Reflective 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.

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.

Deo / Sing Together / Winter, Winter

Andy Duinker — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 17:10:53 +0000

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Deo / Sing Together / Winter, Winter

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide or the Donna & Andy band track for Deo / Sing Together / Winter, Winter.

Piano + melody guide

Donna & Andy band - instrumental track

Part of a Song Collection

Deo is one of 12 songs from the song collection "It's Christmas Time". 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.

Purchase print copy from Amazon

Stream and Purchase Audio Tracks

Stream or Purchase Deo (It's Christmas Time CD) from many streaming sites including:

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

The Donna & Andy CD: It's Christmas Time includes performance and instrumental tracks (20). Available for download or physical CD on this website.

Teacher Tips

To assist with successful presentation of the quickly moving lyrics in the B sections of this song, divide the ensemble into two parts. Sing bars 50-65 as call and response with one group singing the whole note “calls” and the remainder of the group singing the eighth-note responses.

Add body percussion

Include a clapping pattern/motion in the choruses to add visual interest to the performance.

NOTE: Donna has created a clapping pattern that works well with the song. Complete instructions for each lyric variation are included in the download.

Create your own clapping pattern/motion to enhance your performance.

Add scarves

Create visual excitement in your performance by adding scarves to your presentation.

Many vibrant colours add to the celebratory feel of the lyrics.
White scarves can be used to represent snow.

Create your own movement patterns.

When adding any type of “choreography”, create shape within the form of the piece

Begin the song without any movement
Add scarves or movement as the lyrics repeat to create momentum within the song.
Add scarves or other movement in the choruses or verses, but not both, to complement the contrasts between sections of the song.

Composer's Notes

Deo

A recurring theme in my composer’s notes is the fact that I would write a song because I needed repertoire for a school concert or other school event. This was the case for Deo, but there is also a back story that goes with this song.

As a young teacher putting together concert programs for my students, I enjoyed including an all-school finale for the ending of the concert. Particularly in schools with smaller populations, it was fun to have a large group of students singing together. At one point, I took a job at a larger school where I found out that Christmas concerts were historically long, drawn-out affairs. Because of this, parents were in the habit of leaving with their kids as soon as the class song had been sung. Here was the opportunity to use my all-school finale songs to their fullest advantage. In addition to having the great sound of all those combined voices, an all-school finale meant that all students were involved in the final song of the concert, so parents needed to stay!

Deo was written as the all-school finale for my first concert at this new school. I knew I needed something dramatic and worth waiting for. I also had to have something that was simple enough for the youngest students to sing while being musically interesting for the older students. The driving rhythm of Deo kept things exciting, the simple repetitive words in the opening chorus were easy to remember and more difficult words in the contrasting B section were handled by the older singers. In addition to these musical choices, I included simple hand clapping “choreography” which created visual interest and pizzazz.

The concert finale was a hit! Students loved singing Deo and the audience perceptibly gasped at the flashy ending of the song. That first Christmas concert finale became a tradition that I continued through my entire career – with new songs needing to be written in subsequent years, of course!

We recorded Deo on the Donna & Andy CD: It’s Christmas Time. We were delighted to be joined by a full choir and absolutely wonderful instrumentalists to create a smoking track for the recording. The instrumental track turned out to be a super accompaniment for use with young singers in schools.

The original Deo, with its more sacred lyrics, was included in the Christmas cantata I composed for my local church. This song has had quite a musical journey.

In subsequent years, as school concerts moved away from any reference to anything considered to be sacred, music teachers began asking me for lyric adaptations that were more generic. Those requests resulted in two variations for this song: Sing Together and Winter, Winter. In addition, the winter version of the song has a B section that is less busy lyrically and easier for younger singers, while still fitting with the original accompaniment. Deo has been around for a long time now and in a variety of forms!

You are invited

When you have enjoyed singing these songs with your students and choirs - 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 videos of Deo, Sing Together or Winter, Winter and perhaps we can post them here.

