Discussion

Use Hanukkah, Hanukkah as a discussion starter.

Read aloud the lyrics and explore the vocabulary:

• Menorah
• Dreidel
• Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin

For context and to add some fun, bring a dreidel to class and let students try playing this Hanukkah game.

Add instruments

Add unpitched percussion instruments to augment the feel of the strong, percussive accompaniment.

• A sections:  Add a steady stepping/stamping beat on beats 1 and 3 and add a tambourine strike on beats 2 and 4. Players must listen carefully to the accompaniment in the final A section when the accelerando affects the speed of the song.
• B sections:  Create a contrasting percussion addition. Continue using the tambourine, but shake it every time the word “dreidel” is sung. The jingling of the tambourine will be a different and contrasting sound compared to the percussive strike used in the A section.  
• Add a vibraslap every time the word spin or spinning is sung.

Invite students to explore different instruments and combinations to accompany the song. Encourage them to make musical decisions to create their own unique accompaniment.

Add Visual Interest

Add colourful scarves or ribbons to the performance.

Choose two different scarf movements to coordinate with the A and B sections of the song.

When adding instruments or visual elements to a performance, it is a good time to discuss with students how to use sound/no sound and movement/no movement combinations to create a musically interesting performance. Encourage them to include variety when adding rhythmic or visual elements: change the rhythmic pattern or movement for different phrases or sections, add elements to only selected sections, vary the instruments that are used, etc. Think of it like adding spice to a recipe – a little goes a long way!

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: 

1. 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.
2. 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!

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:

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