Finger Play Fun Day: 5 Little Snowmen

Finger Play Fun Day:  5 Little Snowmen

Today's finger play is perfect for the entire winter season!  

I made simple felt finger puppets to make the finger play even more fun but plain little fingers will work too!  Or make your own Stick Snow People!

Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.


5 Little Snowmen

5 little snowmen standing round my door.
This one melted and then there were four.
Four little snowmen beneath a green pine tree.
This one melted and then there were three.
Three little snowmen with caps and mittens blue.
This one melted and then there were two.
Two little snowmen standing in the sun.
This one melted and then there was one.
One little snowman started to run.
But he melted away and then there was none.

Free Stick Puppet Snow People

Looking for more snowman fun?  Check out Wise Owl Factory's Free Roll-a-Snowman Activity

Read a free book Snowmen at Night on We Give Books.

Check out my Snow Fun board on Pinterest with all kinds of snowman crafts and activities.

Enjoy!

Christmas Recital December 1, 2012

Twelve Days of Christmas

We held our Christmas Recital this past Saturday, December 1, 2012. 

This was the first time we held our recital at our local public library, Valley Hi -Laguna North Library.  It was a large room with space for all of our families and friends.  The one bad things was that it was so big it made it hard to hear our voice students without a microphone.  But overall it was a nice place.

Over 30 students performed holiday songs!

The voice students sang throughout the recital.  They all did a beautiful job singing fun Christmas songs such as Jingle Bells, White Christmas and Last Christmas as well as more serious songs such as O Holy Night and Silent Night.

Fantastic voice student performing Jingle Bells

The violin students performed the Twinkles from the Suzuki books plus Christmas classics such as Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and Carol of the Bells.  We are proud of our violin students.

Violin students perform their holiday songs.

The Music and Movement classes and various piano students did a fun Ribbon Dance to the Nutcracker song, Trepak.  They also sang The Twelve Days of Christmas while holding pictures for each verse.  They all did a fantastic job!

Ribbon Dance to the Nutcracker Song

All of our piano students took turns playing the special holiday songs they have been working hard on.  They each did a great job!

One very cute piano student introducing herself.

I enjoy seeing the children perform after working so hard on their songs.  Many of them overcame their fears of being in front of an audience.  Each recital they go a bit further and do better.  I am so proud of all our students.

Overcoming a nervous tummy ache!

We made a movie of the recital but it is much too long to upload to YouTube!  DVD's of the recital are available for $5.  Just let me know!

Happy Holidays!

Easy Half Note Chant

Learn the name and beat of the half note in a super easy song!

This chant is a super easy way to remember and learn the name and beat of a half note.

Half notes are musical notes that are held for 2 beats.  They are white or not colored in, compared to the quarter note that is completely filled in black.

Children remember best if the words are clear and rhythmic.

Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.




Easy Half Note Chant
By Tonya Dirksen

Half note, two
Half note, two
One, two,
Half note, two!

Carolyn, at Wise Owl Factory, has a fun  Free Do You Know Your Music Notes Power Point.  This is a great way to practice the names and beats of the notes as well as seeing how all the notes compare with one another.

Musical Twister Hopscotch is another fun way to reinforce note names and beats.  My students love playing it whenever we get a chance.  They spin and have to tell the name and beat of the note the spinner lands on.  Then they get to hop to the correct colored circle. 

Musical Twister Hopscotch

 



Check out the Easy Quarter Note Chant!

 

 

Enjoy!

 



Finger Play Fun Day: 5 Little Turkeys

5 Little Turkeys - a Finger Play for Thanksgiving

 

 5 Little Turkeys is the perfect finger play to teach your children for Thanksgiving!

My students have been laughing at the turkey finger puppets that I made to go along with this finger play.  They think the feathers look like a hat coming out of the turkeys' heads instead of tail feathers!  Oh well! 

Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.







Carolyn, from Wise Owl Factory has created a great 5 Little Turkeys power point that includes all the words to the finger play along with some fun animation.  Plus a Turkey Number Matching Game!  Be sure to check it all out!

Free 5 Little Turkeys Power Point

Free Turkey Matching Activity for 1-12

5 Little Turkeys

Five little turkeys were standing by the door;  one saw some corn, and then there were four.

