Tongue Twisters

Seven Sassy Sailors

Tongue Twister

      Includes - print music, audio tracks, tongue-twister warm-up, and printable blog post.

Music at Home

by Donna Rhodenizer

Strategies to Help Parents and Grandparent

of Young Children to encourage Singing at Home

Singing is an Important Part of Children’s Music Education.

It is also an inherent part of their everyday lives. The three year old child playing with her toys is just as likely to sing as to talk as part of her play. The words don’t matter and the tune may never be sung the same way twice, but it is a form of self-expression and it often comes from a place of deep contentment. Children playing together on the playground will naturally incorporate the singsong chant “na na na na na” that can be found in every culture in the world. These three tones (so, mi and la) are so natural and so prevalent that they form the basis for the beginning teaching songs used in the Kodaly method and other teaching music methods in music classrooms around the world.

Singing is used in Play,

 it expresses joy, it soothes and brings comfort and it is interwoven throughout our days from childhood and into our senior years.

In my elementary music classroom, songs are an integral part of almost every activity. We sing songs of greeting, we use songs in singing games, we use songs to extract teaching concepts, we sing songs that help us learn about cultures and historical events, we sing silly songs and we sing for the sheer joy of singing.

It is important to find opportunities to continue singing, and in particular, to support our young singers at home. Toddlers and young children playing at home will continue to sing as a natural part of their play. 

Singing at home is a wonderful opportunity for our young singers. The adults at home may not feel comfortable “leading” a singing activity. They will need support to do this. Songs need to be in the correct range for a young voice. Choosing songs that have appropriate lyrics is also an important factor. What songs should they sing? Where will they find these songs?

As a music educator for over 35 years and as a recording and a performing artist for over 25 years, to sing with children is a natural part of what I do. I also compose original music and many of these songs are rooted in the world of a child. Imaginary characters from my songs have become part of the family as my children and my grandchildren have grown up singing my songs. We sing lustily in the van when driving together. We have our own concerts and dance parties and celebrate the joy of music in our home.

Because I have a career as a performer and a recording artist, I am able to share my music with others who may find it less comfortable to sing with children. Recordings are a way to provide access to music that parents can learn along with their children, and enjoy a shared musical experience. Parents may be able to sing along, but they are not the sole support for their young singers. Everyone can learn together and enjoy the experience.

Parents and grandparents who want to continue to give their children opportunities to sing still need to decide what to play and where to find it.  As the duo Donna & Andy, we offer the option of our award-winning CDs. It is easier than ever for parents and grandparents to access our music and provide a top-quality musical experience for young singers at home. With digital downloads or streaming, music can be accessed by youngsters on their own personal devices or shared with the entire family.

We invite you to see samples of our print music as well. We are proud to offer you award-winning music that we know is great music for you and your family to experience together. 

Children are often sophisticated listeners and they deserve music that has musical depth and authenticity. They may be singing simple melodies, but if they are singing along with a high-quality recording, the experience will be far more satisfying. You will not have to wonder about the quality of the music we are offering to you and your family. Our music is composed and recorded utilizing key elements that are crucial for a superior product. My years as an elementary music education specialist, my own musical training in orchestral and choral music and my years of experience as a composer are all foundational parts of the music I write and create for children. It is one of my passions to advocate for top-quality music experiences for children. When seeking out children’s music, often the search will take you to music that is, quite frankly, poorly composed and not well crafted. “It’s good enough for kids’” is a statement that irritates me. Children deserve rich and authentic music experiences. They deserve to hear a variety of styles, proper vocal technique (which they won’t even notice is happening if it is done correctly) and be able to sing along.

How do parents and grandparents with little or no music background search out the best music for their children?

When looking for music I strongly recommend that the following four key elements be present:

1. A good singing range for young voices

so they can sing along. The notes of the tune should be in a lighter, higher range than the range most of us will find comfortable as adults. This range is from middle C (C4) to D5 (nine notes higher than middle C). The tune of the song needs to lie within this range of notes. There may be a few notes on either side of the range, but those outlier notes should be infrequent. As adults we often gravitate to music that is in a lower range, which is more comfortable for our developed vocal cords, but difficult for a young developing voice. Remember, the goal is to provide the opportunity to sing along! Children with unchanged voices will sing well with a female soprano voice. Male singers in the tenor (or baritone) range (higher male voices, as opposed to bass singers) sing notes that are 8 tones lower than the child’s unchanged voice. The child is able to sing 8 notes higher, in their comfortable range and this is certainly good for singing along.

