• A  A  A  

October 2022 Week 4

October music is nearing its end  –next week look at November ideas!

There are so many wonderful Halloween songs to try  …   its a short season squeezed in between Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day, so don’t overlook the classics Five Little Pumpkins   and  Old Mrs. Witch   .  Two new songs on the site  —There Was An Old Witch  and Skin and Bones   (? too scary for Grade 3 ?)  Twinkle Bat   explores variations on Twinkle Twinkle.  Try these or use your own favourites  –the most important thing in teaching a song is that your real enjoyment of the song will be contagious.

There are parts of Halloween that meld beautifully with music curriculum, without actually being Halloween!    Dressing-up,  let’s pretend fantasies,  acting in theatre,   miming to music,   teaching minor keys,   harvest foods (including turnips and pumpkins).      I’m Gonna Be A …  (2 versions of this, one for Halloween, one just for “let’s pretend”  or  “when I grow-up”) which can be paired with the Role Playing Music ;   or try dancing to Fossils;   or singing  Humpkin Pumpkin;  and  Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater.     Satisfy those cravings for sweets by making a Making A Purple Stew   or chanting I Never Saw A Purple Cow.

Next week:    Remembrance Day and Songs about Peace Making

October 2022

Thanksgiving, Autumn Leaves and Halloween  –a plethora of musical possibilities.

Red Red Leaves   and   Red Orange Yellow Brown  are very simple in form which gives them many ways to be varied, encouraging creativity.   Zip new words into their phrases,   accompany on instruments  (the mp4 for Red Red Leaves includes playing a scale in C),  make a rondo using “Red Orange” as the “A” and improvising a “B”, “C” and “D”.

Young children sometimes struggle to find their “singing” voices.   Mimicing the high hoot of an owl is a fun way to encourage use of the high register of voices.   Everyone can join in, no English language skills required!

 

Next week:   Dress-Up and Halloween Songs

Last Week:  Turkey In The Straw   Shoo Turkey

We Give Thanks    Thank You