Music K-8 Music Sampler Podcast

What a great way to liven up your holiday performance. We'll bet your audience will even get in on the act, if not singing along, certainly clapping along. Maybe even dancing along! The retro rockabilly style is oh-so-fun and oh-so-familiar. Rock your tootsies, too! Add movement to your performance with the help of the choreography video that includes a full demonstration and step-by-step instruction. (from Music K-8 Vol. 25, No. 2)

This lively, Broadway-style song is full of energy, joy, and anticipation of a holiday season filled with light. It's a great opening song for your seasonal performance, but it will certainly add pizzazz to any part of your program. It builds and soars, with an ongoing pulse that keeps the musical excitement high. It works well as a unison piece, but the optional second part really makes it sparkle. (from Music K-8 Vol. 25, No. 2)

This unique pop hybrid tune requires a bit of musical finesse, but the challenge is fun. While part 2 is optional, the inclusion is what makes it so great. Each part attacks the word "snow" like a bell being struck - with an accent followed by immediate decay. When done together, the effect is striking. The pounding "4 on the floor" pulse gives way to a floating halftime beat, and the use of the stomps and claps give it a unique sound. (from Music K-8 Vol. 25, No. 2)

We think that this is a unique work for young players, and we hope that even if it looks a little challenging, you will try it. Soprano 1 requires low D, G, A, B, C, D', and E' (optional); soprano 2 only requires G, A, B, and C; and the alto part calls for B, C, D, E, and G. Of course it can be convincingly played just using the easiest, part 2, or any combination of the parts.

Your students will have fun with the "clues" to his disappearance – a sunny day, and a carrot on the ground. But of course, the real fun and humor come with the search. The song is completely in unison, which means you can use it with a variety of class levels. The sleek, jazzy accompaniment on the recording will make any group sound cool. Adding the snaps will further enhance that factor, though they are optional. You can also use them more often than indicated, if you prefer.

This song is a real natural as an opener, but you could certainly use it at any point in your program, including as a finale. The lyrics are filled with iconic seasonal imagery and themes like candles, twinkling lights, holiday spirit, singing (of course!), and peace.

This song packs alot into a short and simple, yet lively Latin flavored piece. It's all unison and repetitious, except for the bridge, and the Spanish part is literally one word: Gracias. Be sure they sing it with two syllables, not three. A slight roll of the "r" would also be appropriate. The immediate stating of "thank you" after "gracias" should be enough of a clue as to the meaning of "gracias," but it couldn't hurt to mention it when you teach it.

Yes, Elfis is back in a wonderful new musical that is destined to be a favorite of your singers and audiences alike. There are plenty of messages to reinforce here: kindness, forgiveness, acceptance, peace, and of course, letting it go. Approximately 20 minutes long, the musical includes five songs and a lighthearted script with short, easy-to-learn lines for your characters.

This charming little ditty is also plain old fun to sing. It repeats enough to stick with you, plus it has some optional, very easy body percussion that you can plug in to make it more lively. As if all that wasn't enough, we have also made this song a neat beginning ukulele piece.

Teresa and Paul have teamed up once again to present one of their classic big band extravaganzas. Full of "charm, pizzazz, and all that jazz," this one is just crying for a spotlight. It includes a bonus choreography video! (from Music K-8 Vol. 24, No. 3)

This song reminds us that it's okay to take it "Step By Step." It starts simply with a solo, then becomes unison, then 2-part, then 3-part. Or, you may choose to do the piece completely in unison. You can also add body percussion which is optional, but it's oh-so-fun! (from Music K-8 Vol. 24, No. 3)

This classroom-tested, carefully planned recorder method incorporates a positive reward system in which students receive colored "karate belts" (not included) to hang from their recorders for each progressively more difficult tune.

In Music K-8 magazine, our writers have created some amazing original rounds as well as unique arrangements of favorite traditional rounds. This much-requested new collection includes: Friends Are Like Diamonds, Rockin' Frere Jacques, Canoe Round, The Further Adventures Of Three Blind Mice, Sightless Rodent Chaser, Shalom Chaverim, Classical Wave, and This Day Of Peace.

You'll capture the attention of everyone, even the class clowns, with these tunes that lead into real teaching moments. This classic collection includes: 2001 Kazoos, Penguins Are Lousy Bowlers, On The (Formerly) Beautiful Blue Danube, Furry Leez (Für Elise), Toccata And Kazoogue In D Maybe, My Hat It Has Three Corners, My Hat It Has Five Corners, and William Tell's Overshirt.

Metaphorically, this song speaks of life with all its ups and downs, restlessness, and distraction, with the safety of the lighthouse just in the offing. This is a catchy tune that kinda sticks with you and is easy to learn and sing expressively. Crescendos and decrescendos rise and fall naturally with the rising and falling of the melody line.

Ah, Mozart. Rossini. Verdi. Such wondrous and beautiful opera music you have given us, along with your most esteemed peers – Wagner, Puccini, Bizet, and the like. What passion is aroused by the sublime sopranos, the basso profundos, the grand orchestra, the magnificent sets... the dancing chickens?!

This piece started life as a BAG tune. Then the notion of doing a play on the word “bag” in tandem with a seasonal song about bagging autumn leaves seemed like a natural departure. Making it humorous by going with an over-the-top melodramatic approach musically was the next thought, thereby making it also a good candidate to use in the revue, Just For Fun!

This song sets the tone of this year's musical, Just For Fun!, in a lively swing style that’s fun to sing, but also filled with whimsy, courtesy of the many comedic sound effects.

The recorder is, for most students, the first real instrument they play, and lessons learned will last for a lifetime. Playing music from great composers gives extra weight to the playing experience, and Paul Jennings is a master of making this music approachable for young players. Songs include: Bridal Chorus, A Little Recorder Music, Chester, Renaissance Dance, A Night On Bald Mountain, and Finale Maestoso.

By popular request, Paul and Teresa have teamed up again to bring your students more duets. As with the original Dojo Duets, the pieces become progressively more difficult and can be used in a variety of ways. Songs include: The Birch Tree, Bittersweet, Git Along, Just Skip It, Lightly Row, Mozart's Swan, Petals Of The Cherry Blossoms, and Ring Bells Ring.