My Favorite Chants

Here are some fun chants to say and play with young children. There are many ways to say and play with the chants and you may decide what would work well with your age group.  I use rhythm sticks, maracas, tone blocks, and mallets for older students and just plain clapping and hand motions (i.e. rounded hands over heads to depict the sun, blowing a kiss) for younger students.

Baby Giraffe
Baby giraffe, make me laugh!              
Polka dots everywhere, not a stripe in sight!
Season after season we'll watch you grow      
Through the sun and rain and snow
But for now we're through with this                  
Let's sit down and blow you a kiss!

Polar Bear
I was riding on my bicycle, my bicycle            
When I saw a polar bear
He was sitting on an icicle, an icicle                  
In the middle of nowhere

Hop Like A Bunny
Can you hop, hop, hop like a bunny?              
Can you run, run, run like a dog?
Can you walk, walk, walk like an elephant?    
Can you jump, jump, jump like a frog?
Can you swim, swim, swim like a goldfish?    
Can you fly, fly, fly like a bird?
Can you sit right down and fold your hands and not say a single word?   Shhhhh....

Hello
H----E----L----L----O!  That's the way we say hello!
H----E----L----L----O!  That's the way we say hello!

Apples and Oranges
Apple, oranges, bananas, too            
These are the things that are good for you!
Chocolate, candy, pop, and gum      
These are the treats that are very fun!

Stomp Our Feet
Stomp our feet!  Grow our roots!  Shake our leaves up high!
We are growing strong and tall!  We can touch the sky!

Baby Hippopotamus
Baby hippopotamus, boom, boom, boom!        Baby hippopotamus fills the room!
Shake, shake, shake!  Wallow, wallow, wallow!  He could eat me in one big swallow!

Sports
Sports, sports, we love sports!
Soccer, baseball, basketball, football
Hockey and all the rest
Yay Sports!

Chants help reinforce rhythm, memory, coordination, and of course, they are fun!

Getting Ready For The Recording Studio

Sound Reason Music Group Minneapolis, Minnesota

At some time in your musical life you may be preparing to go into the recording studio to record either audio or audio/visual.  So, that means you may be recording for the purpose of making a CD and/or recording for the purpose of making a music video that people will be listening to and watching at the same time.  "Miss Joan" and her quartet made a music video recently and I have included that in this posting for your watching and listening pleasure. (just click on the Sound Reason link at the top of this page) This particular video was dedicated to a musician friend/mentor of mine as well as his family.

Practicing toward a goal of going to the recording studio is identical to practicing for a performance or recital.  I have written about this topic before in my blog so I'll reprint what I had written on that topic.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Practicing For A Performance

                    

Sometimes we or our children have a recital or another kind of performance coming up in the future.  You may want to change your thinking about practicing, at least until the performance is over.

Here are some tips for getting ready for a performance:

* Spend a litte more time (5 - 30 minutes depending upon your age and ability) warming up with tone and technique exercises. These are the basics for musical performance and offer a foundation of support from which to emote. This may mean spending a bit less time practicing new repertoire and other exercises; but, you may put those "on hold" until after the performance.

* Visualize the performance. Many athletes use this technique to get ready for a game or competition. Close your eyes and imagine the room or recital hall, see yourself sitting in the auditorium getting ready to play, or backstage behind the curtains. Feel yourself walking on stage and taking in the atmosphere--there may be audience members moving, whispering, etc. What will it feel like to take that first breath or strike that first chord?

* Play this simple game while practicing your performance pieces: Start out playing your piece from the beginning but stop suddenly and wait 5 - 10 seconds. Then, start playing again exactly where you left off. Stop again in another random place in the piece and wait 5 - 10 seconds. Start playing again exactly where you left off. This game helps with concentrating/focusing and also helps psychologically reassure you that you would be able to go on playing if you were to make a mistake while performing.

* Remember that the composer of your performance piece wrote it so that you could play it and give others the gift of his or her piece. And, here's hoping it will bring you great joy, as well.

While some of these tips are rather sophisticated and wouldn't be appropriate for a young child, you may draw upon the tips that would work for you and your child.

Literature For Musicians From Young To Old

Looking for some good literature to help you with your music studies?  Here are some resource books that you might find interesting.

