Thank you so much for taking the time to read and watch my last blog post. It has meant so much to me to be able to provide you all with musical experiences during our time away from school. Hopefully, I will get to see all of you soon in person. 

Today I figured it would be best to say good bye. I hope that you all have a great summer and find something fun to do. In today's video I perform the good bye song from a show I used to watch when I was elementary age: Out of the Box. This show always closed out with a song sung by the two leads of the show. Take a look at the video here. 

I thought it would only be fair to also share the original version of the song, so you can take a look at that version here. This version is from their Halloween episode, which is why the male lead is playing a pumpkin. 

I wanted to also let you know that I have put together a DonorsChoose to raise money for a new rug for the music classroom. The music room will be getting tile next year, so we will need a rug to lay on the floor to give a softer place to sit. Tile also creates louder acoustics, which, in that small room could really be damaging to hearing. Adding a rug will lessen the noise factor. 

If you would like to donate, click on the project link below.
A Noteworthy Rug for Noteworthy Students

If you give a donation by June 25, your donation will be doubled thanks to DonorsChoose by entering the code LIFTOFF on the payment page and you'll be matched dollar for dollar (up to $50). 

I hope to see you all in the fall! Have a wonderful summer. Thank you so much for watching my videos!

It's our last movement Wednesday and I have my djembe back! You know what that means! We are playing some move and freeze. Find some space to move around and put your listening ears on. Click here to play some move and freeze one last time this year. 

Thank you for tuning in for one last movement Wednesday. Do not forget that there will be one last music enrichment video on Friday to finish up the year. See you then!

Today is the last week of school which means it is our very last singing Monday. 

We start out with an echo singing song called No More Pie. To end off the year, though, I felt that I should send you off with a song that will last you through the summer. A song that long, though, would have to be endless. I hope you enjoy singing No More Pie and the Song That Never Ends. Check them out here. 

See you back here for movement Wednesday!

Happy music enrichment Friday!

Today is our very last sing along of the year at 3:00. I hope to see so many of you there. I have enjoyed singing with you these past several weeks and it has truly brought a light to my day. In honor of our last sing along, I have a cover of the new Disney song Speechless from the live action Aladdin. If you have not seen the new Aladdin movie, you can watch the scene where the song takes place here. You can also watch the lyric video that will be an option at the sing along today here.

I put together a video of me performing the song on my piano in my room. You can watch that here. I also found a version of the song performed by a Disney Acappella group. Acappella means no instruments so all the accompaniment is created with voices. You can watch that version here.

Next week I will still put out 3 videos like every week. There will be no sing along on Friday, though. Thank you for continuing to read and listen/watch my videos. I have enjoyed making them for all of you and hope you have a great summer! 

Happy movement Wednesday!

Today I have another book! The book is called We're Going on a Bear Hunt. It is a singing book as well as a movement book. You will want to be standing to participate in this video. I hope that you enjoy it. Click here to watch. 

See you Friday for music enrichment and our very last sing along. 

Happy singing Monday! 

Next week will be our last singing Monday of the year. We have finally made it to the end. Thank you for sticking with me and checking in on what I have been uploading each week. I have enjoyed making all of these videos for you all and hope that you have enjoyed watching. 

This week I found the book The Pout Pout Fish. This book is a rhyming book that has a section that repeats throughout the book. In music we would call this a refrain or a chorus. Someone out there in the YouTube world had already created a melody to go along with the refrain and I borrowed that melody from him for today's singing Monday video. He is credited at the end of the video. His name is Gordon True and he turns the entire book into a song. For today's video I wanted to have something that would be easily singable, so I only borrowed the chorus. If you would like to listen to his version of the book you can click here. 

To sing along with me to only the chorus click here. 

I will see you again on movement Wednesday!

When this blog began, I shared a collaboration video of Michael Jackson's song "We Are The World," a song where artists collaborated together to help raise money and make a change. This past week has shown how people around our country are once again coming together to support a cause and, following that them, I have another Michael Jackson song to share with you today. This song is called "Heal the World." The video that I have to share with you today is performed by children, though, rather than adults. This video was put together by a group called Maati Baani, a world music duo from India. It was originally intended as a tribute to Michael Jackson on his birthday, but today I share it with you as a message of hope to go along with the protesting that is happening in our country. I enjoyed listening to the lyrics and watching these talented children perform this song and I hope that you will, too. Click here to watch and listen to "Heal the World." I have also copied the lyrics below. 

