Meet the Composers! Summer Music Camp

Meet the Composers!

Summer Music Camp

July 22 – 26 Monday – Friday, 10 am – 12 pm

$85 per student (fee includes all art supplies and worksheets) Open to all students, friends, and family!

Learn about some very famous composers:  Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Handel.

Hands on art activities!  Put together a lap book to take home, share and remember!

Learn while having fun!

To register contact Ms. Tonya

stringskeysandmelodies@gmail.com

Spring Recital This Saturday, May 4!

I am looking forward to our Spring Recital this Saturday, May 4.  

We will be holding it at the local library where we had a Christmas recital.  It has a great big meeting room that had enough room for all of our students and their families and friends.  

This recital will include all of our Music and Movement students, violin students, piano students and voice students.  

Everyone has worked so hard this year!  This recital will be the perfect time to celebrate that hard work.

Here are the details if you'd like to join us!

Saturday, May 4
4 pm
Valley Hi-North Laguna Library, 7400 Imagination Parkway, Sacramento, 95823

Performance of Love

Yesterday, we had a new experience!

We took our students to a convalescent hospital and shared our music!

Some of the little students were shy with all of the different sights and smells.  But I was really proud of all of the students for being friendly and loving with all the people.  Plus, they did a fantastic job with all of their songs.

Just like our other performances, we combined all of our violin, piano, voice and Music and Movement students.

The Music and Movement students started the morning doing a ribbon dance to Leroy Anderson's The Syncopated Clock.

This was followed by our piano, voice and violin students performing their songs individually and in groups.

We ended the time by passing out rhythm instruments to the patients and singing a variety of folk songs together.

This was the highlight of the morning.  The patients all shook their shakers and bells and sang along with us.  I love seeing people smile and sing as they remember songs from long ago!  

One lady even cried when we were done, saying she was so happy that we came to visit with them.

Another lady got as many hugs as she could from all the little ones!  

I think sharing our music is an important lesson to learn.  

Why keep all the joy of making music to ourselves when we can share with those who truly appreciate it?  

To all my students:  You all did an awesome job!  Thank you!

Singing Emotions: A Simple Singing Game

A simple singing game

When we talk, we use the tone and the mood of how we say the words to convey our feelings.  

Sometimes we use the same exact words but we change their meaning by changing our tone.

When we answer the question, "How are you?"

We may answer "I'm fine."  

If we say it with a smile on our face and in a pleasant way, it will mean we are happy.

If we say it sarcastically or angrily it will convey that something is wrong and we are really feeling the opposite of fine.

Singing is just like speaking.  We can change the emotions of the words by changing the emotions and moods of our singing voice.

Pick a song everyone knows such as Jingle Bells; Row, Row, Row Your Boat; or Happy Birthday

Have everyone sing the song using different moods.

I have a die I found from an old game that has emotions on it and I have my students roll to see how we are going to sing the song.

Emotion ideas:  

Happy - it is your birthday and you have a pile of presents to open

Sad - your pet has just run away from home

Laughing - everyone loves to laugh their way through a song!

Goofy - sing as silly as possible

Angry - you are really mad because someone has just kicked your dog!

Scared - you are afraid of the monster under your bed

In love - you are very much in love and feel wonderful

Gross or weird - this is another popular one, especially with the boys!

The whole point of this exercise is to show that it doesn't matter what words you are singing but you can control the mood of a song by thinking of that mood and making your voice match your ideas and thoughts.


                          

Carnival of the Animals: FREE Printable

FREE 33 Page Printable

Wise Owl Factory and Strings, Keys, and Melodies has teamed up to provide this printable to supplement music listening and appreciation with Carnival of the Animals.  

This printable includes:

14 teacher cards/posters 

14 coloring pages for children to color 

featuring each animal in the Carnival of the Animals!

Carolyn has done a fantastic job and I can't wait to use these posters and coloring pages in my own Music and Movement Classes!

I believe children learn best while moving and having fun!  Each teacher card has a movement activity idea using dancing ribbons or rhythm sticks.  Your children will have fun while listening to this classical music!

There is also a Spanish version available!

You can find many versions of Carnival of the Animals on YouTube.     

Children love moving and dancing to these pieces.  

Free Carnival of the Animals PDF
Free Spanish version of Carnival of the Animals PDF

Enjoy!

Rock - a - Bye Rests - Learn the Names of Musical Rests

Rock-a-Bye Rests

This is another easy song to help children remember the names of the most common musical rests.

Watch the video to learn the song!







Here are the words:

Rock-a-bye Rests

By Tonya Dirksen

Rock-a-bye notes

Its time to rest

We must be silent

While we take a nap

Quarter rest

Half and whole rests too

When we see one of them

Note time is through

Enjoy!

Learn About the Whole Note with an Easy and Fun Song

Children can remember just about anything if they learn it in a song!

I love to make up songs to help my students remember the names and beats of musical notes.

Watch the video to hear my Whole Note Song!

Whole Note

By Tonya Dirksen

Tune of Daisy, Daisy

Whole note

Whole note

Nice and round and fat

You look like a donut or a tire that went flat

You are often in a song

You are 4 beats long

Whole note

Round and fat

You are 4 beats long

Enjoy!