Age 8 and under Archives - Donna & Andy

Winter Concert Songs for Children – Vol. 1 – Grades K-1 (ages 5-7)

Andy Duinker — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 19:31:12 +0000

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Winter Concert Songs - Vol. 1

Grades K-1 (ages 5-7)

by Donna Rhodenizer

Composer - music and lyrics details

Music and lyrics - Donna Rhodenizer

Five Little Snowflakes / Five Shiny Stars
Jiggle Wiggle Freeze!
See My Little Candle / See the Snowflakes Falling

Traditional music - Donna Rhodenizer lyrics

Winter A to Z

Traditional words and music - arrangement Donna Rhodenizer

Jingle Bells Scarf Activity

Option - purchase songs separately

Print copies Available on Amazon

Print copies are available on Amazon.

Go to Donna's Amazon Author Page to purchase your print copy.

Also, click the "Follow" button to get notified when additional new books become available.

Teaching Tips

In this book, Donna explores topics that must be considered by music teachers planning concerts for singers in Kindergarten – grade 1, ages 5-7

Factors to keep in mind when choosing music
Ways to keep a concert program interesting without over burdening young children with excessive amounts of lyrics
Choosing Repertoire
Dealing with small voices in large performance spaces
Non-singers

Composer's Notes

Winter Concert Songs for Children - Vol.1 - Grades K-1 (age 5-7)

Each song in this collection has its own story of how it came to be written and when it was first used. Overall, this collection is a result of many years of presenting concert programs with my elementary school students. I LOVE planning concerts that are fun for the children to sing and enjoyable for family and friends who attend the performance. Over the years I have needed songs for my youngest students to sing. By writing my own songs I have ensured that they meet the very specific set of criteria that I feel is required to make them worth singing and that help ensure their success. It was fun to put some of these songs together in a collection that I know will help music teachers with their concert planning process. There is no need to reinvent the wheel! I am happy to share these songs and imagine all the smiling faces as kids sing them and make musical memories of their own.

You Are Invited

When you have enjoyed singing these winter songs with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!

Please send us your performance videos - we might be able to post them on this page!

Winter Concert Songs - Vol. 1 - Grades K-1 (age 5-7)

Five Little Snowflakes

Jiggle Wiggle Freeze

Jingle Bells - scarf activity

See My Little Candle

Winter A to Z

Send us your videos of these Winter Concert Songs and perhaps we can post them here.

The post Winter Concert Songs for Children – Vol. 1 – Grades K-1 (ages 5-7) appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Jingle Bells – Scarf Activity

Andy Duinker — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:10:02 +0000

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Jingle Bells - Scarf Activity

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the vocal score as you listen to the accompaniment for Jingle Bells.

Teaching Tips

Teaching Tips

Add Scarves and Movement

Scarves are a great addition to this performance. They look great, they are easy for students to handle, and scarves don’t make noise when they are dropped! Scarves are often available as part of regular music classroom or vocal studio “equipment” or the physical education teacher may also have some on hand. An alternative is to use cloth or paper streamers.

Movement and scarf suggestions are included in the download.

ABA form

Use body percussion in the choruses and add scarves to the verses to create visual differences in the A and B sections of the song.

Combine Classes

With kindergarten students or young singers ages 5-7 it is recommended that classes be combined to create a larger group of singers for concert performances. This helps foster confidence (safety in numbers) and even if some students are not comfortable singing, the performance still can be successful. Including singing and physical elements to the song means that both singing and non-singing students are included in the performance. In addition, young voices are not strong at this age and being able to create enough volume to project the sound in a large performing space can be an issue. With more singers, there is a better chance of being heard without asking the children to “sing louder”, something that is to be avoided!

French Language Options

The limited lyrics involved in this performance (partial chorus only) make this song accessible for early French immersion students. A French vocal score is included in the download. In a vocal studio, use the song as a language study, alternating choruses in English and French.

Jingle All the Way!

Include jingle bells in your performance.

Use only a few sets of jingle bells so the jingling doesn’t overpower the singing voices.

