Seasons 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.

Fluffy Flakes of Snow

Andy Duinker — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:16:43 +0000

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Fluffy Flakes of Snow

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Fluffy Flakes of Snow.

Teaching Tips

Teaching Tips

Introduce the song

Have a discussion about activities the students enjoy doing when it snows.

Has anyone ever tried to catch a snowflake on their tongue?

Do they get together with friends to enjoy outdoor activities?

Expressive singing

This song tells a story about enjoying a snowy day with friends. Use dynamics, facial expression and clear diction to sing expressively as you present this story to your audience.

Syncopation

The melody has a syncopated feel to it because many phrases begin with a rest on beat one. Beat one is usually a stronger sounding beat and the rest shifts the accent to land on beat two. This shifting of the accent creates a syncopated feeling.

To practice this syncopation, clap or stamp on beat one to create the space of the rest. Once you are comfortable with how it feels to start the phrases on beat two, leave out the clap or stamp.

Score study

Study the score to find the following elements and discuss how they work in the song:

Swing the eighths
Rests on beat one
First and second endings
Accidentals
Additional Score Markings

The PDF download includes information about these musical elements.

Composer's Notes

Fluffy Flakes of Snow

I was driving to my mom’s house, an hour away from where I live. I was thinking it would be nice to have a new winter song for the lower elementary grades to sing so I was trying to think of a simple song as I was driving. Being in a vehicle with the monotony of the tire noise is a good time to block out the world and think about song ideas. However, this particular day everything I tried out for ideas seemed too contrived or too uninteresting and I arrived at my destination without any new songs to show for my efforts.

The next morning when I got up, I was humming to myself and this perky little tune was what “came out”. I grabbed paper and a pen and jotted down the tune and the words for the first line, “Lots of flakes of snow are falling.” I discussed my new song with Andy (as I often do) and we bounced a few lyric ideas around to find alternate words to describe the flakes of snow. We settled on “fluffy flakes” because the alliterations are such fun to sing! Although my original intention was a song for the youngest elementary students, this song is really a grade 2-3 level or higher, but when a song is being delivered by the muse, one does not quibble about such details!

I added the second “verse” lyrics as we were editing the score to be uploaded and published. I was wondering how to explain to the singers the reasoning behind singing exactly the same words twice, so by adding one small change, I had a reason for that repeat. It won’t be hard for the singers to learn one additional line and they will have a two-verse song.

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 Fluffy Flakes of Snow and perhaps we can post it here.

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Umbrellas

Andy Duinker — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:46:08 +0000

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Umbrellas

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

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

Teacher Tips

Introducing the song

Discus:

who likes to play in the rain, in puddles, or to walk with an umbrella in the rain?
Who has an umbrella, a raincoat or rain boots? How do these things add to the enjoyment of being outside in the rain?
Who looks forward to a rainy day?

Expressive singing

Read the lyrics aloud. Decide which words need to be accentuated to sing expressively and convey the sentiment of the song.

Score study

Using the printed music, read and/or clap the rhythm.
Find bars/phrases that use the same melodic pattern. The overall form of the song is ABAC.
Follow the printed music as the teacher sings the song. Can you see the notes ascending, descending and repeating?
Use your hand to show the shape of the ascending, descending and repeated notes of the song as the teacher sings. Can students sing the song and show the shape of the note movement at the same time? (Hint: wait to try this until the song is well internalized.)
There is an accidental added in this song. Discuss how the accidental affects the notes in bar 9.

Performance suggestions

Adding an umbrella as a prop is a lovely way to add visual interest to a performance. Bring the open umbrella to the stage and then place it next to the singer(s). The umbrella adds colour but the singer is free to concentrate on the performance. Include Umbrellas in a weather-themed concert presentation.

Additional weather-related songs by Donna Rhodenizer:

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs

Five Little Snowflakes

I’d Rather Be a Bear

Sing an Umbrella warm-up

An umbrella warm-up exercise (with a printable student worksheet) is included.

Download and print this student worksheet separately.