There's a place in your heart
And I know that it is love
And this place could be much
Brighter than tomorrow
And if you really try
You'll find there's no need to cry
In this place you'll feel
There's no hurt or sorrow

There are ways to get there
If you care enough for the living
Make a little space
Make a better place
Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race

There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make it a better place
For you and for me

If you want to know why
There's love that cannot lie
Love is strong
It only cares of joyful giving
If we try we shall see
In this bliss we cannot feel
Fear of dread
We stop existing and start living

Then it feels that always
Love's enough for us growing
So make a better world
Make a better place

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

And the dream we were conceived in
Will reveal a joyful face
And the world we once believed in
Will shine again in grace
Then why do we keep strangling life
Wound this earth, crucify its soul
Though it's plain to see
This world is heavenly
Be god's glow

We could fly so high
Let our spirits never die​
In my heart I feel you are all my brothers
Create a world with no fear
Together we cry happy tears
See the nations turn their swords into plowshares

We could really get there
If you cared enough for the living
Make a little space
To make a better place

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race
There are people dying 
If you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me

You and for me

Happy movement Wednesday!

Today I am sharing my favorite children's book that I keep in my classroom. When leaving school, this was one of the first books I made sure to grab. It is The Rabbit Listened. I have put together a video of me reading the book and giving opportunities to move. Watch for the captions for what to move like. I hope that you enjoy reading and moving while watching the video here. 

See you on Friday for our sing along and for music enrichment Friday!

Good morning!

Today we sing the Duck Song by Bryant Oden. The song is repetitive and the lyrics are below. I hope you laugh and have fun singing with me here!

A duck walked up to a lemonade stand
And he said to the man, running the stand
"Hey! (Bum bum bum) Got any grapes?"
The man said
"No we just sell lemonade. But it's cold
And it's fresh
And it's all home-made. Can I get you
Glass?"
The duck said,
"I'll pass".

Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away
(Waddle waddle)
'Til the very next day.
(Bum bum bum bum ba-bada-dum)

The duck walked up to the lemonade stand
And he said to the man running the stand,
"Hey! (Bum bum bum) Got any grapes?
The man said,
"No, like I said yesterday
We just sell lemonade OK?
Why not give it a try?"
The duck said,
"Goodbye."good day

Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away
(Waddle waddle)
'Til the very next day.
(Bum bum bum bum ba-ba-dum)

When the duck walked up to the lemonade stand
And he said to the man running the stand,
"Hey! (bum bum bum) Got any grapes?
The man said,
Look, this is getting old.
I mean, lemonade's all we've ever sold.
Why not give it a go?"
The duck said,
"How 'bout, no."

Then he waddled away
(Waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away
(Waddle waddle)
'Til the very next day.
(Bum bum bum bum ba-ba-dum)

The duck walked up to the lemonade stand
And he said to the man running the stand,
"Hey! (Bum bum bum) Got any grapes?"
The man said,
"THAT'S IT!
If you don't stay away, duck,
I'll glue you to a tree and leave you there all day, stuck
So don't get to close!"
The duck said,
"Adios."

Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away
(Waddle waddle)
'Til the very next day.
(Bum bum bum bum ba-ba-dum)

The duck walked up to the lemonade stand
And he said to the man that was running the stand,
"Hey! (Bum bum bum) got any glue?"
"What"
"Got any glue?"
"No, why would I– oh!"
And one more question for you;
"Got any grapes?"
(Bum bum bum, bum bum bum)

And the man just stopped.
Then he started to smile.
He started to laugh.
He laughed for a while.
He said,
"Come on duck, let's walk to the store.
I'll buy you some grapes
So you won't have to ask anymore."
So they walked to the store
And the man bought some grapes.
He gave one to the duck and the duck said,
"Hmmm..No thanks. But you know what sounds good?
It would make my day.
Do you think this store
Do you think this store
Do you think this store has any lemonade?"

Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away.
(Waddle waddle waddle)
Then he waddled away
(Waddle waddle)
'Til the very next day.
(Bum bum bum bum ba-ba-dum)

Happy music enrichment Friday and our sing along at 3:00!

Today I have a video put together to the song Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. Claude Debussy was a French Romantic composer who lived from 1862-1918. He was considered one of the first impressionist composers during the Romantic period of music. Impressionism was a type of music where the composer would create music based on an emotion or something physical. In this situation, Debussy composed this piece with the impression of the light of the moon in mind. The Romantic period and impressionism strayed away from the typical harmonies that we were used to hearing in the classical period and moves towards dissonant chords and "loose" rules in regards to rhythm as rubato came into play and syncopation became more prevalent.

To enjoy Debussy's Clair de Lune, I have put together pictures and videos of the encore team's pets. I hope you enjoy looking at our dogs and cats as you listen to the piano piece Clair de Lune. To watch, click here.