Composer's Notes

Jingle Bells - Scarf Activity

I enjoyed using this scarf activity with my students multiple times during my 35 years as an elementary music specialist. It has been a great addition to many concerts when the option of singing a song was totally beyond the ability of my young students. I am excited that it fits in seasonal and non-seasonal concerts, the students love performing it, and audiences love seeing it. Win-win-win!

You're Invited

When you have enjoyed singing this song with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!

Send us your video of Jingle Bells - Scarf Activity and perhaps we can post it here.

The post Jingle Bells – Scarf Activity appeared first on Donna & Andy.

See My Little Candle / See the Snowflakes Falling

Andy Duinker — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 01:49:23 +0000

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See My Little Candle

See the Snowflakes Falling

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for See my Little Candle / See the Snowflakes Falling

Teaching Tips

Teaching Tips

Introduce the song

Connect with the students to engage them in the topic of the song. This can be done by asking them questions that relate to the song that also resonate with something in their daily lives.

Expressive singing

Discuss ways to sing expressively.

Sing with a gentle sound
Sing smoothly, connecting the notes and creating legato phrases
Have students move their hand to trace the shape of the rising and falling melody line. Use a fluid and smooth motion – mirroring the legato phrases that are being sung.
Use clear diction to present the story being told

Concert Presentation

Add small, battery-operated candles to create an effective visual element for the performance of See My Little Candle.

Add snowflakes for a visual element for the performance of See the Snowflakes Falling.

Music Elements

Discuss ABA form.

This song has the same lyrics sung in the opening and closing sections of the piece (A sections) and the 8-bar instrumental break creates the B section within the ABA form.

Look around the classroom or vocal studio for ABA patterns such as window, door, window or chair, music stand, chair, etc.

Can students think of other physical examples of ABA form?

Composer's Notes

See my Little Candle / See the Snowflakes Falling

I was thinking about school Christmas concerts. This is not an unusual activity for me, considering my career as an elementary music teacher. What was unusual is the fact that I was doing this thinking six years after I had retired! This thought process was tweaked after a conversation I had with a teaching colleague about their upcoming December concert season. We talked specifically about songs for the “Littles” that are such an important part of every school concert.

The next morning I was lying in bed, enjoying comfy, warm blankets and a bit of cool air coming in from an open window. I started thinking about snow and the first lines of the song came to my mind. The tune arrived at the same time as the lyrics “See the snowflakes falling, drifting down like a comfy blanket covering the ground.” This thought was enough to inspire me to grab a pen and paper (always kept nearby for just an occasion) and I jotted down my idea using solfege and simple rhythm notation. I have used these tools for a LONG time!

When I got up, I started working on crafting the song. I knew I wanted it to be simple and easy for children to sing who were new to school and perhaps heading into their first school concert. I created four lines of poetry that worked for me, adjusted the melody and, within a short time, I had a new song.

Andy and I had been working on updating a resource list of winter and Christmas songs I have written. Many schools have gone to winter concerts and my song list reflects this shift with many of my songs written on the topic of snow. I thought that my gentle melody was also quite suited to a candle theme and that might be a nice change from snow, so I set about writing alternate candle lyrics. It was a marketing decision to publish this song as “See My Little Candle” with the alternate lyrics being “See the Snowflakes Falling”. The candle title might help the song stick out more rather than it getting lost in a blizzard of snow songs, and either version works for Littles to sing.

This song has a simple melody, but it has a nice feel to it. I think the plaintive, innocent quality of the song makes it a lovely addition to repertoire for young singers – whether they are singing about candles or snow. It makes me (almost) wish I had a school Christmas concert to plan and present with a bunch of kids!

You're Invited

When you have enjoyed singing this song with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!

Send us your video of See My Little Candle or See the Snowflakes Falling

and perhaps we can post it here.

The post See My Little Candle / See the Snowflakes Falling appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Regardez la neige

Andy Duinker — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:35:44 +0000

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Regardez la neige

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Regardez la neige.

Teaching Tips

The PDF download includes these teaching tips with more details.

Introduce the song

Initiate a discussion about snow.