*How To Get Your Child To Practice without Resorting To Violence by Cynthia V. Richards

*Nurtured By Love by Shinichi Suzuki

*Music Theory For Children by Michiko Yurko

*Ready-To-Use Music Activities Kit by Audrey J. Adair

*Winning Rhythms by Edward L. Ayola

*Mommy, Can We Practice Now? by M. Marie Parkinson

*Great Composers And Their Music by Audrey J. Adair

*Stories Of Composers For Young Musicians by Catherine Wolff Kendall

*Women Making Music Edited by Jane Bowers and Judith Tick 

  (there are many authors for the different sections of this book)

*A Coloring Book Of Great Composers with text by David Brownell and art by Nancy Conkle

*Complete Handbook Of Music Games And Activities For Early Childhood by Margaret Athey 

  and Gwen Hotchkiss

*All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum 

  (this is not really a music resource but it speaks to common sense

   learning and teaching dynamics)

  

If any of these titles pique your interest, you may read a synopsis of them online in such places as Google and Amazon.  Your local library is always a treasure trove of books and information, of course, as well as local book stores.

This Holiday Season

Just a reminder to be proactive in taking in all of the holiday music this year.  It's always good to have your classical public radio station on in the background wherever you are.  We are so fortunate to have commercial free public radio that plays the classics of the musical world as well as new compositions in all genres--orchestral, chamber, and vocal.  Remember to check your local paper for family concerts which often are reasonably priced or free.  Just to be able to have your family attend one or two shows is such a holiday gift in itself.  Live music really is best!

Happy Holidays To You And Yours From The Music Child Program

Another Type Of Chamber Music

There are many types/labels/styles of chamber music.  The first type that may come to mind is the string quartet that plays mostly classical music.  Maybe someone else would think of the piano trio which consists of piano, violin, and cello and perhaps plays works by Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert.

There are many genres of chamber music one of which is jazz.  You may have seen jazz trios, quartets, quintets, big bands, and the like.  These groups tend to perform at hotels, business events, and wedding receptions as well as jazz clubs.  It's lovely that the different types of chamber music groups have many venues in which to perform.

Here is my jazz duo's new CD, "Our Favorite Things".  We are SchubertDahlMusic and my guitarist friend, Bryon Dahl, accompanies me when I play jazz on my flute.  We are definitely a chamber group and manage to play a diverse repertoire.  Bryon has a double role of being accompaniment and bass while I play the melodies of wonderful jazz standards on flute.

If you'd like to hear samples of our music, you could go to www.SchubertDahlMusic.com.  It may very well be that you will be inspired to find some of this music and play it, too!

Enjoying Chamber Music With Other Musicians

You or your child may decide it is time to begin playing some chamber music which translates to you playing your instrument with other musicians playing their instruments.  Perhaps you've been learning to play piano and there is a desire to be more collaborative with other musicians.  There are so many creative ways to make music with other instrumentalists!  Here are some ensemble groupings that you may want to try and arrange depending upon what instrument you/your child plays:  Flute and Violin;  Violin, Viola, and Cello;  Banjo and Mandolin;  Accordion and Washboard;  Guitar, Bass, Drums, Voice;  Ukulele and Bass;  Violin, Guitar, and Bass;  Flute and Clarinet;  Trumpet and Trombone;  Violin and Piano (really any instrument works with piano!).  Well, you get the idea.  Really any ensemble could "work".  In regard to finding music for your unique ensemble, the sky is the limit when you use the search engine on your PC, laptop, or smart phone.  There are many sites that sell sheet music and, of course, many publishers of music.  Don't forget to support your local music store, too.  It can be a bonding experience for you and your child to make a visit to the music store in town and peruse sheet music and books.  If you are currently taking private lessons, it would be a great idea to consult your teacher about the ensemble groupings and types of music available.

Happy Halloween!

Here are some ideas for having musical fun during the Halloween festivities!

 

* Use scarves or handkerchiefs to make "ghosts" that sway back and forth to music

 

* Write a happy ghost story for the children and incorporate songs or music that you like 

 

* Listen to sounds from the season: Owls, Doors squeaking, or anything else that is appropriate to the age group (you may find sounds on CD's available from your local library or you may download from other sources online such as ITunes and Amazon)

 

*Here is a great Halloween song that young children like to sing:

(Use the melody from "The Wheels On The Bus")

 

The witches and their cats sing

Hee, hee, hee!

Hee, hee, hee!

Hee, hee, hee!

The witches and their cats sing

Hee, hee, hee!

We love Halloween!

 

The ghosts and the goblins sing

Boo, boo, boo!

Boo, boo, boo!

Boo, boo, boo!

The ghosts and the goblins sing

Boo, boo, boo!

We love Halloween!

 

We knock on the door and say

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat!

We knock on the door and say

Trick or Treat!

We love Halloween!