Four little turkeys flew up in a tree; one fell down and then there were three.

Three little turkeys gobbled as they do;  a dog chased one and then there were two.

Two little turkeys strutting in the sun;  the wind came along and then there was one.

One little turkey saw a farmer with an ax; run turkey run!

Enjoy!

Fantastic Fall Recital, November 3, 2012

This Saturday the students from Strings, Keys, and Melodies performed at Emeritus at Laguna Creek, a senior assisted living home.  They did a wonderful job!

First, our violin students performed several Suzuki pieces together.  Then two of the intermediate students performed solos.  It is difficult to learn to play together but they all did their best and sounded great!

Next our Music and Movement students sang "Oh, Once I Had a Pumpkin".  That is a favorite song with all of our students so they had a lot of help!

One of my piano students performed "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with the boomwhackers.  Boomwhackers are rhythm instruments that are fun to play.  Our student did a great demonstration of how they work and sound.

Each of our piano students played songs they have been working on all month.  Many of them played Halloween songs and others played their favorite book songs.  Everyone did a fantastic job introducing themselves, finding their hand positions and playing their songs!

Then our voice students treated us to 4 lovely songs from famous musicals that they have been working on all fall.  One of my students was sick and could not perform but the other students stepped in and were able to continue without her.  All of the girls sang with confidence and strong voices.  I am so proud of them!

To end the recital, the students passed out rhythm instruments to all the audience which included the residents and parents.  Then we had a sing-a-long time with folk songs we had been practicing all month.  We wanted to include the residents so we picked songs they were sure to know such as Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Oh Susanna, You are My Sunshine and Skip to My Lou.  The children sang loud and clear and the residents rang their bells and sang with gusto along with them!  It was so fun seeing the different generations make music together.

We have more recitals planned for this year because I think it is extremely important to share the music that we love with other people.

Our next recital is December 1 at 1:30-2:30 at the Valley Hi-North Laguna Library.  We will be sharing all our wonderful Christmas music.  Family and friends are invited!

A Halloween Party without Candy???

A Halloween Party without Candy???

 

Last night, my friend and I put together a Halloween Party for our children that emphasized games instead of candy!

It was a HUGE success!

Read about our sensory rich games and allergy free menu at GoDandelion.com

Finger Play Fun Day: 5 Little Pumpkins

Finger Play Fun Day:  5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Fence



 

Halloween is on its way!

Today is Finger Play Fun Day and we will be sharing 5 Little Pumpkins.

 

My students have been enjoying this finger play all month long.  I made 5 jack-o-lantern finger puppets to add to the fun!

 

There are different variations for this finger play but here is my favorite!

 



Here are the words I like the best:

5 Little Pumpkins

5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, "Oh my its getting late."
The second one said, "I hear a noise."
The third one said, "It's only some boys."
The fourth one said, "Let's run. Let's run."
The fifth one said, It's Halloween fun."

Then oooooo went the wind and out went the lights.
And away rolled the pumpkins on Halloween night.





Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.


Carolyn, at Wise Owl Factory, made an awesome skip counting Power Point with Pumpkins!  Count by ones, twos, threes, fives,
and tens!  The children might watch silently the first time through and then count aloud while watching the second time!

Free Power Point Skip Counting


Happy Halloween!

Finger Play Fun Day: The Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Great Big Hairy Spider

We Sing About a Variety of Spiders in the Popular Children's Song

 

We are continuing with our Halloween theme this month for Finger Play Fun Day.  Today's song is the very popular children's song - The Itsy Bitsy Spider.  But in our version, a few other spiders come to visit too.

We have the Great Big Hairy Spider,

the Very Fast Spider and

the Very Slow Spider!

Children enjoy songs that they know but with a little twist.  These variations help develop a bigger vocabulary, including opposites such as fast and slow, itsy bitsy and great big.  I encourage you to be creative and make your own pairs of opposites!



Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.


Carolyn, from Wise Owl Factory, has made a Free Itsy Bitsy Spider printable plus a great book review and worksheets to go with Gail Gibbon's book Spiders.

This book has a lot of fascinating facts about spiders that will interest you and your child!

 

Free Printable for The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Free Spider PDF from Wise Owl Factory

 

Free Opposites PDF

Enjoy!