2. Age-appropriate lyrics.

If you think the lyrics aren’t really important, think for a moment of all the things that we teach our children using music – the alphabet being the best example. What we sing over and over again becomes internalized. Studies have been done with Alzheimer patients who are still able to remember words to songs and who can sing, even when they have lost the ability to speak. Choose songs wisely, keeping in mind they may be the last thing your child will remember later in life. (No pressure there!)

Search out songs that stimulate the imagination with lyrics that are not trite. Children’s music can be rich in expressive text, imagination and exploring their world. Children can learn how to express their feelings, understand the world around them and have fun through the music they learn to sing. Repetition may be good for quickly learning a song, but too many repetitious words will quickly drive you to find the off button. There are good songs “out there” (not just ours, although we think we are offering you a superior musical option) so don’t settle for something just because it is labelled as a “song for children”.  Be as discerning about choosing good music as you are about finding good literature and stimulating creative activities for your youngsters.

3.  Music can help develop your child’s vocabulary.

It can also introduce them to words you may not want them to weave into their conversations. Personally, I don’t want to use music with my students or my own children if the lyrics contain words that I will need to work at banishing when I take the kids to visit their grandmother.

4. Good Music Quality.

This varies with personal taste, but a good general rule is to choose music that does not cause you, as the parent or grandparent, to run for ear plugs. Songs for children will involve repetition and may have childish topics (adults will really not need the reinforcement of learning the days of the week, or how to wash your hands) but the music and the vocal delivery of the lyrics should be the best quality you can find, even if the subject matter is child-centered.

When choosing music for your children, if you also enjoy the musical presentation, it will make sharing music together as a family a more enjoyable thing to do.

I have spent years studying and training to become a music education specialist and then enjoyed 35+ years singing and creating music with children. I also played violin in an orchestra for many years and have been part of numerous choirs as a young child and into adulthood. These experiences are valuable assets as I compose and record music for children. I create music that I am confident meets the highest standards.

Performing and recording as the duo Donna & Andy, we sing almost all our own original material. The thousands of concerts we have performed and the hundreds of thousands of children who listen to and sing our music are a testament to the music we create for children. Donna & Andy songs are not the only children’s music options available to you. There are many other artists who sing and perform for kids.  When you are choosing music for your children to sing, you can be confident that choosing music that Donna Rhodenizer/Donna & Andy have written or recorded will be appropriate for your child. When the music is good quality, the adults can also enjoy the experience. You are even invited to sing along!

Parents and grandparents will find music that is just downright fun to sing with the children in your homes. Music teachers will find songs that are great for use in classrooms and private vocal studios. We (Donna & Andy) are ready and able to help support families who want to sing at home. We can provide the music and we can provide the vocal support. Music is our passion, our career and our joy. We are excited to share our music with you!

Nova Scotia Music Educators' Association (NSMEA)

Conference Reflections

Our MEA Conference was always there to help fill the last spot in the concert program with a new song or idea. Seasoned music teachers know that the fall season involves many performing expectations.

Young teachers in their first year in the music classroom may realize with some anxiety that they are expected to put on a dazzling display of musical achievement early in December. 

There is also the issue of which of the four Meghans you teach is in grade 3 and to try once and for all to get it right when writing down the name of Cody or Colby or was that Cordell?  Also, by the time Christmas concert rolls around you have done an entire set of report cards and a parent teacher interview session. (Oh, the horrors of meeting Meghan’s parents face to face and not being able to remember which Meghan she is, or even if you remember her at all!)

Choosing repertoire is difficult when you are not sure if that is the class that can actually sing, or if a choreographed scarf number might work better for this year. I have always said to my students that they were in the “sweet spot” with regards to concert performances. If they did well, parents would comment on how well the children did. If they did poorly, the commentary would turn to the incompetence of the music teacher in being able to teach them. Nonetheless, planning for Christmas concert must be done and our Music Educators' Association Conference was a valuable part of finding material to use in that highlight event of the school year.

