Specs
Many teachers ask, “what do we do when we don’t have snow in the winter months and the curriculum is all about snow and cold weather?” Some even go: “my students can’t relate to snow songs! They’ve never seen it!” We think this is a great opportunity to share pictures and props and let the learning about other climates happen!
Music Rhapsody is in Southern California by the beach. We don’t get snow but that doesn’t stop us from pretending we do! Classroom props are our best friend during the winter months. Here are some snowy ideas on how to create a winter wonderland in your classroom! Download our mini workshop from October 2022 for more on this topic.
Let It Snow!
Cotton balls and a parachute are great to make it snow in the classroom. Cotton balls are easy to pick up and use again and again. Use recorded music such as “ Let it Snow. ” (Composer Jule Styne and lyricist Sammy Cahn)
Paper Plate Ice Skates
“Ice skating” on the thin, cheap paper (not plastic!) plates is always fun (works well on carpet). Skating from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi is awesome for paper plate skating! Consider forward and backwards, spinning, figure eight, etc!
Paper Snowflakes
Use props like paper snowflakes for rhythmic notation for snow songs such as Snow (Yuki) and White Feathers from In All Kinds of Weather Kids Make Music and Each Little Snowflake from Holiday Songs and Winter Adventures. Music Rhapsody Members, Snow (Yuki) can be found in your Big Kids and Young Musicians curriculum in your member area.
Snow Cloud and White Feathers
Wrap a strip of white fur around a hand (frame) drum and fill with white feathers. When the feathers fall, the children play their instruments (I like metals such as finger cymbals, triangles, metallophones and glockenspiels for sparkly, glistening music!). See In All Kinds of Weather Kids Make Music for the song and activity White Feathers. Music Rhapsody Members, this activity can be found in your Big Kids and Young Musicians curriculum in your member area.
Puppets Galore!
Wintery puppets like the snowy owl are great additions to help to present and lead snow activities. Snowy the Owl is a must have prop to present and direct snow activities. Also great for pitch matching!
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Highlights of our “Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic” Concerts.
I am fortunate to have many talented teachers on my staff. We discuss possibilities for our theme with more than enough options for them to use one of my concert plans or design one of their own. The results are many variations of a themed concert. No two concerts are the same. Here are highlights of the Farm theme choices. These are not songs from one concert, but my favorite moments from many concerts we have presented around a Farm theme. Music Box also has detailed concert plans for a Farm Theme program for several different age groups.
That’s the Life of a Farmer – One class has tone blocks dig (scratch) and hoe (scrape), the triangle class played on the “seeds” and our youngest played shaker eggs on “hippity hop” for the rabbits. Amazing how the preschoolers waited for their special verse, keeping their instrument quiet. Everyone plays on “OUT!” on the last verse. Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic, page 51
A mouse lives in a little hole – Hiding behind the hand drums and peeking as indicated in the instrumental accompaniment, then playing the running music with “dancing fingers” on the drum head as our youngest act out the drama of the mouse, running in place, then crouching down as they were at the start of the song, covering their eyes to be back in the hole, then peeking! Precious and they love it.
Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic, page 10
Lots of Worms – generally, just a ton of wiggles, giggles, bringing great joy to all!
Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic, page 25
My Dog Rags – This is one of the kid’s favorites. The audience loves the whistle and all the motions of course, and the uncontrolled barking and howling at the end. We enjoyed using the instrumental accompaniment on the CD.
Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic, page 12
Hunt the Cows – Hilarious snoring! We start by all the children pretending they are asleep. The teacher wakes up everyone by ringing the triangle. The wood instruments play the beat for “Wake up you sleepy heads and go and get the cattle….” The wonderful soft, adagio part is improvised on the metallophones and glockenspiels as everyone is back to sleep by the end of the B section. We did ABABA and ended with lots of “moo-ing” since we found the cattle. Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic, page 8
En la Granja de mi Tio This was a huge hit! Even the preschoolers did a beautiful job with solos, echos and learning the Spanish names of animals, colors and numbers. The pictures and music for this are in a new category called Spanish Music Rhapsody in the store.
