Lynn Kleiner's Music Box
Early Childhood Holiday Concert
I have many requests for assistance with holiday shows from my own teaching staff, from preschools and elementary schools, as well as Music Rhapsody and Music Box members. Last week, one of our school's director had a request. “Lynn, can you help us plan a holiday program that is from our Music Rhapsody curriculum? We love the weekly activities your teacher has introduced from the lesson plans. We want the parents to see what the children do in their music classes.” For me, this is An Early Childhood Holiday Concert DREAM COME TRUE! Let’s not just get in the new school year lesson groove and then shut it all down to work on nothing but holiday songs (often the songs they want are too difficult, too long or out of range for young children).
I am sharing the songs we selected from 3 different age levels of Music Rhapsody’s Module 2 lesson plan levels used by this school.
If you are reading this and not yet a member, I’d love to have you learn more about the online training and membership benefits and join our special group of Music Educators who love an ACTIVE approach!
Ev’ry Morning All Classes sing our Hello Song.
Since our classes typically sit for this song, in the lessons the month before the concert, we will be standing up (We use masking tape on the floor to keep us in straight lines.) Clap hands (going from low to high for each note as the melody goes up) on “oh child-ren” and then stamp one foot, then the other on “oh yea” which goes high to low on G to low C. We can pat the beat the rest of the time. Added verse: "Time for a concert, time for a concert, have a new song to sing..."
(See lynnkleinersmusicbox.com, SEARCH for Ev’ry Morning When I Wake Up, and find it FREE in Music Box Downloads, Hello/Goodbye Songs.
Kids Make Music, wearing little clown collars
Little Clown/He’s Dancin’ All Around/Down Down…..Repeat the set of these, then end with Little Clown. A fantastic little holiday story can be added here, “The Toymaker’s Clowns.” Use the SEARCH feature in lynnkleinersmusicbox.com to find the detailed script with music as well as a video of a performance by some precious little music makers! (In Music Box, Click "Got Questions, Ask Lynn" if you need my help finding anything!)
Big Kids Classes, (class #1) with shakers. Farmer Brown’s Cow use the shaker as a “microphone” during the verses (be sure to use the Farmer Brown Visuals to help remember the words and show what verse you are singing)
Big Kids Classes, (class #2) with jingle bells. Now My Bells are Up/Jingle Bells Where are You/Jingle Bells Chorus (repeat the set) If this is going well, we will add Five Little Jingle Bells. Ukulele to accompany.
Young Musicians with hand drums –
Shoo Turkey Hand taps the drum on “Yes Ma’am” and “So So” For the second section, we swish on drum for “shoo turkey.” A few solos will show how we work on pitch matching for “yes ma’am.” Music Rhapsody’s Turkey Puppet will make a special appearance during the repeat of the song. We will use the instrumental version of the song (repeated) from the Farm Songs CD.
Angel Band (will give them the option of adding a homemade garland halo using the rainbow mallet) – A section: Tap the drums on the numbers, B Section: Free play, C section shows playing the steady beat during “Wasn’t that a Band….” We will have a short demonstration of soloists, each taking a number. For example: Soloist 1 “There was one,” Soloist 2 “There were two” Soloist 3 “There were 3.” Etc.
We will end our concert with all classes singing this year’s goodbye song.
Goodbye Song, the students should be practicing this standing as well, showing the sad face after the first long phrase ends with “music time is done,” and then they shout (“YEA”) and one arm up after “we had lots of fun!”. Next, they sing “he would weep, if his symphony put you to sleep, Papa Haydn wrote this song, not too short and not too long.” This, and all our “orchestral” goodbye songs come from Kids Can Listen, Kids Can Move.
For information to get started, go to online or live training, and membership and weekly lesson plans, and get ready to change the way you think and do music with your students!