Composer's Notes

Umbrellas

I was asked to write a song for young singers. The melody needed to be simple, both rhythmically and melodically and I could choose any topic I wished. Sometimes having a wide-open set of options can be daunting! However, I know that when my grandchildren visit me, they love to go outside with an umbrella and enjoy the rainy day. I crafted my song while thinking about how lovely rain is when the right gear is available. I like walking in the rain with an umbrella, and adding a pair of rubber boots means there are also puddles to explore. (Boots and puddles are included in a different rainy day song!) I enjoy the smell of rain as it waters the plants in my garden. I also like the sound of rain on the roof of my house. All in all, umbrellas, raincoats and rubber boots mean that a rainy day can be enjoyed as an exciting adventure.

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

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

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Penguin Parade

Andy Duinker — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:42:49 +0000

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Penguin Parade

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Penguin Parade

Part of a Song Collection

Penguin Parade 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

Here 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.

15 cross-curricular activities

15 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,
Language arts
Physical Activity
Social studies
Science
Technology

Teacher Tips

Exploring vocabulary

Read the lyrics aloud and discuss any unfamiliar words.

Do all students know what a belly flop is?
What is a metronome? This may require some online searching as many metronomes are now digital. Metronomes used to be wound with a key and had a moving pendulum that would swing side to side keeping the beat. A penguin would resemble this “old fashioned” type of metronome.

Expressive singing

Discuss the descriptive words to accent to create an expressive performance.
Use crisp consonants and clear diction to tell the story with expression.
Add facial expressions to complement the words. Be aware that too many movements can be distracting!

Add Actions

Suggested actions are provided in the PDF download.

Include a dance

Include a penguin dance during the instrumental 2^nd “verse” of the song.

Use the actions you created when you were singing the song. Don’t sing the words, just do the actions. This uses the skill of inner hearing.
Create your own unique dance during the instrumental section.

Have a parade

This marching song is a perfect time to practice some marching, and keeping the beat with your feet!

Actions suggested by the composer

Bars 9-14

- keep your feet stationary, but move your body side to side to simulate a waddling penguin

Where will they go?

- hands out to the sides, palms facing up and shrug the shoulders

With a funny hop

- after singing the word “hop” actually hop in your spot Stop - as you sing the word “Stop” hold both hands up like the sign for “Stop”

Jump into the water

- move both hands forward and away from the body in an arc showing the trajectory of a diving penguin

With a belly flop

- hold one hand at waist level, palm facing up. Move the other hand in a large arc while singing “with a belly” and on the word “flop” the hands connect in a flat clap

After swimming is over

- make swimming motions

Everybody goes home

- wave goodbye

Bars 29-32

- repeat the waddling motions used in the opening bars

Colouring Page - Download

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

Composer's Notes

Penguin Parade

I wrote four penguin songs for a teacher at my school who wanted to add some music to a penguin unit she was doing with her students. I didn’t have any songs to offer her but I agreed to write her some. She had a poem about penguins going on parade and she gave me a copy in case it would be useful for my writing. I wrote a little melody to go along with the poem and the students had fun learning it as part of their penguin unit. Later, I wanted to include Penguin Parade in a printed collection of my songs (Computer Cat). Finding it difficult to track down the authors of the poem, I decided it would be easier to write my own lyrics. I already had the melody I had created so I added my new lyrics and then it was easy to include the song in my collection with the other three penguin songs I had written. The penguin set includes a march, a waltz, a country line dance and jaunty “boom chick” style song. It was so much fun to write this collection of songs. Just like the penguins in The Penguin Ball, I was rather sad to come to the end of my penguin song-writing fun. For now, four penguin songs will have to be enough, but you never know, there just might be another penguin song in my future!

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 Penguin Parade and perhaps we can post it here.

The post Penguin Parade appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Tobogganing

Andy Duinker — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 20:18:00 +0000

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Tobogganing

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

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

Teaching Tips

Songs for young singers often have a simple structure, but the elements may be explored with your students to help build a strong musical foundation.

“Tone painting” or “word painting” is a technique that uses the music to literally reflect the topic of the lyrics.

Explore the descending, stepwise movement at the beginning of each phrase.
Discuss how the melody line and lyrics work together to tell the story of sliding down a snowy hill.
Move your hand to create a visual representation of the falling and rising melody line.
Can you show how the first phrase descends in small four note groups with small “raised bumps” along the way?
Find the interval of a 4th at the end of the second phrase. Listen how this upward interval supports the idea of children flying off the toboggan (verse 1- take a mighty spill) and the idea of the hill (verse 2).
The final phrase returns to the top of the scale, just like returning to the top of the hill.

