Music Tip- Influence Your Small Circle

Saturday night I went to the MCO concert (Millennial Choir and Orchestra) at the Mesa Arts Center with a friend. 

This choir is composed of hundreds of singers from age 4-adults and is led by two brothers who came from California where they initially started a choir like this one.  Now 11 years later they have choirs/orchestra in California, Arizona, Texas, Utah and Idaho.

The brothers, Brandon and Brett Stewart are exceptional musicians with conducting, piano performing, choral and arranging talents that are inspirational. Their focus is on religious and patriotic music. They arrange music that starts with one group singing, and then they add the other choral groups to the mix to build to a gigantic choral and orchestral masterpiece.  It truly is amazing, sometimes overwhelming and very inspirational.

As I sat listening to one magnificent song after another and pondering on the huge undertaking it was to bring all these singers and instrument players together—the composing of the music, the rehearsals, the mechanics of organizing the singers along the balconies, when to walk in, where to go when they’re not singing, getting them quickly on stage, organizing a trip to New York during the summer with all singers in the 5 states performing at Carnegie Hall, etc, etc, I began to feel very small and unimportant.  I began to feel like I am not worth anything as far as music is concerned.  All my little efforts at teaching piano, ukulele and music classes with the moms/tots were so unprofessional and puny and inconsequential, that it was almost laughable to think of myself as a fellow musician.  Sure I can play the piano, but never on the level one of the brothers who went to Julliard can.  Sure I have learned to play the ukulele, banjo, dulcimer and mandolin, but only on a very amateurish, beginner level.  Sure I have organized small groups to perform, but only for retired people who don’t care or understand how unprofessional we sound.

I started thinking that I was worthless.  These brothers have touched thousands of lives with their musical talents.  They have influenced a circle of thousands in several states—thousands of people who both perform as well as listen in the audience.  My circle of influence is tiny.

But as I listened to the last song, Nearer, My God to Thee, and heard the beautiful, inspirational music, I felt God’s love for me as He gave me these thoughts:

"You are not worthless.  I need you to bring music to others who would never come in contact with the music you’re listening to or be influenced by it.  Who would bring music and happiness to Grandpa Tom when you bring the children to his care home for music classes?  I love him just as much as everyone else sitting in this concert hall.  And Grandpa Mike, whose smile and excitement to see the children make his whole body jump with joy, even though he can’t say a word to express his delight.  I need you to bring music, joy and happiness to him as well as Grandpa Reuben and Grandpa Gene, for I love them too and in their later years, they deserve to be happy and to find joy and feel love from others.
 And remember how thrilled Danielle was to see her husband and children sing and play the ukulele?  She said she hoped they would continue to play together.  What about Chloe’s mother who said Chloe doesn’t like to be in front of people, yet there she was playing her ukulele and smiling and enjoying herself.  I have billions of children living on earth. I need you to help me.  Even though you think your circle of influence is small, I need you to touch their lives and care for them.  I have placed you where you are and count on you to share my love with others.  You are important to me and I value your contribution. I love you.”

I sat weeping, feeling God's love for me.  So now I don’t feel worthless.  I feel like I am needed and though my musical abilities are small and may not be professional on a grand scale, I feel I am talented and gifted with musical ideas and teaching abilities that I need to continue to share.  I’m excited to share music with those around me!  What a privilege and blessing!!!!!!

What about you?  You, too, have a circle of influence.  Look around you at your husband, your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors, your friends.  Be the person they need in their lives right now.  Can you cook and take them something?  Can you listen to them?  Can you just love them?  

You can, and so can I!  Let's go do a small and amazing thing!

Thank you for reading,

Cathy

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Music Tip - Singable Picture Books

Singable picture books-- they are so fun!

What are they?

Books where you sing the words.  There are lots and lots of singable picture books out there, you probably have some yourself.  What fun to sit and read with your preschooler, but what MORE FUN it is to sit and sing with your preschooler.  And what is even MORE FUN is when both you and your preschooler sing together.

I found a music therapy for kids site online that listed the top 8 singable books.  I had no idea what some of them were or sounded like, so I searched the book title in google, added the words "you tube", and presto, listened to the singable book as I looked at the pictures. 