Ask the students questions about snow to connect the song content with familiar experiences. Be prepared for lots of stories!

French language/vocabulary exploration

Identify and explain any unfamiliar vocabulary.

The teacher should model the pronunciation by singing the song and adding actions to assist students’ understanding of what the story is about.

Sing the song several times and have students listen for specific words. Asking them to raise their hand every time they hear a specific word helps them focus and listen carefully.

Add actions

Add actions to the words “qui tombe, tombe, tombe.”

Actions help students remember the lyrics and keep them “on track.”

Reviewing the song

Help students practice the words by including activities that can seem like a game.

Can any student remember the first words of the song?
Show the students the actions for one of the verses and ask if anyone knows which verse of the song is being presented.
Sing the song for the students and stop in specific spots and ask the students to provide the next word in the song.

Concert performance

Include Regardez la neige in a concert or recital.

Add a few costume items such as a scarf or mittens.

Include the actions learned in the music classroom or vocal studio to help young singers remember the lyrics for each verse. Actions also add visual interest for the audience.

Composer's Notes

Regardez la neige

I taught elementary music in a school that offered a French immersion program in addition to the regular English classes. Half of the classes I taught (from Kindergarten to grade 6) were French immersion students. I conducted my classes in English, but for concerts I would always try to include songs that were either a mix of French and English or totally in French. It was always a challenge to find French songs that were musically at the right level for my students and without overly difficult lyrics for both them and for me. We had a few songs that worked for the older students but finding songs for young singers who are also in the first year of French immersion was a tough task.

I started writing simple French songs for my Kindergarten to grade 2 students. It was a pretty good fit with their French skills and vocabulary being similar to mine. We both needed lots of repetitious words and easy vocabulary. Simple actions helped to keep us on track. When I started publishing my songs, I would get requests from anglophone music teachers with teaching assignments requiring French songs for immersion students for concert performances. I was glad to share my simple French songs with my teaching colleagues.

When I retired, I thought I had pretty much finished writing French songs. With all the song ideas I had rolling around in my head and written down in notebooks, I didn’t need to look for any new challenges by writing in French. However, as often happens, someone asked me for a simple French song and she had already sung ALL of the French songs I had to offer. So with that request and a reason to write, I pulled out a piece of paper and started jotting down some simple ideas. The result was Regardez la neige. It was a bit strange for me to write this without trying it out in my own classroom, but the teacher for whom I wrote it and other teaching colleagues have helped with the “workshopping” to hone this song so it could take its place in school concerts and vocal studios using French repertoire for their young singers.

You Are Invited

You are invited to send us your performance of Regardez la neige.

Maybe your video will be featured here on this page.

When you have enjoyed practicing and performing this song with your students - please drop by again and leave a review on this page. Thanks!

Send us your video of Regardez la neige and perhaps we can post it here.

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4 Turkey Songs and Games

Andy Duinker — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 16:07:34 +0000

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4 Turkey Songs and Games

arranged by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

The download for 4 Turkey Songs and Games includes the vocal scores and audio accompaniment tracks as well. However, I'm sorry you don't have any sample tracks to listen to here at this time.

Teacher Tips

Why are singing games important?

Singing games are a foundational part of elementary music classroom activities. Singing games have a variety of purposes:

Provide the opportunity for students to learn through play-based learning. This is one of their primary, inherent learning methods.
Prepare music elements that will be identified and presented in later classes (sometimes in the next school year!).
Provide examples of music elements to be identified and labelled.
Review and practice music elements that have been labelled.
Provide students the opportunity to make physical responses, assisting in internalizing the concepts in the song.
Provide physical movement “brain breaks” within a lesson.

A well-planned music class will include one or two singing games. Use a singing game early in the lesson to prepare concepts. Close to the end of a class, a singing game can be used to review something the students already know and to practice those elements in a fun, musical context. In a music class that requires concentration and focus, a fun singing game is a great way for students to relax.

