Episode 4 – The Christmas & Chanukah Concert – Part 1
Opening
Hello everyone and it’s so nice to have you here at the Welcome to Music podcast for music/arts & classroom educators in Early Childhood and Primary/Elementary Schools, Music Therapists, Studio Music teachers, parents and anyone who uses music with kids to support their well-being and development from zero to 12 years.
Here is Episode 4 – The Christmas & Chanukah Concert – Part 1
Hello everyone and it’s so nice to have you here at the Welcome to Music Podcast, Episode 4. So, I’ve been teaching at a new school this year. It’s a small school with approx. 210 kids from Foundation to grade 6 – 5-11 years.
About 2 weeks ago, the principal told me about the school picnic on the 6th of December where he wants a 45 min concert and to have all of the kids performing 2 songs each. Let’s just say there are only 4 weeks to prepare! There are 4 cohorts and each group will do a Christmas song and one other song or dance.
Here was my thinking in keeping with my philosophy of giving the students an inclusive, successful, multi-modal and joyous experience
BUT within a limited time frame.
So I’ve chosen 4 Christmas songs plus one other piece for each cohort that we have already learnt during the year, plus 2 songs for the choir. As the students have been studying the Polynesian culture this semester in cultural studies, I have chosen two pieces to fit this theme plus two Aboriginal songs learnt earlier in the year for NAIDOC week.
1. Foundation
’Santa Claus is Coming To Town’ and ‘Inanay’ (Aboriginal)
2. Years 1 & 2
’Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and ‘Taba Naba’ (Aboriginal, Torres Strait Island)
3. Years 3 & 4
’Summer Wonderland’ and ‘Sasa Nukufetau’ body percussion and dance piece (Tuvalu – Polynesian)
4. Years 5 & 6
‘Aussie Jingle Bells’ and ‘Pupu Hinu Hinu’ (Hawaiian – Polynesian)
5. Choir (unauditioned years 2-6) – ‘Let’s Sing All Together’ and ‘Chanukah’
My research and preparation for the concert items included:
- Watching quite a few YouTube videos of the songs to give me some ideas and then choosing appropriate songs, creating actions, movements, AUSLAN signs which is the LOTE (language other than English) for the school and various instrument accompaniments.
- Ensuring a range of media (singing, moving, playing, creating) to be used throughout the concert to make it inclusive and engage all the kids
- Choosing appropriate keys to sing and play – sometimes this can be a fine balance
- Creating lyric sheets, chord charts and melody lines
- Arranging parts for instruments
- Creating videos of myself demonstrating the actions, moves and all instrument parts
- Putting a script together for the student volunteers to introduce each song and activity
- Sending it all to the teachers – I uploaded the videos as unlisted to YouTube and attached the lyrics and instrument arrangements to emails so that they can all be easily shared with the students
The principal suggested I use backing tracks, but why do that when you and the kids can accompany the songs on real instruments. I decided not to use the keyboard as the concert is on the school oval. So for Foundation and Years 1 & 2, the kids will sing and do actions and I will accompany on guitar, uke or djembe. If you don’t play one of these instruments then certainly backing tracks are the way to go! For years 3-6, the kids can volunteer to:
- Play the melody of the songs on their instrument – recorder, violin, clarinet etc
- Play the accompaniment/chords on guitar or uke
- Play the bass part on marimbas, xylophones and Boomwhackers
- MC – introduce a song or activity
There are also parts for the keyboard – but we are not doing the keys this time.
Each class is also working on:
- Getting into 3 lines and working on walking on and off the performance area
- Bowing at the end of the songs
- Learning all of the words, actions, signs, instrument parts from memory
During the week of the concert, we will have a whole school rehearsal on the oval so the kids can practise walking on and off the performance area, perform their songs, practise the introductions, work out where to play their instruments etc. I know what you’re thinking – what wet weather options do we have? Well, if it rains we can possibly go into the hall but if it’s very hot weather – I guess it will be hats and sunscreen!
OK – so what are the benefits from this concert experience? There are SO many.
For the kids
- Enhanced social and emotional skills
- Enhanced cognitive skills
- Improved memory
- Literacy - reading
- Working together as a group and for the school and whole community
- Learning about different cultures and festivals
- A sense of joy and pride
For the staff and community
- A sense of joy and pride
- Connection with each other
- Connection with the kids on a different level
There’s something so special about everyone working towards a common goal and uniting as a community with one voice.
