Singing songs from Africa deepens cultural understanding as children learn that the continent of Africa is not a monolithic place but home to 54 countries, widely diverse cultures and perhaps as many as 2,000 languages. Many African songs are also just fun to sing, often carrying special energy and joy! … Continue reading
What better way to celebrate spring than with singing? Well, frolicking in the great outdoors, of course, but singing is great fun, too! I wrote my “Song of Spring” with four-year-old children at a Boston area school. We talked about things we like to do in the spring and used … Continue reading
Counting is often one of my themes for early childhood music in early March because … I’m counting on spring! Here are a few of my favorite counting rhymes. The first one features snow, because here in New England, the snow is still coming down in March 🙁 Five Little … Continue reading
“When children dramatize, move to, or create music to represent a story, they become actively involved in working with the ideas in the story … As they translate the words to art forms, each story comes to life. Indeed, the act of transforming or translating is fundamental to attaining understanding … Continue reading
A few days ago, I experienced a small Christmas tree disaster, truly a first-world problem. I was on my own putting up the tree, and could NOT get it to stand up straight. I must have tried for an hour, straining my hands on those screw-things on the stand, tightening … Continue reading
It was a bit too cold on Thanksgiving this year in New England, a reminder that real winter is just around the corner. You can find some of my favorite winter songs and stories on this blog. Leo Lionni’s classic story of Frederick the mouse is always great. You can … Continue reading
Hello, all you teachers and other musical people getting ready to sing some awesome songs for the Halloween season! It’s less than two weeks away. At our Children’s Music Network conference last weekend, some people wondered if we should stop singing the song “Dem Bones,” given concerns about singing old … Continue reading
On October 12-14, some children’s musicians enjoyed a great weekend in Huron, Ohio, at The Children’s Music Network’s annual conference. The conference always happens in the fall, which means we get a fine selection of everyone’s Halloween songs. Today, I present a perennial favorite of my own, “Rockin’ Pumpkin,” sung … Continue reading
This is an October song that I enjoy every fall with young children. The tune is at this link. October, October, leaves orange, green, red, yellow, brown. October, the wind blows. Leaves falling down, down to the ground, leaves fall down to the ground. With its ¾ meter, this is … Continue reading
Happy October! I’m dedicating some blog space to offering my favorite October songs this month. It’s fun to sing about fall, but really, Halloween songs just can’t be beat for all-around spooky fun. I recommend my Halloween Rhymes song for rhyming-word learning and howling all month long. You can download … Continue reading