There was one book that I fell in love with and had to have for my music class called, We All Go Traveling By.  It is written by Sheena Roberts and the illustrations which are done by Siobhan Bell are so cool.  
All the pictures are fabric applique.  It is sung by Fred Penner. It has a really catchy tune and is a cumulative tale of different ways to travel.  My 8 year old granddaughter heard it only one time and then said, "I keep singing that song in my head"-it's that catchy. 




Another favorite singable book that I used when I taught school was Puff the Magic Dragon.

 This song is listed in the 42 songs that the Music Educators Nation Conference says that every American
should be able to sing.

As I was searching for more singable books, I found a list on this site for teaching early literacy/teaching English as a second language.  Next I found The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge site where 5th-8th graders take a singable book, analyze it, then take an original poem, set it to music and make it into a singable picture book.  This corresponds with some of the common core state standards.

Wow, who knew all the educational value you were accomplishing by simply sitting down and singing a book with your child/grandchild.

Have any favorite singable books?  Please share!

 Go.  Enjoy.  Sing.

Thanks for reading,

Cathy

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Music Tip - Teach Your Baby Sign Language

It's so frustrating not to be able to communicate--whether you're in a different country where they speak a different language, or on the computer with it's different language.  How about if you're trying to communicate with your teenager (who speaks a different language at times!) or even your baby/toddler!

If you're visiting a different country, a dictionary helps somewhat, and if you're on the computer, your younger children can help you (ha, ha!).  Communicating with teenagers can be challenging and  rewarding, BUT talking with your baby is an unbelievable thrill!

You can communicate with your baby through sign language!
From age 8 months to 2 years your baby begins to know what he wants and needs, but does not have the skills to express his needs to you, his mother.  How frustrating for your baby and you.  By knowing a few basic signs such as milk, play, eat, sleepy, water and so on, you can ask your baby what he wants, and he can tell you what he needs.

Plus, it's so fun!! Involve your whole family in signing basic words.  Repetition is the key to success.  After several weeks of signing words (while saying them, of course) your 8-10 month old baby may start attempting to sign the words as well.  Her signs may be just approximate gestures to the ones that you are using, since her fine motor skills have not developed fully, but she'll definitely be signing a word and you'll know what it is.

There are several websites that give basic signs to begin your signing adventure.

Just choose a couple of signs like mommy and daddy, or eat and play, then incorporate the signs with your words throughout the coming days and weeks.  Don't get discouraged if your baby doesn't immediately respond and sign back.  It takes TIME to learn, digest information and be able to respond and perform it back.

If you live in the Mesa area, join my baby signing music class!

Music + sign language =  a whole lot of fun!

Thanks for reading,
Cathy

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Parenting Tip - Go Ahead and Use That Cell Phone!

Technology is here to stay and it just keeps getting better and smarter.  We can stay in the dark ages and fall behind the times, we can worry and fret about the bad uses of technology, or we can educate our children (and ourselves) and use technology!

I could not see the advantage of having a "smart phone" and was content to keep using my old cell phone.  I have a computer at home, I teach from home and I stay at home quite a bit, so why not just use my computer for all my internet needs?  But my children and friends told me once I bought a smart phone, I would immediately see the advantage and wonder how I got along without it.

They were right!  I LOVE my smart phone and use it all the time, especially to stay in touch with family and friends.  But I also use it when I teach piano and music classes.

I especially LOVE to use my phone when I'm around my grandchildren.  I take way too many photos and videos of them, but it's so easy to delete the ones I don't want, and it's so fun to utilize the ones I do want.

Not only is the camera fun to use on a cell phone, but I love using the video recorder and voice recorder.

Here are some ways I've taken technology and used it to enhance my fun--yes my fun!
Video recordings of:
1.  my grandchildren digging holes in the back yard, putting on puppet shows, dancing, coloring with chalk on sidewalk, singing
2.  my 92 year old father telling stories of his childhood on his dairy farm 
3.  my grandchildren making a "how to" video, such as "how to make a peanut butter sandwich"
4.  my piano students playing a piece, then uploading it to my private you tube channel so their family and friends can see it
5.  my banjo teacher showing me a new lick to learn on the banjo
6.  Church children singing a song that I sent to a sick teacher
7.  and of course, a million jumping on the trampoline stunts!

