What: Traditional Christian Song, Celebration Song
Why: This is a "call and response" or echo song. Children work on listening and responding, ear training and taking turns. The simple signs encourage visual tracking, crossing the midline and fine motor skills. Incorporating signs or simple, repetitive choreography into your songs teaches children about expressing ideas through physical movement. Physicality in a song can be a way in for children who are non-verbal or more comfortable observing before vocalizing.
How:
Who: Rosalie Horak contributed this song.
Rosalie has worked as a Director of Christian Education for the past 17 years, the last 12 at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Lakewood, Colorado. Rosalie also taught first grade in the public school system for 10 years. She holds a degree in elementary education. Performed by Rachel Dempsey and Matt Dempsey.
Showing posts with label Song Bank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Song Bank. Show all posts
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Che Che Kule
What: Active Song, Concept Song
Why: The lyrics and corresponding actions of this song teach body awareness and identification.
The "call and response" or "echo" structure encourages listening and responding, and, on a more sophisticated level, ear training through pitch matching.
This West African version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" exposes children to the language of another culture and mastering the lyrics will help a child's memorization and oral motor skill development.
Try starting the song slowly and speeding up gradually over several repetitions. This will challenge a child's oral motor skills, quick-thinking skills and balance!
How:
Che Che Kule (Hands on your head)
Che Che Kofisa (Hands on your shoulders)
Kofisa Langa (Hands on your waist)
Langa tilanga (Hands on your knees)
Kum Aden Nde (Hands on your ankles)
Hey!
Who: Jennie Lutz contributed and performed this song.
Why: The lyrics and corresponding actions of this song teach body awareness and identification.
The "call and response" or "echo" structure encourages listening and responding, and, on a more sophisticated level, ear training through pitch matching.
This West African version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" exposes children to the language of another culture and mastering the lyrics will help a child's memorization and oral motor skill development.
Try starting the song slowly and speeding up gradually over several repetitions. This will challenge a child's oral motor skills, quick-thinking skills and balance!
How:
Che Che Kule (Hands on your head)
Che Che Kofisa (Hands on your shoulders)
Kofisa Langa (Hands on your waist)
Langa tilanga (Hands on your knees)
Kum Aden Nde (Hands on your ankles)
Hey!
Who: Jennie Lutz contributed and performed this song.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Open Shut Them
What: Warm Up Song, Transition Song
Why: The simple lyrics correspond to the actions on a literal, rather than creative, level. This is a good song for very young children or children with severe developmental delays because they tend to be concrete thinkers.
The opening and shutting fists and crawling fingers help strengthen fine motor skills. The lyrics and actions promote body awareness and identification (lap, chin, mouth.)
You may use this song with a child you cannot execute the actions on his or her own by opening and shutting your own fists, encouraging the child to visually track your movements, and tickling your fingers up the child's stomach to the chin, stimulating the child's sense of touch while building a sense of anticipation.
Using this song before starting a new, passive activity, like eating or listening to a story, may help the child focus and maintain motor control.
How:
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap, clap
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them
Right up to your chin
Creep them, creep them
To your mouth
But do not let them in!
Who: Kierstie Whitehead contributed and performed this song. Kierstie earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Bucknell University and a Master of Arts in Arts Admin from Goucher. She taught middle school music in Howard County, MD for seven years and has worked as a music and theatre specialist in the DC area since 2005. Kierstie has worked in partnership with Montgomery County Infants and Toddlers, as well as working for Imagination Stage, Interact Story Theatre, Wolf Trap and the Fillmore Arts Center.
She is currently a full time music, theatre and early childhood teacher with Imagination Stage.
Why: The simple lyrics correspond to the actions on a literal, rather than creative, level. This is a good song for very young children or children with severe developmental delays because they tend to be concrete thinkers.
The opening and shutting fists and crawling fingers help strengthen fine motor skills. The lyrics and actions promote body awareness and identification (lap, chin, mouth.)
You may use this song with a child you cannot execute the actions on his or her own by opening and shutting your own fists, encouraging the child to visually track your movements, and tickling your fingers up the child's stomach to the chin, stimulating the child's sense of touch while building a sense of anticipation.