(this is from the new Spanish Music Rhapsody CD, track 4)
Who’s That Hatching – In our 3 -5 year old concerts, we had them design a “barn box” to hold their instruments. (We asked for a decorated shoe box but the parents got quite involved and we had elaborate barns made from boxes and cardboard.) After accompanying the song with their rhythm sticks, a group of children were the soloists and had a “hatching” finger puppet in their box. When the mic came to them, they sang “I’m a baby ____.” The children responded “Hello baby ____.”
In All Kinds of Weather, Kids Make Music page 44
I Plant a Little Seed – A group of children were the soloists and did the movement of the poem. After “down comes the cool rain,” they picked up their “play food” or real food item (carrot, apple, lemon, etc) and gradually rose on “Grow, grow, grow!” One at a time, they sang their solos in the microphone “I grew a ________.” Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic, page 18
Turkey Feathers – Lynn pretends she is the turkey! (When I asked the children who wanted to play the part of the turkey who lost his feathers, they all said “You!”) 6 colors of scarves were passed out to soloists. The kids sing “Turkey, turkey, where’s your hair…” as the turkey looks surprised that the feathers are missing. We used a microphone for the soloists. You have to watch the video!
Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic, page 49.
Farm Puppets and the Farm Songs book can be found in the store at www.musicrhapsody.com
Before you watch my video this week, I’d like to share how I got to this point.
This goes WAY BACK! My most vivid memory as a kinder was the day my teacher dumped out the rhythm band box of “instruments” and then called our name to come get one. I wanted the triangle and I remember worrying that someone would pick it before my name was called!
My most vivid memory as a brand new early childhood music teacher, adding preschool classes to my elementary teaching, was the disappointed faces of young children who did not the instrument they wanted. Some even had tears and a fight actually broke out over the largest hand drum! Shouts of “I WANT THE BIG ONE!” still haunt me. (I never brought that large set of nesting drums to the preschool again! lol.)
I quickly came up with a more joyful and musical plan. I purchased a class set of shakers. And as soon as I could, I purchased a class set of rhythm sticks, finger cymbals and hand drums. All the same size, all the same color!
I led activities with each child having the same instrument. Happy students, better sound! As lessons progressed, I introduced activities where everyone had 2 instruments, later in the year, three instruments, even 4 or 5! (For these activities, refer to online or live training!)
Thanks to the late great Remo Belli, the quality of the percussion I use now is by far the most durable, the most musical tone, the best quality! (Members, be sure to use your coupon code for 25% off!) Here’s a little story and song that the children loved to act out as they played their set of little percussion, creating sounds for a frog, snake, bird, train, and more.
SAVE THE DATE! Next Mini Workshops, March 31!
Schools often celebrate the 100th day of Kindergarten. Here’s a few ideas from Lynn Kleiner for a counting celebration activity. musicrhapsody.com
After introducing the rhymes using echos, students stand around the parachute, unpitched percussion are placed on the edge of it. When switching instruments, the teacher plays the cowbell as students have 8 beats to walk around the parachute to a new instrument. The teacher uses sopranino improvisation (see Lynn’s training if you don’t know how to play!) or another signal to give some “free play” time.
Use the 100 Days of Counting poem for the A section of a rondo form. Choose instruments, such as rhythm sticks, hand drums, tone blocks, xylophones (remove Fs and Bs) to play on the underlined words. Choose metals, such as triangles, finger cymbals, glockenspiels (set up without Fs and Bs) to play on the X’s.
To simplify, consider the following choices:
-Everyone plays together on the entire rhyme when they think it will sound best
-Everyone plays only on the rests (the Xs)
-Everyone plays on the underlined words
-For additional challenges, have only woods on the underlined words and all others on the Xs. Try other groups of instruments.
One hundred days of count -ing, X
One hundred days of fun, X
One hundred days to sing and play,
Aren’t I the lucky one? X
Play and count 16 beats, then repeat the rhyme.
More counting opportunities:
Play only on the numbers of the following rhymes, using them as a B, C and D section to become a rondo using the rhyme “One hundred days of counting”.