The post Deo / Sing Together / Winter, Winter appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Sing a Song of Peace

Andy Duinker — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:32:05 +0000

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Sing a Song of Peace

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Sing a Song of Peace.

Teaching Tips

Expressive singing

Sing expressively to present the theme of peace and the reflective mood of the song.

Discuss dynamics, facial expression, legato phrases and treatment of interval jumps that must be sung accurately without sticking out.

Score Study

Sing a Song of Peace is written in ABA form. Explore the score to determine where each section begins and ends.
Sing the melody line and/or the descant harmony line using solfege syllables and/or hand signs.
Discuss where the phrases begin and end. While singing, move one hand in an arc to represent the shape of the phrase that is being sung.

Adding harmony

There are two opportunities to add harmony, using instruments (handbells, hand chimes or Orff instruments such as metallophones) or by singing.

After the students are comfortable with the melody of the B Section, introduce the descant line by playing the line on the piano while all singers are singing the melody in unison.

Choose a few students to play or to sing the descant line. Keep it light and complimentary to the melody without being overpowering.

Composer's Notes

Sing a Song of Peace

I got an email from Joanna, my former job-share partner. In her current school she was starting a Grade 4-5 choir. The first rehearsal was approaching, and she wanted something fun and exciting to pique the interest of the students and get them enthused to join the choir. She also needed something for them to sing for Remembrance Day with a short window to prepare something. I was inspired to sit at the piano and write her a simple song with a focus on peace. I knew she had handchimes at her school and I also know that kids love to play them. What better way to inspire kids to join the choir than to give them a chance to get their hands on the handchimes. I also Included a short section with a simple descending harmony line for a nice taste of harmony that the students would easily be able to sing and it would come together and sound good quickly.

By the time I met with Joanna the next day, I had a song written with separate vocal parts and handbell scores ready for copying and distribution to her choir singers. It was fun to be writing for young elementary choir singers. Having a specific theme also helps narrow the creative process from endless possibilities to something far more manageable. After the initial writing for the elementary singers, I couldn’t resist creating an arrangement for choirs who are able to manage more two-part singing (and eliminating the niche of having handbells or handchimes). Once again, a simple song will end up with several arrangement variations so that music teachers and choir directors have options. It makes their musical lives less complicated and my composing life more complicated, but creating music is still a terrific way to pass the time!

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 Sing a Song of Peace and perhaps we can post it here.

The post Sing a Song of Peace appeared first on Donna & Andy.

We Are

Andy Duinker — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 12:32:07 +0000

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We Are

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio Sample

Listen to this grade 4-5 elementary choir performing We Are as you follow along with the lyrics.

Listen to this piano + band sample

as you follow along with the lyrics.

Rehearsal tips

Warm-up

Use the opening 16 bars of We Are as a warm-up exercise.

Have students sing a sustained note on the pitch A, using the syllable “ooh”.

Students should listen to the singers around them and match both the pitch as well as working on blending voices to create a unified sound.
Have students cup their hands behind their ears, creating “elephant ears”. This makes it easier for the singer to hear their own voice while still keeping their ears open to the voices around them.
Concentrate to stay on the “A” pitch while the piano chords shift tonalities against the sustained pitch. Sometimes the A will fit in the chord and sometimes the A will be dissonant. Lean into the dissonances and embrace the tone colour that is created.
Sing softly and create a shimmering, beautiful sound. There should not be any voices that stick out.
Use stagger breathing to create the illusion of a single, sustained note.

Expressive singing

The message of this song is one of hope, encouraging all of us to aspire to the best that we can be for ourselves and the world in which we live.

Use expressive singing techniques to emphasize the lyrics and present an expressive performance (i.e. dynamics, diction, facial expressions, emphasis on certain words, etc.)
The key change at bar 63 creates a natural contrast to the previous section. Use expressive singing to further emphasize this contrast.
The return to the original key in bar 79 is presented with a dynamic change to mezzo piano. Use this quiet dynamic to return to the shimmering quality created in the opening bars.
Use the increasing dynamic levels to build the intensity of the song until it reaches full strength in the final bars.

