Me? Teach Music?
I remember sitting in my undergraduate music class that first day, listening to the concerns expressed from fellow students about the preconceived difficulty of the music course they were about to take. Many thought it was out of their realm of comprehension – ergo, they feared the worst – that they were about to embark on the most strenuous of all courses they had to take. As many in class experienced, music isn’t difficult. More important, one doesn’t have to be an accomplished musician to reap the immense benefits music has to offer.
This blog is for primary educators (musical and non-musical), parents, and children. It offers ways to develop musicality in the classroom and at home. Explore the songs, rhymes, poems, and finger plays that appear over time for ways to encourage learning while keeping children entertained in the process.
Rainbow by Nancy Ellington/Bill Ellington
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Maria Montessori
“We cannot know the consequences of suppressing a child's spontaneity when he is just beginning to be active. We may even suffocate life itself. That humanity which is revealed in all its intellectual splendor during the sweet and tender age of childhood should be respected with a kind of religious veneration. It is like the sun which appears at dawn or a flower just beginning to bloom. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.” Maria Montessori
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It’s a Nice Day for Ducks CD
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Need ideas for classroom use?
Below you will find classroom materials and ideas for use with the songs from "It's a Nice Day for Ducks." Have you found success with your creative ideas to add? Be sure to contact me for publication! We all learn best when we share our ideas and successes. Thanks in advance for sharing!Word Family Bulletin Board Chart
Word Family “at”
“Giving” Classroom Materials
“I Will Listen” introduction…
Classroom transition times can sometimes be the most trying times of the school day. Does it ever seem to take forever for your students to finish one task and move quickly and quietly to another? For a simple and effective way to encourage on task behaviors, try playing I Will Listen as a feel good reminder and a motivating cue!“I Will Listen” Classroom Materials
The Songs
It's A Nice Day for Ducks
"It's raining, it's pouring..." Is rain dampening your outdoor learning activities? Sing along with It's A Nice Day for Ducks and follow-up with appropriate extension activities to see just how much fun a rainy day can really be!
Rainbow
"The colorful rainbow, a sign in the sky, says rain now has passed, the sun will now shine!" Teach all the colors of the rainbow with this memorable song that makes learning the colors of the rainbow as easy as counting 1-2-3!
Opposites
You say your class can't figure out which end is up? Provide a simple top/bottom fold opposites flip book made from commercial clip art for visual cues. As you sing Opposites with the children a few times that won't be a problem anymore!
Giving
Teach your children a few simple ways to help make the world a better place. Sing Giving to reinforce kindness, friendship, and sharing!
Five Little Bunnies
Their mother always told them, "Never go into someone else's garden - it's not the right thing to do." Find out what happens to Five Little Bunnies when they don't listen to their mother and go into a garden that's not their own. There are lessons to be learned and lots of creative ways to learn them in this song!
Numbers
How far? How old? How many? What time? Did you ever stop to think about a world with no numbers? Set the purpose for learning math... Listen to Numbers!
Dinosaur Rock
Can you do the D-D-Dinosaur Rock? There’s nothing to it! Just put your right foot out and hold your left hand high and you can do the D-D-Dinosaur Rock! Let T-Rex, Oviraptor, Brontosaurus and friends teach you the dance craze that’s sweeping the nation! Let’s do the D-D-Dinosaur Rock!
Sing a Happy Song
What do you do when a child's tears start flowing and you have a class full of children to attend to? Play Sing A Happy Song and watch the tears quickly dry as friends instinctively reach out to help another feel better!
Yes I Did
Here’s a feel good way to lead your students to follow directions! Yes I Did presents positive words woven into a reggae beat that definitely results in positive actions!
Two Kinds
"We all start out as little boys and girls." In need of a good way to promote multiculturalism in your classroom? Let Two Kinds get the message across for you. Understanding the world and people around us has never been easier!
Big Red Circle
What happens to a mischievous Big Red Circle that rolls away to have some fun? Prompt an interesting discussion as to why it’s best to stay where one belongs while teaching colors and shapes in this fun song!
Reach for the Stars
Many of us can remember a song that led us to believe wishing on stars would make all our dreams come true. These days it's not that easy! Sometimes you have to reach! Invigorate and motivate your students by singing and moving to Reach For The Stars!
What educators are saying
“When we first listened to IT'S A NICE DAY FOR DUCKS, our faces broke into smiles, our feet tapped, we commented on the repeated phrases (both music and lyric), and said we could picture children sitting straight and tall as they sang along with 'I Will Listen.' This is truly a CD for classroom students and teachers alike!"
Barbara J. Frye, Ph. D., College of Education, U. of Colorado
Ruth A. Short, Ph. D., College of Education, U. of Wisconsin"IT'S A NICE DAY FOR DUCKS is a wonderfully delightful teaching and learning resource. This CD is a must for anyone helping children develop socially, cognitively, academically, and emotionally. "
Angelo R. Pimpinelli Ph. D., Psychologist and Educator, Winter Haven, Florida
"I loved this CD the first time I heard it! While other children's songs tend to grow on you after listening to them for a time, IT'S A NICE DAY FOR DUCKS wins you over immediately. The clever lyrics, meaningful messages, timely themes, and musical variety provide a rich resource for listening, laughter, and lively learning."
Sandy Hightower, Early Childhood Professor & Educational Training Consultant
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Through the years…
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Blogs I Follow
Music Is
"Poetry, music, painting, dance, and the other arts are not frills to be indulged in if time is left over from the real business of education; they are the business of education."
Charles Silberman
Great Quotes
"All kids are gifted. Some just open their packages earlier than others." Michael Carr
Sing-a-Song Learning K-3 
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