Singing games are best used unaccompanied. This allows students to hear vocal modelling from the teacher without obscuring pitches with an instrument. Singing games include the expectation that students are singing. Unaccompanied singing allows them to hear their own voices as they learn to make vocal changes and match pitch/sing in tune with others.

Composer's Notes

4 Turkey Songs and Games

I didn’t compose these four turkey songs but as soon as I discovered them, they became favourite seasonal songs I enjoyed sharing with my students leading up to Thanksgiving. Although it is great to be a composer and write what I want to sing with my students, finding great songs written by someone else is also a great way to go. Each turkey song in my collection serves a different purpose in the music classroom: a sing-along song, a simple finger play, an action song, and a game that is always a great end-of-class activity.

I grew up on a family farm, but my farming background did not include any experience with turkeys. My visit to a local farm was very informative and the turkeys had a few tricks to play on me! I am glad my students are not inclined to wander off when I am explaining a game. I am also happy that my students are MUCH better at participating in the turkey songs that I use in my music classroom.

You are Invited

When you have enjoyed singing these songs and doing the activities with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!

Please send us your performing video - we might be able to post it on this page!

Send us your video of 4 Turkey Songs and perhaps we can post it here.

The post 4 Turkey Songs and Games appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Ed the Invisible Dragon – Illustrated Children’s Book

Andy Duinker — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 15:49:57 +0000

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Ed the Invisible Dragon

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the song as you read Ed the Invisible Dragon.

Stream and Purchase Audio Tracks / CD

Stream or Purchase Ed the Invisible Dragon from many streaming sites including: Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora, Deezer ...etc.

"Ed" is also available on the Donna & Andy CD Dinosaurs, Dragons and Me

Also:

Do an online search and find Ed the Invisible Dragon all over the internet.

Colouring Page - download

Download (pdf), print and have fun colouring this page while you listen to the song Ed the Invisible Dragon.

Author/Composer's Notes

Ed the Invisible Dragon

Ed was inspired by my three boys who seemed to think that the Lego blocks left scattered about on the floor could not have possibly been left there by them. My response was to imagine that some invisible house guest must be making all the messes. Ed, the invisible dragon was the result.

The first children to sing this song were my students at Gaspereau Valley Elementary School in Nova Scotia, Canada. Some of those students went with me to a recording studio where we recorded a cassette that included Ed, the Invisible Dragon plus several other songs I had written. I created a printed book to go with the cassette and made it available to music teachers and other interested folks. This foray into publicly presenting my songs was exuberantly embraced by my mother, who loves to sell things. I think she single-handedly sold most of the first run of those books and cassettes. In any case, Ed and the other songs in that collection started to become well known within music education circles. Over 40 years later, Ed is still going strong. He has travelled to almost every continent, being sung by elementary school children and vocal studio singers in countries around the world. He has worked his way into music festivals, Royal Conservatory vocal exams, school concerts and vocal studio recitals.

Ed was one of the very first songs I sang with Andy Duinker and Wendy LaPierre as a trio performing music for children. As we went on to establish a career as the singing duo, Donna & Andy, Ed has been with us every step of the way. The song Ed the Invisible Dragon has been enthusiastically received by school children at Donna & Andy concerts for the past 30 years.

From early on, we thought Ed would make a great illustrated children’s book. It was a dream that took a long time to come true. We started working with artist, Matth Cupido who painted the covers for all our book and CD covers. We had many philosophical discussions about Ed’s invisibility. Is he invisible, but a solid being? Is he invisible and like a ghost that doesn’t take up any physical space? Is he real at all, or only to the child in the song? There was much we didn’t know how to answer about Ed. Matth’s first renditions of Ed included him wearing a hat. Matth asked us if Ed had hair. We didn’t really know. We were at the mercy of the paint brush!

