It’s spring. That means no more snow, at least we hope not, here in New England. Enough already! But the rain’s a-coming, oh yeah. One of my music students’ favorite activities is dramatizing a rain and thunder storm, using instruments, of course. My favorite instruments for this activity are rain…
What could I become? I’m just a little seed… Last spring, I started singing a brand new song about seeds on the way to a school where I work. I arrived and wrote the whole thing down in the parking lot. Yep, it’s one of those “organic” tunes that just…
As a follow-up to last week’s post, I’d like to suggest further possibilities with songs that involve sequences. The songs in this post are all drawn from older songs, but have new words. Call it the “folk process.” Call it opportunity. Call it taking a song and making it your…
My music sessions with children often aim to provide a musical basis for understanding the elements of narrative structure, including placing items in a logical sequence. Children’s knowledge of both fictional stories and non-fictional events, such as the growth of a plant, can be enhanced through musical exploration. Fisher and…
Here’s a fun song for early winter, when small animals are out gathering their provisions. I use a stuffed squirrel named “Chipper,” and explain that Chipper needs to hide his store of nuts so he’ll know where they are all winter long. This interactive song is also fun for counting…
