Hanukkah, Hanukkah
$7.00 – $15.00
Enjoy this song about the celebration of Hanukkah. The song begins with a slow A section about lighting the menorah and celebrating Hanukkah. The B section switches to a quicker tempo and has lyrics describing children playing with a dreidel. The A and B sections alternate one more time until a final repeated A section concludes the song with an exciting accelerando.
Students enjoy the shift in tempo that also accompanies a change from a minor tonality to a major tonality. Even if minor tonalities have not been identified and labelled yet, the melody of the song is still simple enough to be accessible for young singers. The vocal range is written to easily accommodate students in grades 1-3 or ages 9 and under. Hanukkah, Hanukkah is short in length with many repeated lyrics making it an exciting song to sing without overloading students with lyrics.
Hanukkah, Hanukkah works well in a school concert or a studio recital focusing on different faith celebrations and traditions that are familiar to your students. The song can also be used for discussion and to introduce a few facts about Hanukkah to those who are unfamiliar with the celebration.
Listen to melody + accompaniment:
Download Includes:
- Vocal score
- Lead sheet
- Director/piano score
- Lyrics
- Accompaniment – with melody guide
- Accompaniment – piano
- Teaching Tips
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Hanukkah, Hanukkah
See background information for the song Hanukkah, Hanukkah
Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Hanukkah, Hanukkah.
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!
I was working with a teacher to create a school concert program with a multi-cultural focus. The teacher wanted songs to address a variety of holiday observances and traditions of students in her school. I had great fun doing online research and using information provided to me from the school and I learned a lot! I ended up writing four new songs which were sent off to the music teacher to use in the concert.
Hanukkah, Hanukkah is one of the songs I wrote during the process of working on the multi-cultural concert repertoire. It mentions two of the most common symbols associated with this holiday, the menorah and the dreidel. Working on this song brought back a memory of playing a game of Dreidel with my students. A Jewish colleague on staff at my school explained how the game was played and provided enough dreidels for an entire class to play in small groups. I remember that the two best things to land on are “Nun” which means you don’t have to do anything (a position of safety) or “Gimel” which means you win ALL the items contributed to the winner’s pot throughout the game to that point. It created much excitement in music class that day!
When you have enjoyed singing this song with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!
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| License | Single User License, Classroom / Studio License, Treble Choir License |
|---|---|
| Context | |
| Topic | Celebrations, Community, Family, Holidays, Hanukkah, Heritage / Culture |
| Level | |
| Vocal Range | C4 – Db5 |
| Voicing | |
| Duration | |
| Composer | Donna Rhodenizer |
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