Hello Parents! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy through this difficult time. During this time I'll be posting some different activities you and your child can do at home. Please check in periodically and if you have any questions feel free to email me at jwagner@sjbdel.org.

Week of May 25th

3's and 4's:
It's out last week for music : ( For our video this week I've included some songs and poems that were favorites throughout the year. Enjoy and have a great summer!

https://youtu.be/Untg8iz8BIU

Kindergarten:

Please keep practicing "You Are My Sunshine" for the Kindergarten Celebration. The link with words is down below. I will also see you at your teacher's zoom class this week so we can practice together. Keep singing!

Week of May 18th

3's and 4's:
Next week will be out last video. If your child has a favorite song, either from the videos I've put out or from class, please email me at jwagner@sjbdel.org and I'll try to include it in the lesson. Thanks!
This week, it's getting warmer outside so this week we'll go "Down By the Water"! Check out this week's lesson at:

https://youtu.be/7gAA0hEXLoY

Kindergarten:
Last week we learned about the last family of instruments- the strings. This week, I have a demonstration of the cello which features my daughter Anna!
Here's the link: https://youtu.be/pfXcw3L7Vjw

Also, the children will be singing "You Are My Sunshine" at their Kindergarten Closing Ceremony. Please have them practice the song at home with this link:
https://youtu.be/mknIhUdwDf8

You Are My Sunshine
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray.
You never know dear how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away.


Week of May 11th

For All Students:
This week our musical lesson is about BUGS! Do you love them or hate them? Join me for some fun songs and a special story about a creepy crawly subject. Stick around for the end of the lesson to see a special appearance from my dog Tucker!

https://youtu.be/GGzsrAU99ZI


Kindergarten:
This year, we've studied the different families of the orchestra. We listened and looked at instruments from the brass, percussion, and woodwind families. Check out this video about the instruments of the string family. Which is your favorite?

https://youtu.be/oEW1plrKG1I





Week of May 4th

For All Students:
Did you know different frogs make different sounds? In this class you'll find out about some different frogs and have fun singing and dancing to some frog songs. See if you can figure out which song in this lesson had me and my kids singing all week!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ami295hWeIQ&t=6s



Week of April 27th

For All Students:
Spring is in full swing! This week I have a lesson that centers on Caterpillars and Butterflies. There's a few things you may want to gather before the lesson. I'll be reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, so you if you happen to have it at home you can have your child read along with me! Also, I'll be using sticks to play along with a song. If you have some- great! If not, you could clap, use pencils or markers, or even wooden spoons to tap together. Hope you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/nXloQEtmynU

Kindergarten:
Hope you all are continuing to practice our songs at home! Our new song for this week is "Let the Little Children Come to Me". Here is a link along with the words to the song. Have them sing along with me!

https://youtu.be/fQzK9GzjRXI

Refrain:
Let the Little Children Come to Me
Jesus said to his friends one day,
Let the little children come to me
And do not send them away.

Verse 1:
They are my special friends,
They love to laugh and sing,
Let them come near to me
The Father's love they bring

Verse 2:
They look at everything
With wonder in their eyes
Here in each child's heart
The secret of life lies


Week of April 20th

Hope everyone had a very happy Easter and a relaxing break! Here's some musical activities for the week. Enjoy!

For All Students:
Let's have some springtime musical fun! I recorded a fun mini-lesson for you to do along with me at home. Check it out and you'll see a very special guest join me.

https://youtu.be/mkoSm10TZXM


Kindergarten
Hope you all have been practicing your songs! Here's a new one for the week. Sing along with me! Words are below:

https://youtu.be/mknIhUdwDf8

You Are My Sunshine
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray.
You never know dear how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away.



April 9th

Hi Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful Easter! Please continue to watch the videos I have posted and try out some of my activities if you have not yet done so. I'll have some new activities up on my page on April 20th.  See you then!

Week of April 6th

I hope all of you enjoy a very happy Easter and a relaxing spring break!

For all students: 
I made a special video just for you! Here's some Easter songs- sing along with me!
https://youtu.be/p3gXzwPHp08

Kindergarten:
Please review "Everybody's Got to Grow" from last week. There are a lot of verses so keep working on it. Also, we will add the song "This is the Day the Lord Has Made" this week. We did sing this before we left as well. Here's a great video you can sing along with:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=cccJhMVFrLs



Week of March 30th

3's and 4's
Listening is a key skill in both life and music. Listening requires us to quiet both our bodies and our minds so that we can process what we hear- this is tough even for adults! This skill helps us develop our musical ear for both singing and playing instruments.Throughout the year we have practiced "Focused Listening" in music class. We silently listen to a specific sound, identify it, and mimic the sound. 

This week, take some time to go outside and quietly listen- really listen! What sounds does your child hear? Cars? Airplanes? Birds? Can they mimic the sound? Can they pick out which bird might be making a specific sound? You can help them identify certain birds. Then, have your child draw or color a picture of something they heard (there's lots of free printable pictures on the internet!) Have fun!

Kindergarten
We may not be in school right now, but that doesn't mean we can't sing! Our Kindergarten Closing ceremony will take place in June and for the last few weeks before school closed we had begun learning the song "Everybody's Got to Grow." This week, watch this video and sing along. Below is a link along with all the words to the song. There are 4 verses (we had gone over 2 so far). Try and listen each day and have a grown-up help you with the words. I know you'll do great!
Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXabCrHtY38

Everybody's Got To Grow
 

Refrain: Everybody's got to grow!
              Bumblebees and buffaloes,
              From the tip of your nose
              to your big fat toe!
              Everybody's got to grow!

Vs. 1: Caterpillars make cocoons;
          Butterflies will come out soon,
          flying high, flying low.
          Everybody's got to grow! (Back to Refrain)

Vs. 2: Tadpole, tadpole in the bog;
          soon you will become a frog,
          jumping high, jumping low.
          Everybody's got to grow! (Refrain)

Vs. 3: Plant a seed, a grain of wheat;
          Soon it will be bread to eat,
          Turn on the sun, melt the snow.
          Everybody's got to grow! (Refrain)

Vs. 4: Lots of boys and lots of girls
          are growing up throughout the world
          from Africa to Mexico.
          Everybody's got to grow! (Refrain)

Tuesday, March 24th
Music gives us the chance to express ourselves in many different ways. Today, set your child up with some paper and your medium of choice- markers, paints, colored pencils or crayons. Play some classical music and have them create a picture based on what they hear. These can be pictures of things or they can be abstract as they move their crayon or paintbrush to the music. Some instrumental classical favorites include Flight of the Bumblebee (Rimsky-Koraskov), A Little Night Music (Mozart) or Spring (Vivaldi).

Friday, March 20th
Steady beat is a skill we work on developing in the Early Childhood Music program. At school we might use sticks, shakers, or bells to play-along with songs. At home, you can be much more creative! Try making your own shakers using recyclables. Repurpose an old container with a lid and add some rice, beads, dried beans, sand, or anything else you have on hand. Secure the top and cover the outside with paper. Let your child decorate and then play some fun music!