Composer's Notes

I have always been very vocal (no pun intended!) about my love of working with my elementary school choir. Choir rehearsal was my favourite day of the week. The joy of creating music with a large group of students, excited about singing, ready to take on challenges and sing “something fun, something difficult and something beautiful” filled my bucket!

I love developing the feeling of camaraderie and teamwork within the choir as well. Some choir members are students who excel and who have extraordinary abilities and skills. Other students struggle in many of their daily school subjects. When they all come together and sing, they become a unified team, leaning on each other for support with everyone sharing in the successes we enjoy as a singing ensemble.

It was with all these emotions swirling in my soul that I put pen to paper to create a “power anthem” for my choir to sing. I wanted them to sing for themselves all those big emotions and internalize the idea that they were strong, able to affect change and be a presence in the world. The result was “We Are” which they sang with heartfelt emotion and joy. I loved those kids and we all loved singing together. What a gift that is!

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!

Inspiration for We Are

Listen to the vocal warm-up (0:00 - 1:39) that inspired the opening bars of Donna's song, We Are

Send us your video of We Are and perhaps we can post it here.

The post We Are appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Thankful

Andy Duinker — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 01:42:43 +0000

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Thankful

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio Sample

Listen to this grade 4-5 elementary choir performing Thankful as you follow along with the vocal score.

Directors' notes

Thankful has been arranged as a three-part round. It is available as a 3-part treble arrangement and also as an SSATB arrangement. The melody is written with a range of B3-E5 in the treble clef and B1-E4 for bass clef singers. When the song is being sung as a round, it is suggested that each part be sung by mixed groups of singers (soprano/alto and tenor/bass) to create support for the outer ranges of the melody line.

The two arrangements (3-part treble and SSATB) are compatible and can be used for a massed choir performance. The only adjustment is the section of the music between bars 49-72 (Rehearsal letter B-C). In this section, the tenor/bass voices are highlighted in the SSATB arrangement. In the 3-part arrangement, a 2-part canon is written. For a massed choir performance, choose one group to highlight for this section (either tenor/bass voices or 2-part treble voices singing the 2-part round) and resume with all members singing at rehearsal letter C.

Thankful is written with the option to include handbells with the piano accompaniment.

When performing with handbells, they present the opening introduction of the melody. The melody is written in the piano score as well to add support. However, if the bells are secure in presenting the melody, the piano accompanist may either leave out the melody notes or play them lightly. If using the piano as the only accompanying instrument, the melody line is written in the piano part and it needs to be highlighted. It is possible to play the handbell part using a second piano if one is available. This provides more texture and depth to the accompaniment.

Composer's Notes

Andy and I were travelling from Nova Scotia, Canada to do a tour of Donna & Andy concerts in elementary schools in Ontario. As we drove, rural Nova Scotia and scenic ocean views had given way to the forested scenery (and hopes of catching sight of a moose) in New Brunswick. We had navigated the traffic in Montreal, which can be an adventure or a disaster depending on the time of day, and we were finally in Ontario. The 401 is a highway that is known for lots of lane changing as traffic weaves and flows and it is also known for the times when all 16 lanes come to a complete halt during peak travel times. For a country girl, the highway was overwhelming at times and as Andy drove I would sometimes cover my eyes and let him do his thing as he adeptly navigated the traffic. At one point suddenly to our left, I could see a large expanse of water. “It’s the ocean!” was my first thought, but it turned out to be Lake Ontario. Nonetheless, the sight of a large body of water sparkling in the sun beaming from a clear blue sky was a welcome sight to this Maritimer’s eyes.

The words that turned out to be the song Thankful sprang to my mind and I quickly grabbed a pen to write them down. They are very simple and they don’t rhyme, but they captured the moment completely. The melody also came at the same time and I jotted that down using my solfege training so I could write out the notes later.

