Episode 5 – The Christmas & Chanukah Concert – Part 2
Introduction
It’s so lovely that you can join us for the Welcome to Music Podcast. This is episode 5 and part 2 of ‘The Christmas and Chanukah Concert’. If you haven’t heard Part 1 yet, click HERE and have a listen as it will provide all of the context you need for this episode. In this episode we are featuring 3 more songs that reflect this theme.Please take note that we are not including any more Chanukah songs in this podcast but you can read about the history and other songs in our free weekly email newsletter – click HERE to subscribe. Chanukah, the Jewish festival of light goes for 8 days starting on the 8th of December this year.
Well, last night was the actual concert and we were blessed with perfect weather. There were hundreds of families strewn out across the oval on their picnic rugs and directors chairs with picnic food and esky in hand. They were facing a beautiful bricked in area that was slightly raised to make the perfect performance space.
Staff and students pitched in and helped to bring chairs, music stands, guitars, PA system with 2 mics, percussion instruments, a drum kit and various other instruments over from the hall and set it all up and then pack it up at the end. Some of the staff also helped to model the actions of the songs for the younger students whilst I played the guitar or djembe.
It was a fabulous evening as the kids all dressed up in festive gear and a team of compares (as I call them MCs) from grades 5 and 6 introduced each of the songs. I feel soooo proud of all the students who diligently rehearsed and then performed. They put their heart and soul into the songs, learnt the words and the actions and sang with vigour and joy. There were also some students who went above and beyond and took their recorders home or worked on the guitar chords or learnt the violin or clarinet parts – an amazing effort.
As I said in part 1, in preparing for this concert, my goals were to give the students an inclusive, successful, relevant, multi-modal and joyous experience and I believe that has been achieved. Here is an infographic to demonstrate the 7 benefits of being in a concert experience for kids. Of course, there are many more benefits too!
The Foundation (preppie) kids began with ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ (featured on episode 4 – part 1 of the Christmas and Chanukah Concert) and ‘Inanany’ – Aboriginal song.
The years 1 and 2 students sang ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ – with ‘echoes’ and actions (also featured on episode 4 – part 1 of the Christmas and Chanukah Concert) plus ‘Taba Naba’ – aboriginal song.
The years 3 and 4 students sang ‘Summer Wonderland’ and danced the Sasa from Tuvalu.
1.Summer Wonderland
This is the song I chose for the years 3 & 4. The kids really enjoyed this song as it had a great story and appeal particularly as it relates to our Aussie summer Christmas and is fun to create the actions. It also lends itself beautifully to instrumental accompaniment. The melody is fairly easy to play on recorders and other instruments that the kids may be learning such as flute, clarinet or violin. The chords are also easy to play for ukes, guitars or keyboards and the bass part can be easily played on xylophones, marimbas and Boomwhackers.
The original song is called ‘Winter Wonderland’ which is so appropriate for a winter Christmas in the northern hemisphere and both versions are sung by Ronan Keating from Boy Zone fame.
Activities can include:
Play the video with the scrolling lyrics
Active Listening and Discussion
- Create a different beat and body percussion ostinato for each section – Verse, 1, 2, 3 & 4 and middle.
- Transfer to movement around the room
- Discuss the words and the meaning of some of the lines
Actions
- Sing Verse 1 and create actions – possibly divide into small groups and come back and do a ‘show and tell’
- Create actions for all of the other sections
Play instruments
- Play the Bass Part
On xylophones, marimbas and/or Boomwhackers play C’s and G’s in all of the Verses on the beat changing when the chords change.
- Play the chords
On ukes, guitars and/or keyboards, play the C and G chords in the Verses and follow the chords in brackets.
- Play the melody
The melody in the Verses can be played on glockenspiels, xylophones, recorders and/or other instruments that the kids are learning such as flute, clarinet, violin etc.
Arrangement and Performance
Put together – sing with actions and add instrument accompaniments
Extensions
Play the bass part, chords and melody in the middle section - Chorus
Click here for YouTube video with scrolling lyrics
To access and download all of the music notation parts for the uke and guitar chords, bass part, recorder melody, clarinet and saxophone melody and piano score plus videos of Susie with students demonstrating actions and recorder parts, join our membership.