Sing using solfege names

For a challenge, sing the entire song using solfege names.

Create a winter theme

Include Tobogganing as part of a winter theme.
Sing other songs about snow, snowflakes, building snowmen, or snow activities.

Donna Rhodenizer repertoire suggestions for ages 9 and under include:

Five Little Snowflakes

I’m Gonna Build a Snowman

Four Snow Friends

The Penguin Ball

Pondering Penguins

Jiggle Wiggle Freeze (this isn’t about snow, but with “freeze” in the title it works to include it!)

Explore winter vocabulary

In addition to toboggans, what other sliding devices can be used to slide down a hill? (e.g. inner tubes, skis, etc. ….)
In some parts of the US a toboggan is the name they use for a hat!
Do you know any other names for winter hats?

Did you know?

The word “toboggan” likely originates from the word for sled by the Mi’kmaq (tobâkun) and/or Abenaki (udābāgan). French Canadians adopted the word in the early 1800s, but spelled it “tabaganne.”

Canadian Icons: Stories & Treasures https://www.canadianicons.ca/pages/the-toboggan

Composer's Notes

Tobogganing

As a child, I loved tobogganing with my siblings and a bunch of the next-door neighbours. I would have been one of the smaller kids on the hill, so I wouldn't be allowed on the back of the toboggan (the very important steering location). I seem to recall I might have been stuffed under the curl of the toboggan at the front, probably because I was small enough to fit in there! We had a long 6-8 foot, wooden toboggan so there was room for a LOT of us. We lived on a farm and directly behind our house was a big hill which was used as pasture land in the summer. In the winter it was a snowy, treeless playground. Trudging back up the hill was not as much fun, but the thrill of the ride down was worth it! Singing about tobogganing brings back lots of great winter memories.

You Are Invited

You are invited to send us your performance of Tobogganing

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!

Donna (red coat with pointy hat) plus two siblings and two next door neighbours heading out for some snow fun. (One more of my older sisters and a few of the bigger next-door neighbours are not in the picture. They must have already headed over to the hill!)

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

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Five Little Snowflakes

Andy Duinker — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 18:17:08 +0000

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Five Little Snowflakes

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Five Little Snowflakes

Teaching Tips

Add actions to the performance of this song. It helps young singers remember the words they are supposed to sing and it also is a nice visual addition to the performance.

For a colourful addition to the song, have each child use a scarf to show what the snow is doing. Repeat the action for each of the repetitions i.e., falling on the ground, falling on the ground, falling on the ground.

The snow falling - move the scarf in a downward motion
Dancing in the wind - move the scarf in circles and dance-like movements
Landing on the ground - hold the scarf in a line between the two hands, like the horizontal plane of the ground. Move both hands side to side while keeping the scarf tight between the hands. Option 2: Holding the scarf in one hand, move the scarf from eye level down to touch on the opposite hand which is held out flat at waist level
Melting in the sun - Shield your eyes from the sun and move the scarf in a downward motion
Go back in the sky - move scarf in an upward direction

Decide on a final scarf movement

Gently toss the scarf and let it slowly flutter to the ground wherever it lands (a pretty effect)
Create a “pose” and freeze. Include the scarf however you wish.
Shrug and hold scarf out to one side with the empty hand held out to the other side.
Ask the students what they would like to do!

Using five different colours of scarves, add a new colour with each verse until all five are involved. The down side of this option is that those who have a scarf that is introduced in verse 4 or 5 must wait for their verse to be sung (the waiting is tough!) and then they only get to add their scarf for a very brief verse. This option might be useful as an alternate way to use the scarves in a classroom setting where students have the option to be included in different verses over several repetitions of the song.

For a non-winter option, use the alternate lyrics: Five Shiny Stars provided with the download.