Sadly, Matth passed away before we had time to work on the illustrated book for Ed, the Invisible Dragon. We had to put our illustrated book plans on hold for several years. Eventually, we were delighted to find out that Richard Bennett, a music teacher colleague of mine, was also an artist. Being retired, he had some time on his hands, and he agreed to try his hand at creating art for our book. We had great fun revisiting the philosophical points we had discussed with Matth. We still didn’t have all the answers! We threw ideas at Richard and he sent us sketches and drafts of wonderful artistic ideas. Richard was a good sport to take on the task of creating an illustrated picture book featuring an invisible dragon. All the pictures cannot be of the dragon hiding behind different objects. At some point, that dragon has to come out from behind the tree and be seen by someone! It took almost four years to bring this project to completion, and for a while, it seemed like Ed might stay hidden away forever. However, we are excited that Ed is finally ready to take this new form to be shared with the world.

Ed, the Invisible Dragon, the illustrated children’s book, is now ready to take its place on the shelf along with earlier iterations: a cassette, a CD, a printed music book, and a single song digital download. I can’t wait to see where he will show up next!

"Ed for Education"

Free Download

You are invited to download the complete Ed the Invisible Dragon music package including 19 cross-curricular activities FREE when you use coupon code EDFOREDUCATION or edforeducation at checkout. (does not include illustrated book)

Free Download includes:

Vocal score
Director/piano score
Lyrics
Accompaniment – with melody guide
Accompaniment – piano
Donna & Andy band – instrumental track
Donna & Andy – performance track
Ed For Education – 19 Cross-curricular Activities in various subject areas including Fine Arts: music, visual art, and drama, Physical Activity, Science and Technology

Enjoy!

Part of a Song Collection

The song Ed the Invisible Dragon is one of 12 songs from the Juno-nominated song collection "Dinosaurs, Dragons and Me" Donna Rhodenizer has written these songs using a variety of styles including lullaby/tango, bluegrass, blues and pop in a variety of skill levels for singers from ages 5-12+.

Learn more about this fun collection for elementary-aged kids, choirs and solo vocal students. The 122-page song book provides the vocal score, full score and separate lyrics pages for 12 songs. Enjoy!

Please note: audio tracks for the e-book version are sold separately. Print copies of the book include CD (24 tracks)

The print book (Dinosaurs, Dragons and Me - song collection - without CD) is also available on Amazon

Performance videos

Ed the Invisible Dragon has been performed by thousands of young vocal students and elementary school students around the world.

You can see performance videos further down this page. Enjoy!

Also available on Amazon

Print copies are also available on Amazon.

Also, go to Donna's Amazon Author Page and click the "Follow" button to get notified when additional new books become available.

You Are Invited

Please drop by again and leave a Review of Ed the Invisible Dragon on this page. Thanks!

"Ed" is on this CD

Ed the Invisible Dragon - music performances

Here are a few of many performances of "Ed".

Enjoy!

The post Ed the Invisible Dragon – Illustrated Children’s Book appeared first on Donna & Andy.

4 Penguin Songs

Andy Duinker — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 17:41:22 +0000

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Four Penguin Songs

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for these Four Penguin Songs

I Wonder

Penguin Parade

Pondering Penguins

The Penguin Ball

Part of a Song Collection

These Four Penguin Songs are included in the award-winning song collection "Computer Cat" (total of 12 songs). Donna Rhodenizer has written these songs in a variety of styles and skill levels for singers from ages 5-12+.

Learn more about this fun collection for elementary-aged kids, choirs and solo vocal students. The 93-page book provides the vocal score, full score and separate lyrics pages for 12 songs. Enjoy!

Please note: audio tracks for the e-book version are sold separately. Print copies of the book include CD (24 tracks)

I only want one Penguin song - can i do that?

You can purchase each Penguin song separately.

Save 25% when you purchase all Four Penguin Songs together.

Stream and purchase Audio tracks

Stream or Purchase the Four Penguin Songs from many streaming sites including:

Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora, Deezer.

The Computer Cat CD (Donna & Andy performance and instrumental) tracks (24) is available for download or purchase physical CD on this website.

53 cross-curricular activities

53 Cross-curricular activities are provided in the PDF download (divided over 4 penguin songs) extending the focus of these songs to other subject areas including:

Fine arts: music, visual art, dance, drama,
Language arts
Math
Social studies
Science
Technology

Teacher Tips

Teaching tips are provided with each individual song. See the teaching tips when you visit each penguin song webpage.