The years 5 and 6 students sang ‘Aussie Jingle Bells’ and ‘Pupu Hinu Hinu’.
2.Aussie Jingle Bells
This is the ‘Aussie Jingle Bells’ version and once again the words are so suitable for our hot Christmas summers here in Australia. The lyrics are humorous and definitely bring an uplifting and fun bent on a very popular song.
I have deliberately put this song in the key of C even though it's quite low to sing, as a main focus is to be able to play the Boomwhackers, recorders and ukuleles and have some fun as we approach Christmas.
Activities
- Sing the song accompanied by a body ostinato (repeated pattern) for the Verses and a different ostinato for the Choruses
- Play any notes from a C pentatonic scale on glockenspiels, chime bars or pitched bells over the words 'Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way'
- Transfer to Boomwhackers and divide into 3 groups - red (C), light green (F) and dark green (G). Hold up the relevant colours as everyone plays. Perform
Extensions
- Put the chords/notes on body such as C's in feet, F's on knees and G's as claps
- Transfer to singing solfa with hand signs - doh, fah and soh
- Transfer to marimbas, xylophones and/or ukuleles.
- Perform
Disclaimer
After some research, it seems that Jingle Bells was not expressly written for minstrel shows but it was used because it was a popular song then as it is now. You know your community, you make the decision to use it or not.
Video with scrolling lyrics
To access and download the music notation plus videos of Susie demonstrating Auslan key word signs and recorder parts, join our membership
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The choir (years 2-6 unauditioned choir) sang ‘Let’s Sing All Together’ and ‘Chanukah’ (also featured on episode 4 – part 1 of the Christmas and Chanukah Concert)
3.Let’s Sing All Together
‘Let’s Sing All Together’ is a 4-part round for 8 years plus about the joys of singing and making music that Phil and I wrote and recorded several years ago with the Young Voice of Melbourne Choir, directed by Mark O’Leary.
It’s a great song for your choirs where you can add instant harmonies through the 4-part round which makes it an impressive performance piece. We originally recorded this on ‘Bop in the Bath’ as a relaxation song for littlies and then later added it to the ‘The Power of You’ album which is a collection of uplifting and positive songs. More recently we added it as part of the Blackbelt Ukulele program and 2nd album as it makes a beautiful accompaniment using only C, F and G chords, particularly with finger picking.
Let’s Sing All Together
Part 1
Let’s sing all together, let’s sing right now
Let’s sing with beauty and strength
Part 2
Let’s raise up our voices, and sing right now
Let’s sing with beauty and strength
Part 3
Open your heart, open your soul
And sing, sing, sing
Part 4
Open your heart, open your soul
And sing, sing, sing
Activities
Listen and discuss
- Discuss the meaning of the song
- Create a different beat ostinato for each of the 4 parts whilst listening
Sing and play the Bass Line
- Sing a bass part accompanied by solfa and hand signs as you listen to the song - 2/4 C C | G G | C C | F F | C C | G G | F F | C C :|| C is do, F is Fa and G is So
- Learn how to read the chord chart
- Transfer this to bass instruments such as xylophones, marimbas and Boomwhackers
Say then sing the words
- Echo say then sing each line until known
- Sing in a 2-part then 4-part round
Play Ukulele (guitar or keyboard) Accompaniment
- Strum or finger pick
Perform
LINKS
Recorded on: ‘The Power of You’
Recorded on: ‘Blackbelt Ukulele 2’
Watch the YouTube lyric video
Find this song on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon – search for our names – Susie Davies-Splitter & Phil Splitter
So to recap….. I have shared 3 songs today from the Christmas Concert
1.Summer Wonderland
2.The Aussie Jingle Bells
3.Let’s Sing All Together
Last week for Part 1 was:
1.‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ with actions for our Foundation kids – 5-6 years
2.‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ – with ‘echoes’ and actions for the years 1&2 kids
3.‘Chanukah’ – a song about the Jewish festival of lights written by Phil and I for the choir to sing.
You can find all of the links to the songs and videos in the show notes and blog at www.welcometomusicpodcast.net
Closing
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