Composer's Notes

Five Little Snowflakes

I created the lyrics for Five Little Snowflakes using the tune of a rain song that my students already knew. This worked well for my youngest students who were hardly ready for a concert after only a few months of music class. However, I was required to put them on stage to perform, so I wanted a simple song that I knew they would do well. They loved using simple actions to show the snow gently falling, dancing in the wind and melting in the sun. We finished off the whole snow cycle by returning the snowflakes to the sky, presumably to refreeze and fall as snowflakes on another day. As often happens, someone heard my version of this song and wanted a copy to use with their students. Although it was a good way to create a song quickly for my students, it also complicates things to use someone else’s music with my lyrics when it comes to sharing the song with others. I was reticent to give them the music, which was not my own tune, so I decided to write a simple tune of my own. Now I can happily share my song with whomever I wish! I probably should have just done that in the first place. Better late than never, I guess!

P.S. I was asked for a star song. The simple form of Five Little Snowflakes was pressed into service yet again and alternate lyrics were crafted to create the song Five Shiny Stars. Now there are TWO options for young singers. Music teachers are always searching for simple songs, so I am happy to have this double-option song to offer!

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 Five Little Snowflakes and perhaps we can post it here.

The post Five Little Snowflakes appeared first on Donna & Andy.

Dark Night Sky

Andy Duinker — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:12:17 +0000

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Dark Night Sky

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

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

Teaching Tips

Sing Dark Night Sky as a simple minor melody.

Have students add rhythmic ostinati as they sing.

Have students add a melodic ostinato to create some simple harmony.

Add both melodic and rhythmic ostinati but add them one at a time to build the texture of the song with each repetition.

Start the song in unison, adding ostinati and then sing the song as a round, adding harmonies to the ostinati foundation that has been created.

Create your own rhythmic and/or melodic ostinati.

Discuss minor tonality.

Sing the song expressively, adding dynamics and articulation.

Composer's Notes

Dark Night Sky

I enjoy teaching my students songs in minor keys. I have always enjoyed inviting my students to sing Ghost of John as a round, creating lovely harmonies as the parts are added. I started creating multiple textures by having my students add melodic and rhythmic ostinati as we sang. I thought we would spend one or two classes on the process, but it became very complex and we continued adding more and more elements. When we have spent four classes on our “soundscape” we still have more things we wanted to explore. However, the song was timed to coincide with Halloween and the time had arrived and then gone by. I decided to write non-seasonal lyrics to use with the melody of Ghost of John. I created the lyrics for Dark Night Sky and now I have a song I can use at any time of year. I no longer feel pressured to rush the students’ creative engagement based on the calendar date. Sometimes needing a piece of music for a specific purpose is a quick way to inspire composer to compose!

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October Night

Andy Duinker — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:36:46 +0000

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October Night

by Donna Rhodenizer

Audio & Lyrics

Teaching Tips

Add the dynamics and tempo changes indicated in the score to create an expressive performance.

When the dynamic is quiet, sing with crisp, clear consonants so the words are very clear, even though they are being sung softly.

Have the student decide if there are any other words in the song that they wish to accent or sing in any special way to increase the expressiveness of the performance.

The original lyrics of the song describe elements found in the dark, October night. If a student wishes to use the song with a Halloween theme, have them sing the alternate lyrics provided.

The legato “ooh” section of the song has two “ooh” syllables. Can the student sing all four bars in one breath for an even more legato presentation?

Composer's Notes

October Night

Thinking about crisp, fall evenings conjures up thoughts of the mysteriousness that seems to descend when the trees have shed their leaves and we see only bare branches, with the full moon creating dancing shadows. Add in a few flitting bats and the haunting sound of owl hoots, and an October night is a delight for the senses. We often introduce songs in minor keys with legato “ooh” phrases in connection with Halloween. However, I don’t think we need to limit ourselves to a season to enjoy these elements. I like to use (and compose) songs that have multiple uses and that are as versatile as possible. October Night was written as a fall song without narrowing its use to be “about” Halloween. Versatility is very important in a society where there are complex combinations of people who may or may not have shared traditions. Adding optional lyrics means that those who wish to sing about Halloween may do so, and those who want to sing a beautiful song with a minor melody may add this to their fall repertoire, or any time of the year!

You Are invited

You are invited to send us your performance of October Night

Maybe your video will be featured here on this page.

Send us your video of October Night and perhaps we can post it here.

The post October Night appeared first on Donna & Andy.