But here's the thing I love about using videos and having your cell phone so accessible.  You can use it to STOP TEMPER TANTRUMS, KEEP KIDS QUIET IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS, OR _________________ (you fill in). 

 

Scene: Grandson, Tac, is playing the piano, but grandson, Asher wants to play it. Tension is building!

Dialogue--- Me: [Look how Asher's] waiting patiently.  Notice he's not crying.  He's frustrated and he wishes his brother would hurry up but he's patiently waiting. 

Asher:  No, I'm not!

                                               (Well, at least he's not crying and hitting his brother!)

IDEA:  Video record or snap a picture of your children doing what you want them to do.  In other words, be positive and focus on the short times you catch them doing what they should be doing or encourage them to start doing it by video taping them.  How about when your children are picking up their toys, brushing their teeth, getting dressed, or practicing an instrument or doing their homework.  Send the video to Dad or grandma.  Make a slide show out of photos.

Here are some ways I've used Voice Recordings:
1.  My text notification is my grandson saying "grandma, you've got a text, grandma, you've got a text"
2.  Me playing a piece on my banjo.  It makes me nervous to record myself, but it helps me get over my nervousness when I record myself several times in a row.  It's a great way to practice for a recital or performance.
3.  My grandson saying words.  He is delayed with his speech, and this is a fun way to help him  practice saying tricky words.
4.  Music groups rehearsing for a performance.

IDEA: Record your child saying his spelling words, reciting a poem, playing a piece of music on his instrument.  Record yourself quoting a scripture you want to memorize, or a mantra to help you during the day.  Record your baby or children laughing.

 So go ahead and use your cell phone.  But make sure YOU are in control of it, not IT in control of you.  Use it for good and worthwhile purposes such as bringing loved ones far away closer to you, or as a teaching tool or as positive reinforcement.

What are some ways you have used your cell phone to help yourself or your family?

Thanks for reading,

Cathy
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Parenting Tip - How to Shrink your World

Have you noticed how small the world is becoming?  With technology constantly upgrading, updating and up-smarting, we can communicate easily and immediately with anyone, anywhere, and at anytime.  This is GREAT NEWS if your family is spread out like mine is, and chances are that your family is spread out.  My siblings plus my own children live in 8 different states and 3 different time zones: AZ,CA,UT,TX,MN,IL,PA,VA.

So what is the GREAT NEWS about having your family spread out all over the entire United States?  The GREAT part is that we can still stay in touch with them through technology and creativity.

Let's brainstorm some ideas of things families can do to stay in touch with each other:

Birthdays. Of course, this is an easy way to stay in touch.  Birthday cards can be sent as well as gifts.  You should see me at Walmart lifting up toys and guessing what their weight is and how much postage it will cost.  My daughter-in-law recently told me her children are saving up money to purchase a big item they want.  She told me money would be more welcome than an actual toy.  Thank you.  Goodbye Walmart.

Buying and sending gifts online is another great alternative to buying and mailing birthday presents.  You can even email Amazon gift cards.  No postage or shipping!

My mother likes to make her own birthday cards on the computer using past pictures or baby pictures of the birthday person.  Wow, she is 85 years old and knows how to make cute computer birthday cards.  Technology sure has not passed her by!

What?  It's my birthday?  Come, on then, bring out the cake!

Last week my Dad had a birthday; he turned 91 years old.  One of his favorite songs is The Strawberry Roan.  Each of my siblings wrote a verse to the melody of this song that told about a specific time in his life.  Then when they called on the phone or skyped to tell him "happy birthday", their families sang their part of the song with their verse and chorus.  My Dad loved it.  He felt cherished and special.  And just as important, my brothers and sister and I felt a bond between us as we worked on this surprise for him.

How about writing a song for your Mom or Dad, or your daughter or husband or married son?  Find a cute melody like, "This is the Song that Never Ends" or "Frere Jacques"  and write new words to the melody.

Holidays.  My youngest daughter decided she would send her nieces and nephews something for every holiday this year.   I was babysitting my grandsons the other day and sure enough there was a package that contained hearts galore that she had "heart attacked" them with.

