Are Red with the flu to use with Ukuleles!

So I just began to teach ukuleles two weeks ago.. we ordered them on a Wednesday, they got here on Friday (thanks, Amazon.com!) and I used them for the first time last Tuesday.  A fellow Orff teacher shared how to begin by teaching the story of the Four Little Pigs (George, Charlie, Edgar, Allison) to teach the string names.. kids loved it and the fourth graders remembered today the names of the strings!  Hallelujah! RETENTION! 
I have been working to develop some lessons where students play borduns (first and fifth of chord structures) on Orff instruments AND ukuleles and my last group of 4th graders just left and we had a BLAST!  I used "Roses are Red" set in 3/4; yes, I know most of you are probably saying, "It's 6/8!".  Well, yes... but, for our purposes today we used 3/4 in order to feel STRONG beats in 3 and also because while we experience 6/8, my 5th grade music teachers teach 6/8 and we don't label it in 4th.  :)
So... longer story longer... here it is! 

1.  Sing song, students pat or sway to the strong beat several times, then sing the song.  They will want to add "achoo" after the 2nd verse about the flu.. go for it!  Way more fun!
2.  Review how to play C chord (every other student has a ukulele; we are partnered and I tell them once they've learned it they are the expert and have to help their partners!). Let them just PLAY for several minutes to review how to strum down, etc. and then switch.. I walk around fixing fingers, etc.
3.  Show the slides with the music, talk through how to play only where it has a "C" above the measure, make a grand, STOP gesture or use a STOP sign to show where to NOT PLAY (G7 chords).  If your students already know this, wonderful; mine don't and this was their 2nd lesson in ukes. Switch so 2nd partner has a turn, do same thing (by this time I am NOT singing and only they are.. I'm pretty firm on this!).
4.  Show how to pluck the top string closest to their "chinny chin chins" for the "G7" chord.  Keep holding on to the C chord; don't let go!  Play using C chord and plucking G string (yes, I know.. but they don't know about G strings yet!).  Switch partners, play/sing.
5.  Each partner pair has an Orff instrument set up to play high C and G for C chord and remove bars around low G so they can switch to low G and high G (right hand stays in place on high G bar the entire time).  This will become the borduns the Orff instruments will play for C chord (high C/G) and G7 chord (low G/high G).  Play together with ukuleles, sing, switch, etc.
6.  Now comes the writing portion.  Show the slides new versions of the song and then the slides with the one syllable color words and rhyming words.  Students create new versions, give them about 10 minutes to practice, call time, one final minute to practice, then perform.  They were funny and clever.. some a little raunchy, which we had to discuss, of course.. ugh!  It was a fun lesson, though, and got them writing, singing, playing 2 kinds of instruments, accompanying themselves, and rhyming.. phew!  All in 40 minutes!!  Enjoy!
If you'd like as a pdf email me at musicquilt@hotmail.com

New Year.. New _____

New Year.  Every 365, sometimes 366, it rolls around like a mirrored ball on speed and suddenly, whamo, it's here! 
Resolutions:
Mine are short and simple:
Personal:
I began a Whole 30 Jan. 1 (very stict whole, clean eating plan) and am so very thankful for the Facebook group of First Timers who have been so helpful with recipes, support, and encouragement!  I am trying to lose the 20 pounds that crept back on while I was in the middle of moving, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!  Yikes!!!  Need to stick to Paleo- it has worked for me but the minute I go off I gain!!  I have also gone back to working out 4-5 days per week. Amazing how much better I feel when I do.

Professional: 
This has been an awesome school year!! The last two school years were not so hot as I had 4 surgeries during those two and was out a total of almost 6 months of school!!!  So glad to be healthy again.
Edit, edit, edit!  I am in the midst of a book and my publisher and I will begin edits soon- I've already started editing and I am so excited about the book.. and leery of all the work during editing!  The book has clapping songs and games from around the world!  It's been so fun chatting with people in Johannesburg, South Africa, Indonesia, Scotland, and all around the globe.  So thankful for email; this project would have taken years otherwise.

Now to the goody, well, I hope it's a goody: 

 

Happy 2015!