Our conference had much more lasting effects than concert program repertoire. It was a time to attend sessions that provided teaching strategies and lesson plan ideas. It was a lifeline for me as a young, first-year music teacher holding a curriculum guide in one hand and trying to sift and sort through a bookcase of music resources that were left behind by the previous teacher. I well remember the day I had the epiphany that I didn’t need to use every song in every book on that shelf and that I could pick and choose only the best ones to use with my students. Then all I had to do was to go through all of those books and choose the best songs. It was a daunting task and there was no one else in the building to ask or to use as a sounding board when making decisions for my music classes.

from seasoned teachers with many years of teaching experience. Those who were ahead could reach back and encourage those who were struggling. Advice was given for everything and anything;  from handling the administration to handling the students, repertoire that always worked and what to avoid, how to deal with that one child who always….. and how to deal with parents. Unsure of where to send your alto xylophone for repair? Someone would happily supply that information. What kind of paint stays on the floor when creating a circle in the classroom? What to do about a horrible carpet? What kind of chairs, or no chairs at all? 

Someone was always there to give support, opinions and advice. Finally we were in a room full of other professionals who understood the day-to-day challenges of multiple classes, seeing large numbers of students every day, lesson plannning for 5 different grade levels with few planning periods (if any) in the day, opening the door to usher out one class while greeting the next, and trying to be just as pleasant and enthusiastic for class #7 as we were at the beginning of the day. The bottom line was that conference provided the support of our community, our musical family, our “peeps”.

New teachers often ask the same kinds of questions I did as a beginning teacher. They also have a lot more things to juggle and balance in today’s teaching climate so it is a good chance for those of us who are older to also ask questions and be supported by the younger generation!

Our MEA Conference in the early days was a three-day event. Things began on Thursday evening and ended on Saturday at noon. Conference planners made sure we had reading sessions (Thursday evening), meaningful session options all day Friday, concerts or social events to attend in the evening on Friday, and one final session and some shopping time on Saturday before winding things up at noon. It was almost a vacation to be away in a hotel for two nights and to spend the days with others who were, or at least, understood, that mysterious person called a “music teacher.” Thursday evening was a special part of the conference as we would meet and greet friends and colleagues. First year teachers would catch up with classmates that they had not seen since graduating in the spring. More seasoned teachers enjoyed meeting friends and colleagues from many years of conferences. Another part of Thursday evenings at conference included reading sessions for choral, band and string players. This was a chance to sing through samples of music that might make it into my own music programs, choirs and concerts. Even if the music were not suitable for our own teaching situations, it was a highlight to be able to experience the sound of singing in a room full of musicians. It was a joy to sing SATB songs with all parts being covered and sung well and SSA songs with soaring descants that actually soared when not dependent on our (my) alto vocal offerings.

Thursday evening also provided the opportunity to get started on the shopping. In the early years conference offered an entire gym of vendors: publishers, music stores and vendors of all things music teachers would hope and dream of owning. I remember at least three or four music publishers with tables loaded down with printed music for every imaginable choral configuration. There would be a similar number of vendors for band music as well. It was a challenge to sift through all that music in the allotted “shopping times” or during breaks in the conference session schedule. These days (2020) there are fewer publishers even creating printed music and online offerings are so prevalent that the big publishers don’t make their way to visit Nova Scotia for a one-day conference. It is a loss for all of us on both sides of that equation.

In addition to printed music, teachers could purchase classroom instruments, risers, music novelties, band and orchestra instruments, method books, and all manner of music materials. If you were fortunate, you had money in hand from a benevolent administrator, or, better yet, you had your own music program budget. If you stayed through to Saturday there were often great deals to be had from vendors who didn’t want to pack up the materials they had brought and would offer discounts on those items. More than one xylophone has gone home at a discounted price as a result of those Saturday sales.

NSMEA conferences gave me a forum for presenting my music to “my people” first and gaining the experience and confidence to take it further afield. Conference was (and is) an important part of my music career as a teacher and as a composer.

In the early days, music teachers were one of only a few associations who chose to spread conference activities over three days. These days, our music conference has been reduced to a one-day event. For those with busy schedules this is probably easier to manage. However, we are missing out on a lot of fun things that we were able to experience when we were part of a three-day event. I remain grateful for all the things I was able to learn as a student, as a young teacher and as a seasoned teacher through the opportunities provided by my NSMEA.