I do something different for Mother's Day.  I've never really liked this day and feel like everyone is "staring" at me all day. When my children got married and started having their own children, I, like all grandmothers, wanted to give them lots of unasked for advice. As one Mother's Day was approaching I had the inspiration come to me, that I could give them unsolicited advice every year on this day, because I was a mother and this was my gift to them.  I gave them notebooks to keep my advice in, and I've had so much fun giving advice each year!! I've given advice on "what to do instead of watching TV", marital tips, things to teach your children, funny things my kids said when they were children, and much more.  Each year I try to present my advice in a fun way, using grandchildren's faces, or Disney prince and princesses...whatever.
          They love the years when I write memories of them when they were children and the joy they brought me.

School Projects.  I've had grandchildren send me Flat Stanley and asked me to take him with me and and then send him back with photos of him in the places I've been (exotic places like the grocery store, hiking, you know....).  Cousins have also sent them to each other.

My grandson is holding Flat Stanley

 Babysitting.  I love to go out of town to help out when families have a new baby coming. Or one year my son and his wife went with the youth in their church on a 3 day hike and I went and stayed with my grandchildren.  What fun!  This is an opportunity for 24 hours of bonding that you normally don't get to have.  You can also take photographs while you're visiting, and put them together to make a little memory book.

The letter "A" for a memory alphabet book

Special Events. With children around, there are always special events you can invite family members to, if time and transportation allow it.  Things like baby blessings, baptisms, plays, or sporting tournaments are fun things to attend and bond with cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents.My son and his family went to PA from their home in VA to attend the blessing of new niece.  The cousins had fun playing while the adults had fun talking and eating (of course). Be sure and send lots of pictures to the family members who can't come.

Skyping. This is a super good way to stay in contact with family members.  I even know of a grandma who gives her grandchildren piano lessons by skyping them (no, it's not me).  You can skype on birthdays and special occasions.  You can skype to share news, or even play games.  I've played card games with my grandchildren once or twice.

All my children skype with me on my husband's birthday so we can remember "grandpa" and make it special. It's really hard to skype and find a day and time when your family is in 3 different time zones like mine is.  We've discovered that the Sunday when our church has "General Conference" is a good time for us to all get together for a group skype.

My son-in-law has a program where you add things to the callers while you're skyping, such as a mustache on someone, or funny hair, glasses, or a spider.  It's hilarious!

Videos. It's so easy to take videos of your children playing the piano or singing or playing soccor.  What a great way to keep grandparents in the loop of what their grandchildren are doing.

It's also fun to take videos of cousins/grandchildren teaching you how to do something--"This is how you do a cartwheel", or "This is how you make a peanut butter sandwich".  How about, "This is how you make a rainbow bracelet"--they're so popular right now!

Photographs. It goes without saying that everyone loves to see pictures of distant cousins, grandparents or new babies.  You can even have fun with photos in a creative way.  One day my 3 year old grandson was taking pictures with my camera.  Needless to say there were lots of photos with close ups of something or other.  So I sent a batch of these pictures to his cousins and said to guess what the pictures were of.  I told them I would send a prize to the families with the answers.  Sure enough, soon the emails came with the guesses, and I mailed out a pack of gum to all the families.

Do you have a photo program where you can distort the faces?  I used a free one I found on the internet and have never laughed so hard as when I was distorting my grown kids faces for some project I was sending them. (I can't find that program now.  Anyone know of a good one?) Be sensitive in distorting faces, though. One of my granddaughters was not so happy with her face and it made her cry. 

One time my daughter sent "Where's Waldo?"photos to all the cousins.  She told what object was hidden in each of the pictures, then the cousins had to look at the photos and find the object.  Fun!

Can you find the red flashlight?

Phone Calling. Whoops, I almost forgot this one--it's so easy to do! My son used to call me every Sunday to catch up on things we were both doing.  I love talking with my daughters (they're in 3 different states). Sometimes we talk once a week, and other times 3 times a day!

After my husband passed away, my brother called me from Texas every month for a year.  This meant so much to me and reminded me of how close we were when we were growing up together.

Texting. What would we do without texting?  My children and I who live in the same town text each other with "sunset alerts".  We LOVE to see AZ sunsets.  My out-of-state children have recently texted me with their weather alerts (-30 today and no school).  It's so easy to text:  "I love you!" or "Thinking of you!" or "what's up?".  I especially love getting a text from a grandchild.