1, 2, 3 4, 5 Once I caught a fish alive
6, 7, 8 9, 10 Then I let him go again
Why did you let him go? Because he bite my finger so
Which finger did he bite? The little finger on the right.
PLAY 8 BEATS ON A COWBELL TO SIGNAL SWITCHING TO A NEW INSTRUMENT, THEN PLAY THE 100 DAYS RHYME AND CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT RHYME, PLAYING ONLY ON THE NUMBERS)
One, two, three musicians, four, five, six musicians
Seven, eight, nine musicians, ten musicians counting. (REPEAT)
(From the Sound Shape Play book by Lynn Kleiner and Christine Stevens)
COWBELL SIGNALS THE INSTRUMENT SWITCH, PERFORM THE 100 Days of COUNTING RHYME AND CONTINUE WITH THE RHYME BELOW.
1, 2, Tie my shoe
3, 4 Point to the door
5, 6, Here’s my sticks
7, 8, Don’t be Late
9, 10 Count again!
(From the Sound Shape Play Book, see additional counting rhymes in this book for drumming and sound shapes! MORE delightful counting songs can be found in Songs of the Sea, Jungle Beat, In All Kinds of Weather)
For the Counting Felt Set and instruments, go to www.musicrhapsody.com/shop
A free digital counting set for SmartBoard or SmartNote Book can be found in Music Box Downloads under Visuals.
An Orff Approach! Rarely do we have an activity where we are just sitting or standing and singing. We are rocking, patsching, marching, playing while we sing. Starting with our youngest classes, you will see us tapping the beat, then soon, we will be clapping at the end of the phrases or on the rests. As the repetition with a variety of activities are experienced, timing and coordination is improving and we can do this with a partner, a very exciting thing when you are 5 years old as seen in the video! (And very challenging for many, who in the concert stayed “single” for clapping!) Repetition leads to more success! You also see the successful tapping and patsching of the beat is eventually transferred to playing the beat on the drums or xylophones and the clapping at the end of the phrase is now transferred to triangles or glockenspiels.
Here’s a concert favorite that also includes hand claps, singing, making up your own item and pitches for the solo, and call and response. “Going on a Picnic!” (we are still working on the singing in a concert setting, quite a bit of enthusiasm caused us to not be always in tune! haha) was a huge crowd pleaser and so much fun for the kids.
Click Here to Watch the 3-6 year olds!
Click the link above the video
Our lesson plans introduce the sequential, logical progression for movement, body percussion and instruments. Weekly lesson plans are available in 8 age groups, from early childhood through Orff and Recorder for grade 3 and 4.
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Not yet a Music Box Member? Join here. Learn more about Lynn Kleiner’s Teacher Training.
Spring Music Lesson Plans for preschool and elementary can be found in Music Box by using the Search feature at the top right on the menu bar. Several of my favorites are “All Around the Gardener’s Bench,” and “I Plant a Little Seed,” from Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic . And as long as we’re singing about dirt, you may want to consider the very popular “Lots of Worms.” Of course, I love using all my puppets and props for these. Here’s a few things I use:
“All Around the Gardener’s Bench,” I use tinsel for the rain. Children can have one or two strands in each hand and you have beautiful rainfall! Rain sticks are also added. Little dancers pop up with yellow scarves for the sun, chimes are played from low to high for a beautiful sunrise. I have “critter” hats and headbands with ears for those who choose to sneak in to eat the flowers. The child playing the farmer wears a bandana and tries to catch the critters. Then he gives up and puts more flower seeds in the ground, repeat and repeat!
“I Plant a Little Seed,” from Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic needs sun and rain so use the same props as “All Around the Gardener’s bench.” For “Lots of Worms,” I use my body bag, a tight fitting fabric that is hilarious to step into, pull up over head and wiggle like a worm while everyone giggles and squeals with delight. HA. So entertaining! Watch this in Music Box Videos, and see what one of our Music Box friends did for her critter concert. The best worm dancing I’ve seen!