When we returned home, I taught the song to my elementary school choir. I realized that we could layer the parts by singing it as a round. There are a few spots where the harmonies that are created are a bit dissonant, but they quickly pass and satisfying, comfortable harmonies appear – much like the welcome sight of sparkling water after dealing with the snarls of the highway.

Thankful is a thought, a feeling, and a reflection set to music. We have much for which to be thankful if we stop and take notice.

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 Thankful and perhaps we can post it here.

The post Thankful appeared first on Donna & Andy.

The Peace of Christmas

Andy Duinker — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:57:03 +0000

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The Peace of Christmas

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment + melody guide for The Peace of Christmas.

Arrangement details

Unison - Key of Eb

Download includes:

Vocal score
Lead sheet
Full score
Lyrics
Accompaniment track (piano only)
Accompaniment with melody guide
Bonus demo track – Treble unison choir (Singing in the key of F)

SSA - Key of G

Download includes:

Full score
Lead sheet
Lyrics
Accompaniment track (piano only)

SAB - Key of F

Download includes:

Full score
Lead sheet
Lyrics
Accompaniment track (piano only)
Bonus demo track – SAB Church Choir

Composer's Notes

I remember sitting in my elementary school music classroom writing this song. It was giving me trouble as I tried to fit my lyrics into 4/4 time. When I tried it in 3/4 meter, suddenly the words started falling into place.

Christmas can be such a magical time. People seem to be more willing to work on being loving and kind. We wish each other joy and peace and other wishes that are kind and generous. If only we could hold onto those feelings for the entire year!

My students sang this song as an all-school finale. It created goosebumps to hear over 400 young voices joining together in wishing everyone the “peace of Christmas”. Since that time, SSA and SAB arrangements have been created and, although the message seems simplistic, I think it is just as relevant for adults as it is for children. It would be my Christmas wish for all.

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 The Peace of Christmas and perhaps we can post it here.

The post The Peace of Christmas appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Star Above

Andy Duinker — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:20:25 +0000

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Star Above

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Star Above.

Part of a song collection

Star Above is one of 12 songs from the song collection "It's Christmas Time". 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.

Purchase print copy from Amazon

Stream and purchase audio Tracks

Stream or Purchase Star Above (It's Christmas Time CD) from many streaming sites including:

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

The It's Christmas Time CD (Donna & Andy performance and instrumental) tracks (20) are available for download or physical CD on this website.

Teacher Tips

Discussion

Use Star Above as a discussion starter.

Discuss the meaning of the lyrics.

Expressive singing

Breath energy will be needed to support the long phrases in Star Above.

Discuss the places in the music where it makes sense to take a breath. Look for commas and ends of sentences and phrases for natural breathing spots. Sometimes a breath will need to be added quickly to ensure the long phrases can be managed.

Use dynamics and sensitive endings and beginnings of phrases to create an expressive performance.

Two-part singing

When singing Star Above as a two-part arrangement, be sure the melody line is the stronger part when harmony is added.

In the partner song section, when the melodies of Star Above and Great Big Stars are sung together, balance both melodies equally.

Extensions

French

Star Above has been adapted into French (Étoile du ciel). Older singers may enjoy learning both the English and the French versions as a language study.

Handbells

Details are provided in the PDF download describing how to achieve a “shimmering star” effect using handbells or metallophones.

Composer's Notes

Star Above is a reflective and personal song. It is heartfelt and serious with a strong message, although simply stated. When I discovered the American spiritual Great Big Stars in a music text book, I decided to insert it into my original song as a contrasting section. My students sang this two-song combination as a unison piece. One year when I was looking for a Christmas song for my choir to sing, the qualities of peace, hope, love and joy that are referenced in Star Above seemed to be a good fit so we changed “great big stars” to “Christmas star” and it became part of our Christmas repertoire.

We (Donna & Andy) included Star Above in the concert repertoire for our duo. It became a favourite song for us to sing and we recorded it on our Donna & Andy CD: It’s Christmas Time. In arranging the song for our mixed voices we determined that Andy would sing the opening original melody and I would sing the Great Big Stars section. When we started adding harmony, I realized that Great Big Stars would fit as a partner song with my melody with a few minor adjustments. The two songs became even more intertwined.

