Songs for Teaching Blog

As we return from the holidays refreshed and ready-to-go, remember that teaching isn’t just about teaching curriculum.  It’s about teaching the child!

How do we respond to the moments in between the planned schedule? 

When a boy I knew first started elementary school, he didn’t read and write on level with the class.  The other children called him names like “stupid” and “dumb." He went to the teacher for help.  The teacher’s reply? “Don’t be a tattletale.”  That teachable moment, when a seed of bully prevention could have been planted, was lost.   Instead, seeds of low self esteem, doubt and failure began to grow. 

That boy was my son.  As time went by, we taught him new lessons to replace that lost opportunity: “Take your messes and make them into messages.” 

Practicing what I preach (mess to message), my partner, Danny and I wrote a song so that other children can learn through music about the power of words and the choices we all can make. 

Song: Don’t Tease 

Choreography: During each chorus, find an inanimate object to shake a finger at. We can tease a chair, the wall, a table… but we shouldn’t tease each other. 

Diversity: Bring a wheelchair into the classroom.  Place an oversize doll in the chair.  Explain to the children that this is a new student and everyone is responsible for making sure that this student goes to the playground, center, circle, music, etc.   

Lesson: Stepping into Someone Else’s Shoes

Role Play for Older Children:
Using made up scenarios or historical ones, have a bag of story starters such as:
   "You’re told to give up your seat on the bus because you aren’t the right color."
   "You are an elderly person being teased for being too slow."
   "You are the last person chosen to be on a team because you aren’t good
    at sports."

As the children pull out a story starter, have them step into a pair of empty shoes (or stand on some footprints).  Let them tell the class how it feels to be in someone else’s shoes when they are teased or belittled. 

As teachers, I know we probably didn’t choose this profession to make a huge living. Instead, we chose our profession to make a huge difference.  Please share your ideas of teaching the bigger picture with us.  

Listen to a short sample of Don’t Tease in the audio player, below.

Happy New Year!  I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful holiday, and that your 2010 is off to a great start.  The new year and month offer new opportunities for learning.  As usual, I’ll be singing my "song of the month" with my students throughout January, which serves as a springboard to quite a few timely topics. 

1. New year, new decade.  Just as it takes time for us adults to get used to writing the correct date, the same goes for our students. 
2. Resolutions.  Introduce this concept to your class, and give them an opportunity to come up with and share theirs. 
3. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday.  January is a month to focus on the history and legacy created by this great man, who rightly has his own verse in the song. 
4. Winter.  January is the first full month of this cold season, so take some time to explore and discuss the appropriate indoor and outdoor activities.

For me, the start of the new year is always a reminder to try new things, especially in the classroom.  It’s a time to look forward to the future and all that lies ahead.  Enthusiasm is contagious, and unlike the flu, this is something you actually want to spread to your students!

Listen to January in the audio player below, from Listen & Learn: Months

Does this mean that we pipe classical music into the background all day and expect preschoolers and kindergarten children to miraculously begin reading at a third grade reading level? Of course not! Here are some more reasonable and practical ways to assimilate music into the lives of young children:

I have a ton of favorite children’s songs – too many to list here. But some of my favorite children’s musicians are

Check your local symphony to see if their website has a link for teachers or children. For example, The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has the DSO Kids Club and The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has a link for BSO Kids
Written by Tonya Wright

Winter break is fast approaching, and for some of you, it may have already begun!  My school is still in session, so I’m taking advantage of all the wonderful holiday songs and resources out there for children.

One song my students have been enjoying is one that I wrote, called Red and Green.  These two colors are everywhere during the holidays, so there are many ways to incorporate our surroundings into this song.  Here are just a few ideas that I’ve come up with for making Red and Green a fun hands-on activity:

1. The song lists quite a few items that are red and green.  Have these items (or photos thereof) ready to pass out to your students so that they can hold them up when mentioned during the song.
2. Sing this song with your class, and provide a sheet with the printed lyrics (or a list of the items for emergent readers).  Afterwards, send students on a scavenger hunt in your classroom or at school to find the items listed in the song.
3. If you work with younger children, ask them to draw pictures of the red and green items. They can then hold up their illustrations for everyone to see as they are mentioned in the song.
4. Ask students to suggest different holiday-related things that are red and green. Substitute them in when you sing the song with your class.

Listen to "Red and Green" in the audio player below, from Listen & Learn: Christmas