“Who’s That Hatching” and “Mister Sun are classics from In All Kinds of Weather, Kids Make Music.
I hope you can enjoy some sunshine this spring while playing triangles, finger cymbals, glockenspiels with “Mister Sun!”
Books with CDs are at www.musicrhapsody.com
Downloads of printed lessons, music and recordings are at www.lynnkleinersmusicbox.com
Questions? Need more ideas? Click Forum, Ask Lynn Questions and I’m happy to help.
Thanks for bringing music to the lives of your students and families.
Happy Spring!
Lynn Kleiner
As my preschoolers and elementary students played their tone blocks, drums, triangles, rhythm sticks, ocean drum,(and more) preparing for their upcoming concerts, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I remembered these instruments were the size, quality, durability and incredible tone because of Remo Belli. I met Remo in the early 1990s. After attending one of my workshops at MENC, he invited me to the Remo factory. That was the beginning of a dream come true – I got to say exactly how I wanted my instruments: the hole drilled in my triangle, the tone block extra thick and ribbed, the rhythm sticks short for my preschoolers, the baby drum – a mallet you can safely put in your mouth, a gathering drum big enough for my early childhood classes to all sit around and sturdy enough to turn over for our boat songs, with little ones inside. Remo was not only a good listener, he came to Music Rhapsody. He saw classes. He improved everything we were playing. He wanted quality, durability and safety for the youngest music makers. And for the teachers, he worked on getting the largest gathering drum lighter weight so it wasn’t so heavy for us! This is only a bit of the support my program had from Remo. I can’t tell you all he has done for me and music makers all over the world, every ability, every age. He wanted us to have the best. He made that happen. Remo, I will miss you so much.
A new music teacher proudly proudly proclaimed “My school gave me $2500 so I bought a Bass Xylophone!” After asking a few questions, it became clear that this was the only instrument the teacher had for the preschool and kindergarten students! Oh dear, I wish I could have spoken to this teacher first. Music from an Orff approach means all the children are active in the music making. We want all the children playing instruments, not just one or two at a time! Here is a Preschool INSTRUMENT WISH LIST (in order of priority).
The Lynn Kleiner line of instruments are from Remo and have been safety tested for this age group.
Hand drum with Mallet*
Tone Block with Mallet*
Maracas (straight handled)*
Scarf Set (our set has 2 of each color, 11 colors)
Finger Cymbals*
Jingle Bells*
Felt Board/Felt Sets
Puppets (Cocoa the Horse), Pop up Clown, Farm Animals, etc.
Rhythm Sticks*
Triangles*
Shaker Eggs*
Large Lynn Kleiner Gathering Drum (if classes are no more than 10 or 11 students.)
LK Glockenspiels (6-8 )
Lynns one octave xylophones and larger hand crafted xylophones
Sonor 2 octave Alto/Tenor Xylophone (special order through Lynn), with 2 pairs of mallets
Sonor 2 Octave Alto/Tenor Metallophone (special order through Lynn), with 2 pairs of mallets
Sonor Soprano Xylophone (or)
Soprano Metallophone
Tambourines*
Parachute
1 Bass Xylophone
1 Bass Metallophone
*Enough for all children and adults to have one
In Music Box, look for the coupon code on the home page, click Store to go directly to
Spring Music Lesson Plans for preschool and elementary can be found in Music Box by using the Search feature at the top right on the menu bar. Several of my favorites are “All Around the Gardener’s Bench,” and “I Plant a Little Seed,” from Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic . And as long as we’re singing about dirt, you may want to consider the very popular “Lots of Worms.” Of course, I love using all my puppets and props for these. Here’s a few things I use:
“All Around the Gardener’s Bench,” I use tinsel for the rain. Children can have one or two strands in each hand and you have beautiful rainfall! Rain sticks are also added. Little dancers pop up with yellow scarves for the sun, chimes are played from low to high for a beautiful sunrise. I have “critter” hats and headbands with ears for those who choose to sneak in to eat the flowers. The child playing the farmer wears a bandana and tries to catch the critters. Then he gives up and puts more flower seeds in the ground, repeat and repeat!