Save 25% when you purchase all Four Penguin Songs together.

Colouring Pages - Free Download

Download (pdf), print and have fun colouring these Penguins as you li sten to the Four Penguin Songs. Enjoy!

Composer's Notes

Four Penguin Songs

I wrote my collection of penguin songs as a result of a request made by a classroom teacher at my school. She was doing a penguin unit with her students and she asked me for a penguin song. I didn’t know any, so I wrote my own! When her students came to my music class they told me lots of penguin facts to give me ideas for my songs. I discovered that penguins are amazing creatures. The conditions in which they live and the way they survive, live, and raise their babies are all fascinating. With all the facts I found out, I ended up writing four penguin songs.

Some of the songs rely on the facts that the students told me, but other songs in the set dive into the world of imagination with penguins checking their closets for clothing options, attending the ”penguin ball” for some romantic moonlit dancing on the beach, or having a parade in the snow. All in all, I had a grand time writing these four songs and the students enjoyed singing them. After almost three decades, I am happy to report my penguin songs are still being sung and enjoyed by young singers (and their audiences) around the world!

You are Invited

When you have enjoyed singing these Four Penguin Songs, and doing the activities with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!

Please send us your performing videos - we might be able to post them on this page!

See more penguin song videos on these pages.

Save 25% when you purchase all Four Penguin Songs together.

Send us your videos of 4 Penguin Songs and perhaps we can post them here.

The post 4 Penguin Songs appeared first on Donna & Andy.

I Wonder

Andy Duinker — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 20:16:07 +0000

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I Wonder

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for I Wonder

Part of a Song Collection

I Wonder is one of 12 songs from the award-winning song collection "Computer Cat". Donna Rhodenizer has written these songs in a variety of styles and skill levels for singers from ages 5-12+.

Learn more about this fun collection for elementary-aged kids, choirs and solo vocal students. The 93-page book provides the vocal score, full score and separate lyrics pages for 12 songs. Enjoy!

Please note: audio tracks for the e-book version are sold separately. Print copies of the book include CD (24 tracks)

MORE Penguin Songs

There are 3 more penguin songs for fun singing in your home school, classroom, vocal studio or choir.

Purchase all Four Penguin Songs together and save 25%

Stream and purchase Audio tracks

Stream or Purchase from many streaming sites including:

Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora, Deezer.

The Computer Cat CD (Donna & Andy performance and instrumental) tracks (24) are available for download or physical CD on this website.

Teacher Tips

Introductory discussion

Discuss penguin facts that the students know.
Research additional information about penguins.

Expressive singing

Emphasize key words by using clear, crisp consonants.
For dramatic contrast, speak the line “I’m wearing red tonight.” Choose the emotion you wish to convey: excitement, rebellion, decisiveness, musing, etc.

Add actions

Listen to the performance track and do the following actions for the words listed.
I wonder - index finger to side of head (thinking)
never - shake head or finger side to side, like saying no
suit coat - show where a fancy lapel would be
eater - pretend to eat
shirtfront - put hand flat on chest
won’t see - shake head no and point to eyes
apron - move flat hand down the front of your chest
chest - flat hand on chest
best - thumbs up sign
tired - droop the shoulders and drop the head a bit
“I’m wearing red tonight” - hands on hips and nod head
choice - hands out to the sides, shrug your shoulders
white and black - right hand first, then left hand out to each side
black and white - left hand first, then right hand out to each side
again - fold arms across chest
The actions listed above are included in the PDF download.

Vocal exploration

There are many kinds of voices: talking, singing, whispering, shouting, etc.

In I Wonder, the line “I’m wearing red tonight,” may be spoken.

How well do you know the voices of the people in your class?

Use a recording device.

Have all the students say their names.
Record their voices.
Listen to the recording.

Change the order of the students.

Have each student say, “Hello, how are you?” and record it.
Play the recording for the class and see if the speaker can be identified.

Have each child say something with a disguised voice.

Can the person still be identified?

Have each child sing something (something simple like Rain, rain go away).