Sunset alert!

Did I forget cards/letters?  Duh?! One of my favorite letters I received was from my grandson a few months ago.  It said, "Der grama, Just to let you no I have ben singing a lot of songs!  Love Kimball
do you like the dexrrashin? [decorations-there were music notes around the edges]" 

 Ahhh! I keep that letter on my freezer.  (I had visited Kimball a few months before the letter came and we had enjoyed singing lots of songs together.  Did my heart good!)

 Okay, so this has been a really long post.  Sorry.  It takes a lot of work sometimes, to keep your family close to you.  But it's some of the most important work you can do--and so fun and rewarding!  Send your ideas of what your family does to stay close, so we can all get more good ideas.

Thanks for reading,
Cathy

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Music Tip - Multi-generational Music Class

For those of you who live in the Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler area, I will be starting my FREE music classes on Tues Aug 28. 

For the past 5 years I have been teaching a class for preschoolers and their moms at The Courtyard Towers.  This is a retirement apartment complex and the residents, whom we call the "grandmas and the grandpas" come to our class and join us in singing, playing instruments, dancing and having fun!
What a great way to mix youth with those a little older and see how each group benefits and bonds through the vehicle of music.


Classes are from 10:00 to 10:45 on Aug 28,  Sept 4,18,  Oct 2, 23, and Nov 6,20.
Please email me if you would like to come.  Space is limited. The Towers are located at 22 N. Robson in Mesa (across the street from the Mesa Youth Museum).








Thanks for reading,
Cathy

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Parenting Tip -Jellyfish

Here's a fun project you can make with your child.  A jellyfish in a bottle!

Info on how to make it is here.

Music Tip - Black Socks

I got a message on facebook this week which said, “hi I  just remembered something I think it was you.. I was in 3rd grade and you were a sub one day you had brought your guitar and sang a song _ black socks they never get dirty the longer  you wear them the hurder they get some times i think I should wash them but some thing keeps telling me not yet not yet... was that you???”

I replied, “Oh my gosh!!!! You remembered!!!!! Yes, that was me. I'm famous (?) for that song-----I think. You just got one little word wrong, however. It's ...the longer you wear them the "stronger" they get. Stronger as in stiffness AND smell.”

She wrote back, “yeah it got stuck in my head i sang it to my little brother because he would wear his black socks for about a week,,,yuck... but yeah.lol...will now I know the song better an I'll be singing to my boys...it's funny that i remembered this was when I was 7 an now im 27.lol”

The power of music---remembering a funny song 20 years later!

I did some research on this song so you, my wonderful readers, could enjoy it too.  Since this is a silly, camp style song, there are many versions.  Here are a couple:

Black socks, they never get dirty.
The longer you wear 'em, the stiffer they get.

Sometimes, I think of the laundry,
But something inside me says "Don't send them yet"

Black socks, they never get dirty.
The longer you wear them, the blacker they get.
Sometimes I think of the laundry;
But something keeps telling me don't wash them yet not yet, not yet, not yet...

And since I know you’re dying to hear the melody, here are a couple of versions I found online:

 This next version is sung as a round, which is how I taught it.

You can listen to it here:     

So there you have it.  Another silly song to add to your repertoire. Have fun singing!

A Give-Away is Here!

I have another give away for you.  I have two children’s CDs that I have been asked to share.  They are both great and I’ve enjoyed listening to them.  One is called “ Daddy Plays: Guitar Lullabies” and it is a delightfully soothing collection of children’s songs played on, of course, the guitar.  It was so relaxing and enjoyable I wished I had a grandchild to hold and rock while listening to it!  It also made me want to grab my guitar and start practicing. The website is here or you can download the Cd here

The 2^nd CD is called “Popcorn Bopping” and it is full of fun, jazzy version of lots of LDS children’s songs. These are performed by a children’s choir and are done in good taste.  Their version of  “Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked” made me want to dance instead of walk.  Really fun!

http://deseretbook.com/Popcorn-Bopping-Dance-Along-Mixes-Favorite-Kids-Songs-Compilation/i/5058095

Please leave me a comment and I’ll have the giveaway winners announced next week, on June 30.  I’ve heard that some people aren’t able to leave a comment.  If you’re having trouble please email me your comment at: musicfortotsgiveaway@gmail.com

Parenting Tip #79 Run, not walk from evil

I want to talk some more about those negative images and thoughts that we all have. Something that Bruce Fordham said—who I quoted in my last post-- has made me stop and think. He said that you can’t get away from bad thoughts and images. Satan will make sure of that! His goal is to put temptations around us constantly. And that means those temptations are around our children constantly too.