Using this song before starting a new, passive activity, like eating or listening to a story, may help the child focus and maintain motor control.
How:
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap, clap
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them
Right up to your chin
Creep them, creep them
To your mouth
But do not let them in!
Who: Kierstie Whitehead contributed and performed this song. Kierstie earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Bucknell University and a Master of Arts in Arts Admin from Goucher. She taught middle school music in Howard County, MD for seven years and has worked as a music and theatre specialist in the DC area since 2005. Kierstie has worked in partnership with Montgomery County Infants and Toddlers, as well as working for Imagination Stage, Interact Story Theatre, Wolf Trap and the Fillmore Arts Center.
She is currently a full time music, theatre and early childhood teacher with Imagination Stage.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
What: Active Song, Pretend Play Song
Why: This song uses simple repetition and rhyming to promote cognitive skills like counting, memorization and cause and effect. Thematically, the song deals with social relationships and actions/reactions, or natural consequences. In the choreography you see here, a child will work on fine motor skills using simple hand gestures. You may choose to extend the exercise to include gross motor skills by encouraging the child to jump on any safe, soft surface. Using exaggerated facial expressions will encourage the child to mirror emotions and their corresponding social cues (frown and finger shaking for anger, sad face and hand to head for pain.)
How:
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Four little monkeys . . .
Who: Elizabeth Broder-Oldach contributed this song. Elizabeth attended the University of Maryland and received a B.A. in Theater and a B.A. in English Literature. She has been teaching early childhood classes at Imagination Stage for two years and was recently hired full time as their Access Coordinator. Elizabeth spent the last year as an Assistant Teacher at Kingsbury Day School, a school for students with literacy based learning disabilities, and has just finished her second year teaching with Young Playwrights’ Theater.
Why: This song uses simple repetition and rhyming to promote cognitive skills like counting, memorization and cause and effect. Thematically, the song deals with social relationships and actions/reactions, or natural consequences. In the choreography you see here, a child will work on fine motor skills using simple hand gestures. You may choose to extend the exercise to include gross motor skills by encouraging the child to jump on any safe, soft surface. Using exaggerated facial expressions will encourage the child to mirror emotions and their corresponding social cues (frown and finger shaking for anger, sad face and hand to head for pain.)
How:
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Four little monkeys . . .
Who: Elizabeth Broder-Oldach contributed this song. Elizabeth attended the University of Maryland and received a B.A. in Theater and a B.A. in English Literature. She has been teaching early childhood classes at Imagination Stage for two years and was recently hired full time as their Access Coordinator. Elizabeth spent the last year as an Assistant Teacher at Kingsbury Day School, a school for students with literacy based learning disabilities, and has just finished her second year teaching with Young Playwrights’ Theater.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The More We Sing Together
What: Warm Up Song
Why: This is a variation on a popular children's song, "The More We Get Together." I used it as a welcome song for my music-themed Early Childhood classes. A welcome song signals to the children and their parents that they are entering a safe and productive environment in which all participate together in the learning process.
How:
Who: Rachel Dempsey contributed and performed this song.
Why: This is a variation on a popular children's song, "The More We Get Together." I used it as a welcome song for my music-themed Early Childhood classes. A welcome song signals to the children and their parents that they are entering a safe and productive environment in which all participate together in the learning process.
This version incorporates elements of American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is a language spoken by individuals of the deaf community, but it has also been widely used by the theatre community as an alternative method of communication in dramas, musicals and dance theatre.
I use ASL with infants to engage and stimulate their senses, encourage visual tracking and present a bilingual musical experience.
I use ASL with toddlers to promote physical expression of feelings, ideas and concepts. You may find this technique particularly useful if you are already teaching your child what is commonly known as Baby Sign, a rudimentary form of ASL that enables pre-verbal communication.
I use ASL with infants to engage and stimulate their senses, encourage visual tracking and present a bilingual musical experience.
I use ASL with toddlers to promote physical expression of feelings, ideas and concepts. You may find this technique particularly useful if you are already teaching your child what is commonly known as Baby Sign, a rudimentary form of ASL that enables pre-verbal communication.
How:
Who: Rachel Dempsey contributed and performed this song.
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