Students should use their best singing voice.
The voice should not be disguised.
Can the person be identified from his or her singing voice?

Explore Cross Curricular Activities

A package of 13 cross-curricular activities has been created for use with the song, I Wonder. Additional activities are included with each of Donna’s other penguin songs: Penguin Parade, Pondering Penguins and The Penguin Ball.

Share the cross-curricular activities with classroom teachers so they can tie into the music their students have learned in the music room.

13 cross-curricular activities

13 Cross-curricular activities are provided in the PDF download extending the focus of this song to other subject areas including:

Fine arts: music, visual art, drama, dance
Language arts
Science
Technology

Colouring Page - Download

Download (pdf), print and have fun colouring this page while you listen to the song I Wonder.

Composer's Notes

I Wonder

This is one of four penguin songs I have written. I was asked by a teacher at my school if I had any penguin songs she could include as part of a penguin unit she was doing with her students. I didn’t have anything to offer her, so when her students came to music class and started telling me everything they knew about penguins, I used that information to write them some songs.

I Wonder explores the limited wardrobe options of a penguin. They always look like they are dressed up in a fancy suit. I think they look quite grand, but I wonder if they ever get tired of wearing the same thing day after day! I imagined a penguin standing at the open door of the closet looking at all those black and white shirts and black suits. I was amused as I wondered what would happen if he decided he wanted to be different and wear something red for a change? I had fun imagining the penguin in this song and writing the lyrics for I Wonder.

You are Invited

When you have enjoyed singing this song and doing the activities with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!

Please send us your performing video - we might be able to post it on this page!

Send us your video of I Wonder and perhaps we can post it here.

The post I Wonder appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Celebrate Diwali

Andy Duinker — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 19:37:21 +0000

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Celebrate Diwali

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Celebrate Diwali.

Background Information

See background information for the song Celebrate Diwali

Teaching Tips

Discussion

Discuss with students the traditions they observe for holidays or special occasions.

Are there any unique activities or traditions observed by the student’s family?

What are the student’s favourite parts of these traditions?

Invite students who celebrate Diwali to share some of the activities that are meaningful to them that are connected with this important part of their culture.

Read aloud the lyrics of Celebrate Diwali

Discuss the four activities that are presented in the lyrics (one per verse).
Do any of the students take part in these same kinds of activities even if they celebrate a different holiday that is not Diwali?

Add instruments

Add instruments to the performance of Celebrate Diwali.

Choose an instrument to play every time you sing the word celebrate.

Use a triangle, finger cymbal, vibraslap or other similar instrument.

Choose another word in the song. Add a different instrument to be played on this word.

Play the different instruments on one selected word per verse, or use a combination of all the different instruments playing all of the selected words. Make a musical decision regarding how you will add the instruments to your performance.

Is it too busy to include all the instruments in every verse?
What words do you want to accent by adding an instrument?

Be sure that the instruments do not detract from the most important part of the song – the singing!

Performance suggestion

Add scarves to the performance for visual interest.

Have students wave their scarves every time they sing, “Celebrate Diwali”.

Two scarf options:

For the final verse have students gently throw their scarves into the air and let them fall to the ground (without interfering with their descent!) to simulate the fireworks.
Divide the class into three groups. Have one group throw their scarves the first time “fireworks” is sung. The second group will wait until the second time “fireworks” is sung. The third group will throw their scarves on the final beat of the song.

The voice of experience when dealing with falling scarves. This works best if all students know that they are NOT to impede the falling scarves, and to let them lie where they fall. At the end of the song, a designated scarf collector can quickly manage the scattered scarves more safely than to have a scrambling group of children trying to accomplish that task!

Composer's Notes

Celebrate Diwali

I love celebrating holidays with my family. As a child, I have many memories that include large family gatherings, laughter, lots of food and great fun. Although each culture celebrates different events, be they religious, cultural or based on heritage, every culture shares this bond of gathering with loved ones to share meaningful traditions.