Star Above had its early beginnings with my school choirs and then it was recorded as a Donna & Andy song. It has continued its journey in the musical world by being included in the Royal Conservatory Voice Series as one of its exam pieces. It has been sung in many exams, music festivals, voice lessons and school concerts since its humble beginnings.

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!

Star Above concert performance - starts at 6:30

French version - Étoile du ciel

Send us your video of Star Above and perhaps we can post it here.

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Garden Symphony

Andy Duinker — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 19:44:24 +0000

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Garden Symphony

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Garden Symphony.

Teacher Tips

Pre-Song Activity - Create a sound composition

Close your eyes and listen.

What sounds can you hear that are created by the things that are around you?
Are any of the sounds created by you?
Do any of the sounds sound like music to you?

Use sounds to make musical patterns. Use the sounds you heard when you were listening or create your own (e.g. tapping a pencil, clicking of computer keys, jingling earrings, etc.). Organizing sounds into patterns is making music!

Create a sound composition.

How will you write down the sounds you use in your composition? Pictures, words, symbols, etc. help you remember the sounds you are using so you can re-create your composition on another day, or give it to someone else to play.

Pre-song Discussion

Discuss sounds you might hear if you were outdoors.

Are those sounds music?
Do you have a favourite sound that you like to listen for when you are outdoors?

What are some things you might see if you were outdoors?

Are those things a symphony for the eyes?
Do you have a favourite flower, or something you enjoy seeing when you are outdoors?

Music Vocabulary

Read the lyrics of Garden Symphony to discover what the composer was hearing and seeing. Do you know what all those things sound like and look like?

Sing the song together.

A symphony is a large piece of music for an orchestra.

The word symphony can also mean a beautiful blend of sights or sounds.

What other words are used to label music? (e.g. melody, tune, song, concerto, duet, solo, concert, performance, recital, etc.)

What other words are used to label art? (e.g. painting, collage, drawing, mural, sculpture, etc.)

Create a poster, a word wall or a dictionary of music words and/or art words.

Expressive Singing

There are many descriptive words in Garden Symphony.

Use clear diction and expressive singing to make the story more interesting for your audience.

There are long phrases in Garden Symphony.

Decide where you are going to take a breath to create the best long and lyrical phrases possible.

Score Study

Garden Symphony is created using simple rhythmic elements. Because of this simplicity, it makes a great rhythm sight-reading exercise.

How many different rhythm elements are there in the song?

(Quarter note, eighth note, half note, dotted half note, quarter rest)

Clap or say the rhythm duration syllables that create the melody of this song.

Clap the rhythm in canon with another student or the teacher.
Create a simple ostinato using only 2 rhythm elements and divide the class with one group tapping the ostinato and one group clapping the rhythm.
Use instruments to play the rhythm and ostinato patterns.
- Is it better to have the ostinato louder or the rhythm of the lyrics louder? Try it both ways and make musical decisions about what you think works best.

Composer's Notes

Garden Symphony

Between 2020 - 2022 I had the opportunity to stay at home with no expectations that I needed to be anywhere or see anyone. This 2-year period provided me lots of time on my hands to be creative. I had time to sit and reflect, and time to sit at the piano and “noodle” and I wrote over 150 songs! Garden Symphony was one of the songs in this large influx of ideas and collection of songs. I was playing with a stream of consciousness as I thought about things that I hear in nature that create “music” if I only stop and listen for them. There are also things to see. Being forced to stop and take some time certainly turned into a productive period for me as a composer. It is a good idea to stop rushing around and being busy all the time. Garden Symphony is a little song with a big message!

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 performance video - we might be able to post it on this page!

Send us your video of Garden Symphony and perhaps we can post it here.

The post Garden Symphony appeared first on Donna & Andy.