An Easy Quarter Note Chant

Children's Song to help them learn the quarter note.

One of the first musical notes my students learn is the Quarter Note.  I made up a chant to help them remember its name and its number of beats.

Quarter note = 1 Beat

I have made a video to demonstrate the chant.  If you have trouble viewing the video click here.

Quarter Note

By Tonya Dirksen

 

 

Quarter note

Quarter note

Tap your knee

 

Quarter note

Quarter note

Black and neat

 

Quarter note

Quarter note

Has one beat!

 

 Carolyn, at Wise Owl Factory, has a fun Free Do You Know Your Music Notes Power Point  This is perfect for learning and reviewing notes.  It also shows the relationships between the different notes.  Be sure to check it out!

Music and Movement - Carnival of the Animals

 

This semester I have been introducing my students to Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens.  But we don't just sit and listen! 

 We get up and move!

 

Today I am writing at GoDandelion.com

Music and Movement:  Fun with Carnival of the Animals

 

Enjoy!

Finger Play Fun Day: Oh Once I Had a Pumpkin!

 

Pumpkin and Jack-o-Lantern Finger Play for Halloween

   

Fall has arrived and Halloween is just around the corner!

Today's finger play "Oh, Once I Had a Pumpkin," is a wonderful song about turning a pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern. 

To make the song even more fun, I made a simple pumpkin out of orange felt.  I also cut out 3 black triangles for 2 eyes and a nose and a funny mouth with teeth cut out. 

I have been singing this in all of my classes for the last few weeks and the children love helping me make the jack-o-lantern.  They take turns putting on the eyes, nose and mouth and then laugh at the funny face they made! 

I hope you all enjoy this song!





Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.


Carolyn, from Wise Owl Factory has a great Free Pumpkin Writing PDF with prompts for writing about pumpkins.  Be sure to check them out!  She also made a free power point presentation with the same pumpkin worksheets!

Free Pumpkin Writing PDF

 

 Free Pumpkin Power Point


Happy Halloween!



Fall and Christmas Recitals for Strings, Keys, and Melodies

 

Music is meant to be shared!

I have always believed that music is meant to be shared and it is an important idea to teach our students. Studies have shown that sharing music actually uses the brain in a different way then music created and played alone! Plus it is just a great thing to share with our family, friends and community.

Our programs and recitals will include all of our voice, piano, violin and Music and Movement students!

Our first Fall program will be at a Senior home. Music is a wonderful thing to share with older people because that is the last region in their brains to be touched. Stroke victims that can't talk anymore can often still sing! The seniors are eager to sing with us so we will include some folk songs and rhythm instruments so they can join along. We are going to play and sing at:

Sunrise at Laguna Creek

6727 Laguna Park Dr

Elk Grove, 95758

Saturday, November 3

1:30-2:30 (arrive at 1:15 for tuning)

This program will be mainly for the seniors and as a place for the children to practice playing in front of people. So we ask that only one or two adults accompany the students. The whole extended family can come to our Christmas recital!

Our Christmas Recital will be a great time to invite the whole family and friends! It will be held at:

Valley Hi-North Laguna Library, Community Room

7400 Imagination Parkway

Sacramento, 95823

Saturday, December 1

3:30-4:30 (arrive at 3:15 for tuning)

We are getting the details finalized for 3 more recitals and programs in the Spring for February 3, April 6, and Year End Recital on June 1. I will get you those details as soon as I can!

Thank you for supporting your children in their study of music. Creating music with others for others to enjoy is an important part of their education!

 

 

Title picture created using artwork by Trina Clark at www.digiscrapkits.com

Finger Play Fun Day: Tres Colores Que Me Encantan

Fun Children's Song that Teaches 3 Colors in Spanish

Tres Colores, Three Colors

Today is Finger Play Fun Day!  We are going to learn 3 colors in Spanish.  Tres Colores Que Me Encantan translates as Three Colors I Really Love!

Yellow = Amarillo

                                       Red = Rojo    
                                     
                                       Blue = Azul

Watch the video to learn the song.  Then be sure to practice with the worksheets that Carolyn, from Wise Owl Factory has created!

                                   

                            Free 19 Page PDF Los Colores, Learn 6 Spanish Color Words

Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.