“I Plant a Little Seed,” from Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic needs sun and rain so use the same props as “All Around the Gardener’s bench.” For “Lots of Worms,” I use my body bag, a tight fitting fabric that is hilarious to step into, pull up over head and wiggle like a worm while everyone giggles and squeals with delight. HA. So entertaining! Watch this in Music Box Videos, and see what one of our Music Box friends did for her critter concert. The best worm dancing I’ve seen!
“Who’s That Hatching” and “Mister Sun are classics from In All Kinds of Weather, Kids Make Music.
I hope you can enjoy some sunshine this spring while playing triangles, finger cymbals, glockenspiels with “Mister Sun!”
Books with CDs are at www.musicrhapsody.com
Downloads of printed lessons, music and recordings are at www.lynnkleinersmusicbox.com
Questions? Need more ideas? Click Forum, Ask Lynn Questions and I’m happy to help.
Thanks for bringing music to the lives of your students and families.
Happy Spring!
Lynn Kleiner
Spring is known for all kinds of weather, and we have some great songs for spring and activities for it! Rain sticks are super fun to make and you can get some really interesting sounds out of them. When played slowly, they can be very calming. Rain sticks are traditionally made of hollowed plant stalks and are thought to originate from Latin America, but they are played in different countries around the world. Check out our video below on how to easily make your own rain stick!
Our In All Kinds Of Weather, Kids Make Music CD & DVD have all our favorite songs about wind, rain, snow, and sun.
Here are some Rain Rhymes you can sing and play along with your rain stick:
“Mister Sun” is a sunny song you can play with a glockenspiel, triangle, or finger cymbals. Play triangles or finger cymbals after “sun” is sung each time. Play glockenspiels on your “G” bar when the word “sun” is sung on the phrase “Oh Mister Sun”.
Babies/Toddlers Make Music Kit
Kids Make Music Kit
Big Kids Make Music Kit
Young Musicians Make Music Kit
As my preschoolers and elementary students played their tone blocks, drums, triangles, rhythm sticks, ocean drum,(and more) preparing for their upcoming concerts, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I remembered these instruments were the size, quality, durability and incredible tone because of Remo Belli. I met Remo in the early 1990s. After attending one of my workshops at MENC, he invited me to the Remo factory. That was the beginning of a dream come true – I got to say exactly how I wanted my instruments: the hole drilled in my triangle, the tone block extra thick and ribbed, the rhythm sticks short for my preschoolers, the baby drum – a mallet you can safely put in your mouth, a gathering drum big enough for my early childhood classes to all sit around and sturdy enough to turn over for our boat songs, with little ones inside. Remo was not only a good listener, he came to Music Rhapsody. He saw classes. He improved everything we were playing. He wanted quality, durability and safety for the youngest music makers. And for the teachers, he worked on getting the largest gathering drum lighter weight so it wasn’t so heavy for us! This is only a bit of the support my program had from Remo. I can’t tell you all he has done for me and music makers all over the world, every ability, every age. He wanted us to have the best. He made that happen. Remo, I will miss you so much.
Concert plan includes everything a teacher needs to know about planning and executing a concert for young children. Includes plans for 3 separate groups (classes, age, or grade levels) to participate together in a mountain theme concert. Includes: an attractive song sheet for practicing songs in the classroom or at home, printed program cover, inside program write up, and write up on back of program about importance of music education. A detailed concert plan for the music director, a concert plan for the classroom teachers, music for three songs. Source: Concert Plan by Lynn Kleiner. 3 Songs included with this lesson plan, many from Kids Make Music, Babies Make Music Too!
Page Count: 12
Age Group: Ages 2 – 6
Tip from Lynn:
This plan is for unpitched percussion only (tone blocks, hand drums, triangles,) This theme is also available with additional songs if Orff accompaniment is desired for a concert. Add puppets and green undecorated Christmas trees, kids dressed in jeans and solid green or white shirts with green bandanas. So cute!
Download link will be available on invoice. Just click on the title.
For related book: My Trip to the Mountains Book/CD