I was asked to assist with the creation of a concert program that represented a combination of celebrations and traditional observances across a variety of cultures. The songs I ended up creating are in no way to be deemed as “cultural” offerings. Rather they are a stepping stone providing context and some of the elements that are included in those cultural activities. The simple song I composed for Diwali was to provide an opportunity for young singers to sing about this celebration, learn more about it and present that information to an audience. Hopefully it will allow children to showcase their familiar traditions presented in the concert in which they are singing. It may even spark discussion about the songs that are sung in the homes and as part of true Diwali celebrations. I consider it a privilege to be part of the ongoing building of community offered to all of us through music.

You are Invited

When you have enjoyed singing this song with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!

Please send us your performance video - we might be able to post it on this page!

Send us your video of Celebrate Diwali and perhaps we can post it here.

The post Celebrate Diwali appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Ramadan is Coming

Andy Duinker — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 20:56:02 +0000

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Ramadan is Coming

by Donna Rhodenizer

Background Information

See background information for the song Ramadan is Coming

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Ramadan is Coming.

Teaching Tips

Discussion

Discuss with your students the traditions they observe for holidays or special occasions.

Are there any unique activities or traditions observed by a student’s family?

What are the students’ favourite parts of these traditions?

Invite students who observe Ramadan to share some of the activities that are meaningful to them that are connected with this important part of their culture.

Read aloud the lyrics of Ramadan is Coming

Find the three Ramadan activities highlighted in the song (one each in verses 1-3).
Discuss each of these activities and their impact on the people who are taking part in the activity, and also how this affects those around them.

Score Study (for students in grades 2-3, ages 7-9)

The melody of Ramadan is Coming is composed using familiar tone sets.
Sing the first bars of the song using solfege names for the notes.

How many times is that tone set repeated to create the verse of the song?

The final phrase of the verse begins the same way as the opening phrase. However, look for the difference in the ending of the phrase.

Sing the entire song with solfege names and using hand signs.

Add Instruments

Add instruments to the performance of Ramadan is Coming.

Play on the first beat of each phrase.

Use a triangle, finger cymbal or pitched instrument such as a handbell (playing a D sounds good with the chord structure) and let the sound ring until it naturally fades away.

Use a different instrument for each of the first three verses and then combine all the instruments for verse 4 as it repeats the lyrics from verse 1.

Create a concert that presents a cultural mosaic

Research the various cultures and observances / holidays that are represented by students in your school or vocal studio.

Invite family members of your students to contribute songs and culturally significant traditions or tenets that are part of their observances.

Include narrations that give a brief but meaningful explanation of each of the cultural observances associated with the songs being sung to give context to the performance.

A cultural mosaic concert can also be used to introduce students to other traditions and cultures with which they may not be familiar. In our present-day climate of instant access to a variety of cultures through online avenues, learning about other cultures can be informative and bridge building.

Performance suggestion

Include battery-operated lights to the performance of Ramadan is Coming.

Two options:

Lights are turned on and held high for verses 1 & 4 and hidden for verses 2 & 3.
Turn on a few lights for each verse, cumulatively adding lights until all are lit for the final verse.

Composer's Notes

I spent some time with music teacher, Carolyn Duerkson brainstorming ideas for a multi-cultural concert music presentation for her school. Carolyn’s student population is diverse and she wanted to create a concert that was meaningful for students from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. As we discussed song options, it became evident that there were “gaps” in the repertoire available for cultures represented by her students. Particularly difficult was finding meaningful songs for the youngest students in the school while also addressing their need for simple lyrics and simple melodies to ensure a positive performance outcome.

Ramadan is Coming was created using notes Carolyn compiled in consultation with a fellow staff member with cultural experience with Ramadan. She passed on her notes to me and we determined the grade level for which the song was intended. I take seriously Carolyn’s trust in me to craft words into a song for her inclusive concert program. I consider it a privilege to use my composing skills to fill a need that benefits young singers in their school concert.

You Are Invited

When you have enjoyed singing this song with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!

Please send us your performance video - we might be able to post it on this page!

Send us your video of Ramadan is Coming and perhaps we can post it here.

The post Ramadan is Coming appeared first on Donna & Andy.