We are the Children of the World

Andy Duinker — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:48:17 +0000

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We are the Children of the World

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for We are the Children of the World.

Part of a Song Collection

We are the Children of the World 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 singers, 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)

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.

Teaching Tips

Use We are the Children of the World with your choir, in your music classroom, with your small group vocal class, or as an all-school finale. Approaches will vary depending on the group with whom the song is being used.

Choir

Elementary school choirs often find part singing difficult. To assist with this process, teach all singers the melody throughout. Once the melody is well established, choose a select group of singers to sing the descant. NOTE: The accompaniment includes the descant melody that will be added, preparing students for the musical line that is sung in the second chorus.

If students are finding the lyrics a challenge, divide your singers into two groups and share the responsibility for learning alternating phrases. As you continue to rehearse the song, all students may feel comfortable to sing all the lyrics, but there will be a core group to anchor that section.

Speak the lyrics phrase by phrase with the teacher modeling the syncopated rhythms and students echoing by rote.

Sing the song phrase by phrase with the teacher modeling both the melody and rhythm and the students echoing by rote.

Find the syncopated rhythms in the music. Sometimes these are created with ties, sometimes there are dotted notes and sometimes there are eighth/quarter/eighth combinations. Find examples of each kind of syncopated rhythm and see where they are repeated.

Classroom or Vocal Studio

Use this song as a discussion starter when exploring character traits such as community, respect, empathy, acceptance, responsibility, etc.

Use discussion to make an emotional connection with the song.

Focus on / discuss specific lyrics:

“Every face is different, yet we are all the same.”

“We have the same hopes and fears and dreams for the future.”

How are students the same as other people they know? How are they different? We are all part of community and the world. Our differences make us unique and our similarities unite us.

“We are the children of the world.”

Does this include adults?

Comparing the age of the world with the age of the people who live here, even adults are children of the world. We all learn throughout our lives regardless of our age.

“We know the future’s in our hands.”

Is this just the responsibility of the adults? Of the children? Or all of us?

“Yesterday was yours, we have tomorrow, but in between we all must share today.”

We are all responsible for how we treat others and our planet.

Learning the Music

Teaching this song as part of an elementary music class may involve more rote learning versus trying to read the complicated syncopated rhythms. The melody and lyrics are created with natural flow that should be fairly easy for students to learn by rote.

The amount of lyrics may prove to be challenging to learn. Singers may be divided into groups to learn specific parts of each verse. This allows students a moment to be in the spotlight without expecting them to be responsible for all the lyrics.

23 Cross-curricular Activities

23 Cross-curricular activities are provided in the PDF download (Unison / optional 2-part version) extending the focus of this song to other subject areas including:

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

Colouring Page - download

Download (pdf), print and have fun colouring this page while you listen to the song We are the Children of the World. Enjoy!

Composer's Notes

We are the Children of the World

I cannot remember the initial inspiration for this song. I do remember the lyrics for the opening chorus came quickly and the “pop balled” style evolved as I wrote the piece. I also remember struggling with the chord progressions of the song. Every time I would finish a section, the key would seem to need to change. I really tried hard not to create this song with all the key changes, but the music “had its way” and the key changes became part of the song.

I wanted to create a song with a positive message for my students. Sharing the world peacefully, embracing our differences and celebrating the things that unite us were important concepts. I had young singers in my school choir who were starting to learn the skill of singing simple harmony parts and the descant line was added. I used the song as an all-school finale with over 400 students and the ending worked well with the “folding over” of the final phrases, again incorporating harmony that was simple and easily accessible.

Later, I created SATB choir harmonies to be added in a joint performance with treble choir. The depth of the harmonies provided by the adult singers was lovely as they supported the simple treble voices. Truly, we are all “children of the world” regardless of our age. Sharing the joy of making music across ages and generations is a fitting way to celebrate the fact that we are all “children of the world.”

You Are Invited

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

If you have a performance video - we might be able to post it on this page.

Thanks!

Song starts at 0:35

Send us your video of We are the Children of the World and perhaps we can post it here.

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