We want to protect our children from ever seeing pornographic images on the internet or from seeing violence on t.v. or hearing swear words and sexual innuendos. But we can’t. There is much we can do, and should do, to reduce the evil our children will encounter, but there is nothing we can do to prevent them from eventually seeing and hearing something bad. Or even something very, very bad.

So what do we do? Teach our children what to do when they see evil. Teach them to immediately click the image away on the computer, turn the t.v. to a different station, walk away from images and swearing. Teach them to run, not walk, away from bad things.

But remember, our brain cannot replace thoughts with nothing. So next we need to teach our children what to do after they click, turn or run. And that is to replace the bad with something good. Have them choose a good song to sing, then practice with them singing the song. Ask them occasionally if they remember what song they will sing when they see something bad.

Let them choose a poem or scripture to say when they need to put good things in their brain. Choose a picture they will think about or a fun time they will immediately remember. Then role play and practice.

This would make a great family lesson to have with your children. Let them draw a picture of themselves with bad things inside their head (drawn as squiggles or scribbles). Then have them draw a picture of the good things they will put inside their head when confronted with an evil thought or picture.

If you can’t protect your children from ever seeing anything bad or evil, you CAN teach them what to do. And that’s the best protection you can give them.

Music Tip #64 Music and Math

This year in my monthly newsletter for school, I have to include a math page—helps for the parents to encourage them to use more math at home. Here are my math ideas for February:
Most of the music classes have been using play dough to help them visualize and understand rhythm. This is essential for playing music.
Mix up a batch of play dough (or buy some) and have your child divide his portion into 4 equal balls.
Clap and count the balls ( 1,2,3,4)
Now divide each ball into two equal smaller balls (8 total).
Count them as "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and".
This is a great way to introduce fractions.
Now have your child again divide each ball into two equal smaller balls (16 total).
Count them as "1 e and a , 2 e and a, 3 e and a, 4 e and a".
Count them as total balls together, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16.
Group them as units of 4 to see how 4 sets of 4 make 16 total.
Clap each time you count. Or pat. or snap. This helps keep your children’s interest!
Subdivide and clap away and learn fractions the fun way!
for recipes look here:
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/play-doh-recipes.html
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K-2 graders are singing the song,
I love you little
I love you lots
My love for you will fill 10 pots,
15 buckets, 16 cans, 3 teapots and 4 dishpans!
Change the numbers and have your child count how much he loves you!

Music Tip #58 The Sol-Mi Pitches

At school this week I had to teach a parent class on integrating music with reading and math. One of the ideas I mentioned was to sing the words from the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? (see Oct 31 blog entry). One of the mothers mentioned that she didn’t know there was a song to the book. I replied, there wasn’t, I just made one up using the sol-mi pitches. After the class was over, I realized she probably didn’t know what the sol-mi pitches were, and I wished that I had taken time to explain them.

So…here we go. Anytime you want to make up a simple song use the sol-mi pitches. These two pitches are the basis for all early children singing games and songs. Think of the song “rain, rain go away, come again another day.” This song is just alternating between two pitches (sol and mi). At the end on you do sing one higher pitch (la) on the first syllable of “ another” [day].

If you play the piano or know some of the keys on the piano, the sol pitch is G, the mi pitch is E and the la pitch is A ( in the key of C). Most of the easy songs children sing have these 2 pitches with “la” thrown in every once in awhile. This is true in Ring Around the Rosie and Starlight Star Bright.

So don’t be afraid to make up a little tune to go along with a book, or to get your child’s attention. It’s fun and simple and adds a little pizzazz to your reading time.

