The popularity of Karma Wilson’s “Bear” series of picture books is richly deserved. Charming characters, rhythmic text, and easy-to-follow, often repetitive storylines make these books perfect for reading aloud to young children. As a music teacher, I’m always on the lookout for stories which are easily “musicalized” – either with sound effects like stomping or […]
Tag Archives: music
“The Owl Chicken Bunny Song” Young children really enjoy this funny activity, which gets them moving in some very silly ways! It’s from my most recent book, “Shake, Rattle and Roll: Rhythm Instruments and More for Active Learning” (Gryphon House, 2015). Children should be standing in a circle. Make circles around your eyes with your […]
I’m planning to use this in a class soon and thought I’d give a shout-out…there are a lot of versions of “La Bamba” out there, but Daria’s is my go-to version to use with young children. First, it’s the most authentically Latin-sounding, in rhythm and in instrumentation. Daria’s vocal performance is lovely and has an […]
Noisy Science If necessity is the mother of invention, I’d have to say that one of my best teaching “inventions” was inspired by the necessity of my not going completely deaf. You see, I’m an early-childhood music teacher. You know how noisy a typical preschool classroom is? Well, I’ll see you that noisiness and raise […]
“Bailar Rapido” is from an amazing CD with the Best. Title. Ever. – “Salsa for Kittens and Puppies,” by Baby Loves Salsa. The CD comes with a storybook about a plucky band of animal musicians who celebrate their friend’s birthday by making music all over New York City! The CD and story are just filled […]
Violins made by the Italian masters Stradivari and Guarneri more than three hundred years ago are still the finest in the world. The brilliance and resonance of their tone is legendary, and scientists and musicians alike have been puzzling over the “secret” to the instruments’ tone for centuries. Finally, researchers may have discovered a clue: […]
Is it truly hip to be square? This amazing song gives one adorable shape’s opinion. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll learn facts about polygons. Although the ending is indeed rather gruesome and disturbing if you really think about it (my advice: don’t), the shape is perfectly okay, in fact delighted, with the outcome. This song […]
The other day, while singing “Old MacDonald” with a class of three-year-olds, I found myself wondering how many times I’ve sung this song. Must be in the thousands, I thought. Well, I just did some calculations. Multiply approximately ten times a day, three or four days a week, times say fifty weeks a year, for (excuse […]
Quick, guess what this is! Raise your hand if you said “melted snowman!” (Or “snowperson” as I refer to them…) Here in NJ we haven’t had a lot of snow yet. I can’t complain about the mild weather, but I have so many snow-related songs and games, and I want to get them in before […]
Learning About Bats With a Song Kids LOVE! Bats are so cute!! Yes, you read that right. C’mon, how cute is this little guy? Bats are also the most populous mammals on Earth, next to rats (which aren’t cute). (Sorry, rat lovers!) So it’s good for children to learn about these furry flyers. This week, […]
Music (and Science) For Young Children 