1.Santa Claus is Coming to Town
I chose this for the preppies (5-6 years) as it’s a fun song with a happy feel and easy to learn the actions.
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
Chorus 1, Middle, Chorus 1
Coda/Ending
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
Activities can include:
- Do the actions
- Say then sing the words accompanied by the actions
- Accompany on the ukulele – chords are C, C7, F, Am, D7 and G7
YouTube Link
Lyrics with actions ‘Sing with Bella’
To access extra videos of Susie demonstrating the song and actions with students, join our membership
2.Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
This one is also a cheerful song and great for the littlies. It’s fun to sing the echoes (this is what they are known as on the internet but technically they are really responses) with the actions.
Activities
- Do the actions for the ‘echoes’
- Sing the ‘echoes’ with the actions
- Sing the song
- Divide into 2 groups – song and ‘echoes’
Extensions
Choruses and Coda (ending)
- Put the chords/notes on body such as G's on knees and D's on shoulders
- Transfer to singing solfa with hand signs - doh and soh
- Transfer to Boomwhackers and divide into 2 groups - dark green (G) and orange (D).
- Hold up the relevant colours as everyone plays.
- Create and play a bass part taking the letter names from the chords and playing them on the beat on xylophones, marimbas, Boomwhackers or the keyboard
- Transfer to marimbas, xylophones and/or ukuleles.
- Perform
Middle section - add percussion if relevant - an extra red (C) and purple (A) for one bar each
Accompaniment for whole piece - Play the chords on a uke, guitar or keyboard – G, D7, C, A7 – see the chord chart
YouTube Link to Rudolph (Cindy Parker)
With lyrics, echoes and actions – this is not exactly the same – it uses ‘flashlight’ ‘echo’ instead of ‘traffic lights’ and ‘George Washington’ ‘echo’ instead of ‘dinosaurs’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFr2ZDupD34
To access extra videos of Susie demonstrating the song and actions with students, join our membership
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3.Chanukah
Chanukah is pronounced ‘Hanukah’ with a guttural sound for the ‘H’ and is the Jewish festival of light. It commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the second temple in the 2nd century BCE. Each year, it is celebrated at a different time following the Hebrew calendar, anytime from late November to late December and goes for eight days.
The festival is observed by lighting the candles in a menorah or hanukkiah with space for nine candles. Each night, the shamash (helper candle) is lit and lights one additional candle until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival.
There is also a custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil such as latkes (potato pancakes) and doughnuts to commemorate the miracle of a small flask of oil keeping the second temple's menorah alight for eight days. Other festivities include singing Chanukah songs and playing the dreidl game. A dreidl is a spinning top that has a different Hebrew letter inscribed on each face.
Phil and I wrote this ‘Chanukah’ song a few years ago which is suitable for all ages and a great opportunity to learn about and explore the Chanukah festival. It’s a simple pentatonic melody that enables students to sing, use actions, create a dance as well as play ostinato parts on percussion instruments and accompany the song using 2 simple chords on the ukulele, guitar or keyboard. It can be easily extended into a 2-part round, music reading and writing with ta's and ti ti's and assessment too.
Activities
- Discuss the meaning of Chanukah
- Look at a menorah
- Play the dreidl game
- Make and eat latkes and doughnuts and discuss their significance.
- Sing with actions
- Dance and make up movements
- Watch the play-along video
Ostinato 1
- Put the rhythm on your body
- Transfer and play on non-melodic percussion instruments
Ostinato 2
- Sing in solfa accompanied by hand signs
- Transfer and play on melodic percussion
Extensions
- Sing and dance in a 2-part round - part A against part B
- Sing, dance, play and perform
Links
It’s recorded on the album 'Rainbows, Trees & Tambourines'
The ukulele tracks & backing track is available on 'Blackbelt Ukulele 2'
Watch and hear the video animation and percussion play along on YouTube
Find this song on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon – search for our names – Susie Davies-Splitter & Phil Splitter
To download the music notation, Orff percussion parts, ukulele parts, links to curriculum and assessment, join our membership
So to recap….. I have shared 3 songs today
- ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ with actions
- ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ – with ‘echoes’ and actions
- ‘Chanukah’ – a song about the Jewish festival of lights
Join us for the next episode – episode 5 for part 2 where I will share 3 more songs for the Christmas Concert
You can find a summary of this episode with all of the activities, song lyrics, ukulele chord charts and links to videos in our blog at www.welcometomusicpodcast.net
Closing
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