Music Tip #55 Rounds, Partner Songs, Melody Mergers

I’ve been singing rounds, partner songs and melody mergers at school with the 3rd and 4th graders. What’s the difference between those three type of songs? Well, as you know, a round is where one group starts singing the song, then the 2nd group starts singing it a little later and a 3rd group starts in a little after that. Rounds usually have 2 or 3 different groups that sing the same song.

Partner songs are two different songs that are sung at the same time. You divide the class into 2 groups and assign them each a different song. When sung together, one group needs to be a little louder and the other group sings softer. It sounds very nice. We have been singing Michael Finnigan and This Old Man.

Other partner songs you can try are: Good Night Ladies with Pickalittle, Talkalittle (Music Man), The Farmer in the Dell with Here We Go Looby Loo, Hey Ho, Nobody Home with When Johnny Comes Marching Home and Three Blind Mice with London Bridge.

A melody merge is several partner songs sung at the same time, BUT you don’t sing the words—then you have melody mash crash! You just sing the melody on loo or la. We sang Three Blind Mice, Are You Sleeping and Row, Row Row Your Boat. It sounded great! Well, I have to admit, with two classes it sounded great, the other classes with not as many good singers in it sounded more like the melody mash crash.

These six songs can be sung together (remember without the words): Are You Sleeping, Down by the Station, White Coral Bells, R,R,Row Your Boat, 3 Blind Mice, Merrily we Roll Along.
Another set of six songs are these: Swing Low Sweet Chariot, When the Saints, Good Night Ladies, Amazing Grace, She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain and Crawdad Song.

I’m anxious to try these melody mergers with recorders and Orff instruments. Try them at home, at your next family reunion, cub scout meeting or with friends. Good luck, I hope you don’t crash.

Music Tip #7 Music and Special Needs Children

My brother and sister-in-law have 9 children. Matthew, their 7 year old has Down Syndrome. Music has helped Matthew in many areas--with speech, brushing teeth (which he used to hate), motor skills, and fears. Matthew rides the bus to school with other special needs children. He used to be really apprehensive about getting on the bus and leaving home. So the family started singing "The wheels on the bus..." and that would calm him down each morning so he could board.

Matthew and his younger brother love to dance. On Saturday nights the family will put music on from the 80's, 90's or current music and the whole family will dance and have fun. Matthew also loves to play the piano. He will sit at the piano and play whatever comes into his mind. He sits down like a concert pianist and pounds out notes, then takes a bow.

But when Matthew gets too much stimulus with music or tv, he gets hyper. There has to be a balance. His mother, Tammy, will play church songs to help calm him when he is upset about anything. Tammy writes, "I am definitely convinced that music is great therapy for any child, but absolutely helpful with children that have special needs."

Watch your children this week and see how you can use music to calm them, encourage them, teach them and just have fun with them.

Music Tip #5 Dads singing

Dads, you can make special memories for your children by singing them to sleep. My husband liked to sing as he would rock our children to sleep. Our youngest daughter mentioned this memory of her Dad singing to her and rocking her to sleep to her high school friends one day. All the boys said, "wow, that's really cool. I'm going to sing to my kids too, when I get married and have children."

Ammon, our 2nd oldest son said he sings a lot while he helps his children brush their teeth. "It always calms the kids and makes it easier," he said. He sings at bedtime too. Every Sunday night for the past 4-5 years he sings songs from the German hymnbook at bedtime. He says, "it puts them right to sleep--they're anxious to have the noise stop!"

Make some memories, Dad. Start singing!

Music Tip #2 - Diaper Song

Does your baby twist and turn and not lay still while you change his diaper? Does your two year old run all around the house with you chasing behind, trying to change her clothes? Try adding music to your child's routines and see if they help get the job done.

Just singing a simple nursery rhyme like "Jack and Jill" or "Here we go round the Mulberry Bush" will catch your baby's attention so you can complete that diaper change with less struggles. Add some silly words to add interest, "Here we change your diaper, sweet baby, your diaper, sweet baby, your diaper, sweet baby. Here we change your diaper, sweet baby, and now you're ready to play."

Don't want to chase your two year old around the house to get her to get dressed in the morning? Make up some words and sing while you're helping her get dressed. Try singing this to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb": First you put your green shirt on, green shirt on, green shirt on, first you put your green shirt on and then I'll tickle your tummy!

How else can you use music to catch your child's attention so daily routines will flow smoother?