Have You Ever Found Yourself in Snowy Land?

Our new greatest hit!  This song helps us:

• use our bodies creatively
• use percussion...any ones we want
• play a 8-beat phrase and stop together
• play in ensemble and have fun
• make choices about what and where we play and have it all be okay
• feel good and smile

Have you ever found yourself in a snowy land?

(guitar chords G and D7)

Have you ever found yourself in a snowy land?

An icy town with snowflakes grand?

If  you ever find yourself in a snowy land

just pick up an instrument and join the band!

Now converse with the kids

(what will we play?  body percussion?  shakers?  trumpets?)

Using non-pitched percussion (shakers, scrapers, skins, woods, metals)

Have you ever found a shaker in a snowy land,

an icy town, with snowflakes grand?

If you ever find a shaker in a snowy land,

just pick up a shaker and join the band!

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (everybody plays...especially the shakers)

Using other instruments

Have you ever found a trumpet in a snowy land

an icy town, with snowflakes grand?

If you ever find a trumpet in a snowy land,

just pick up your trumpet and join the band.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (everybody plays...especially the trumpet)

(just a note...yesterday the sweetest 6 year old boy brought a trumpet to class and we sang this song and he tooted along with the band...oh my goodness...too sweet...and he really sounded fabulous with the drums!)

Using body percussion (snap, clap, pat, stomp, rub, clack)

Have you ever found yourself in a stomping land,

an icy town, with snowflakes grand?

If you ever find yourself in a stomping land,

just start stomping and join the band!

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (everybody plays...especially the body percussion people)

enjoy!

let me know what happens!

Boats are sinking...boats are sinking

Are you sinking?  Are you sinking?

On your boat? On your boat?

When the snow is heavy, captains on the coast say,

Down you go!  Down you go!

(sung to the tune of Frere Jacques)

Can you believe that sailboats have been sinking from the weight of the snowfall yesterday?

Snowfalls are so wet here that flattop roofs may cave in and boats sink.

The city doesn't have much snow removal equipment so it's actually unsafe to travel the roads.

By Saturday though...we should be snow-free.

Phew...

Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow!

Snow, snow, lots of snow

Falling all around!

White and floating,  thickly coating,

Sticking to the ground!

 (sung to the tune of "Row Your Boat")

It's snowing!  It almost never snows here in Victoria, BC.  And even when it does, it never sticks!  What excitement!  Schools are closed.  Kids are happy.

Drivers are nervous...it's not a town where anyone seems to get used to the white stuff.  The road in front of my studio is usually "high traffic busy" but not today.

I've cancelled classes today, although I'm here because I live a block away from my studio, so I can walk.

What I love about snow is the quiet it brings to the air.

Love it! 

Symphony for children

My aunt plays violin with the Victoria Symphony and it's always such a treat to see and hear the symphony now.  

The Victoria Symphony, 2009 picture linked from their website

Not that it wasn't great before but when you know someone performing while you are in the audience, the experience somehow becomes filled with even more anticipation and positive expectation, not to mention all the opportunities to go backstage and take a peek as the performers pack up after the show.

Today the Victoria Symphony is performing a special Christmas show for children .  These performance take place throughout the year and last for 1 hour.  Just perfect for kids.

The event today is The Bear and The Snowman, both stories by Raymond Briggs.  

I have been excited for all the children at my studio who have parents who are taking them to see this show.  I've been hearing about it for weeks!  I think I might have been wishing I was a child and could go to the show too.

This morning at my weekly breakfast with my grandmother, my aunt and uncle show up with a ticket for me to the children's show!  They just tossed it onto the table...wahoo!

So...off I go to hear the magic of the symphony bring the magic of Raymond Briggs to life!