Los Colores - Free Animated Power Point

Singing simple songs is a wonderful way for children to learn! 

Enjoy!

Finger Play Fun Day: Diez Perritos



Diez Perritos (10 Puppies)



 

 

Diez Perritos

Today for Finger Play Fun Day, we will be singing a Spanish counting song!  This children's song focuses on the Spanish words for the numbers 1-10. 

The PDF printable that Carolyn from Wise Owl Factory has provided for us, teaches the Spanish names for the numbers 1-20!





Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.

 

Free Count to 20 in Spanish PDF

 

This is a fantastic matching game!  Be sure to check it out.

 

 

Count to 20 in Spanish Free Power Point

 

 

 

 

Diez Perritos

By Tonya Dirksen

Tune:  10 LittleTurtles

 

Uno

Dos

Tres  perritos

 

Cuatro

Cinco

Seis  perritos

 

Siete

Ocho

Nueve  perritos

 

Diez perritos en la casa

 

Diez

Nueve

Ocho perritos

 

Siete

Seis

Cinco perritos

 

Cuarto

Tres

Dos perritos

 

Un perrito en la casa.

 

Music is a fun way to learn!  Enjoy!

 

Title picture was created using artwork by Trina Clark at www.digiscrapkits.com

 





Another Fun Listening Game!




Where am I?  A Fun Listening Game

I am always looking for new listening games in the hope that some of it will rub off on my girls and they will clean up their toys the first time I ask them!  :)  Not really, but I do think listening is an extremely important skill for learning music and for life in general and it is always important for children to have fun while learning.

I wrote about this listening game for Dandelion Magazine, a free quarterly magazine that serves as a resource for Bay Area and Sacramento families of children with special needs.  You can read my post, Where am I? A Fun Listening Game at godandelion.com.

Enjoy!

Finger Play Fun Day: The Alphabet Song with Sign Language

Finger Play Fun Day

Today is Finger Play Fun Day and we are doing a children's song that everyone knows - The Alphabet Song! 

But the reason I am featuring this well known  children's song is to emphasize the sign language that can be taught to children as they sing the song. 

Many children learn by doing an action with their body. Making finger signs for each letter helps them learn the alphabet that much quicker and easier.

For a chart of all the alphabet signs go to Deaf-Edge.com
or download Wise Owl Factory's FREE PDF for an alphabet chart.




Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.

 

FREE Sing Language Power Point

 

Be sure to check out the 4 minute long A to Z Transition to Quiet Sing Language power point presentation created by Wise Owl Factory! 

 

 

Free Interesting Words Dictionary With Sign Language Letters PDF

 

Wise Owl Factory has also provided an alphabet/sign language chart plus other pages for creating an interesting words dictionary.

 

Music makes learning fun!

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in a Children's Song

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in a Children's Song

Today, I have listed 10 skills that children can learn through a children's song.  There are certainly more than 10 but I thought this was a great place to start.  I actually wrote this post for Dandelion Magazine's Blog over at GoDandelion.com and hope you will go there to read the list of skills and song ideas. 

10 Skills Learned Through Children's Songs

Thank you for reading!

Finger Play Fun Day: The Good Day Song

Finger Play Fun Day:  The Good Day Song

Today's Finger Play Fun Day is a fun song with lots of animals sounds!
The Good Day Song, is also known as When Cats Get Up in the Morning.

In the video I sing about a cat, a dog and a bee but you can sing about all kinds of animals and what they say when they get up in the morning.  I used finger puppets but this is another great song for making hand signs for different animals. 

 After my girls and I sing about a bunch of animals, we often start putting family members' names in the verses and make up what each person says in the morning.


Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.

The Good Day Song Power Point

 

Find all the words plus animation on this fun power point created by Wise Owl Factory!

 

 

Here is a Free Match the Baby Animals with the Mommy and Daddy Animal PDF set.

 

The Good Day Song
aka When Cats Get Up in the Morning

 

When cats get up in the morning,

They always say “Good day.”

When cats get up in the morning,

They always say “Good day.”

Meow, meow, meow meow

That is what they say.

They say, meow, meow, meow, meow.

That is what they say.

 

Repeat with different animals and their sounds.

 

These lyrics can be found at

http://www.kimbalu.co.uk/words.html#27