CONNECT - song and dance for children

*STONES HILL SONGS* is a growing resource of original songs for young children, self-published by experienced music teacher/ occupational therapist/ songwriter LIZ CAMPBELL. The goal is to stimulate real-time body-and-voice musical experience in classrooms. Demo-style presentation is simple and easy for teachers to look-listen-copy. They are not suitable as fancy backing tracks! SUBSCRIBE, "LIKE" and SHARE with other interested teachers. Let the SONG and DANCE continue!

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Old MacDonald

*from STONES HILL SONGS*
This song springboards off an old familiar classic, well-known and -loved by a wide audience. It's always reassuring to feel one knows A BIT of the new song. Between the short refrain, there is scope to play endlessly with the engaging activity of 'reading' farm animals.

This is the start of reading for young children, developing essential pre-literate skills required for this complex task which underpins all subsequent education.
Here are some of the said skills:
continuous eye tracking from left to right, same as on a page
naming in sequence
rhythmic patterning and flow
recognition of shape + name
adjusting to sequential shifts and gaps
crossing the midline

All this is reinforced in a fun, mesmerising way because of the repetitive nature of the game. Learning happens best with repetition, which here is underpinned by the steady 4-beat meter. Those who are a bit slower will be carried by the group. You choose whether to repeat each sequence two or four times, depending on your group. The switches you make will keep attention alert, and removing the animals gives it an extra edge, sounding the words silently in the head. Always start with 4 animals, representing the 4 counting beats holding it together.

I've found it interesting to note that generally domestic and farm animals have fewer syllables than wild animals. Compare: pig, cow, horse, goat with hippopotamus, elephant, rhinoceros, wildebees, impala..... . Of course we aim for a mix of syllables to make the most interesting and musical rhythms, so choose the animals you line up accordingly.

eg sheep rabbit chicken pig

has a good ring to it, mixed up as it is with long and short sounds syllables.

Old MacDonald had a farm e i e i o
Let's go and see what's in his barn e i e i o

Explore the collection of Stones Hill songs-and -dances for children listed below - share them with people whom you know will use and enjoy them. Please acknowledge source and composer if piece is used for public performance - copyright Liz Campbell, Stones Hill songs. Feedback would also be appreciated - how the song works for you, how you may have used it: liz.jessam@gmail.com

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Old king glory

*from STONES HILL SONGS*
This is a favourite action song of mine: it is fun, it is irreverent, it leads to laughter as it makes light nonsense of the status quo. Its delightfully counterintuitive wisdom notices leaders of the day, municipalities, principalities, ministries and governmenties puffing themselves up buffoonishly, only to fall to pieces and tumble down. Like Ozymandias...

It's helpful for children to see, as systems crumble and take a tumble (as they seriously are doing right now in countless ways), what can we do? one approach is to laugh and dance it round and round to find a new way of living. At heart it's quite a revolutionary song: down with the old - bring in the new!

This song has been borrowed and stolen (musicians are said to be thieves, but openly so) from several sources. Old king glory is originally a traditional African-American song/dance from a treasured book of mine, Down in the Valley - singing games for children, and can be traced back to Meg Lippert who learnt it at the Rudolph Steiner school in NYC, where in turn it had been collected from some children in the streets.... What a tale about a tale! Now it's been further patchworked with the 'thumbs out - tootie ta' bit from a song we sang gloriously, with much hilarity, over and over as children, to another refrain. And further bits are added by me to stitch it all together.

As with my much of my other material, this recording is plainly presented for teachers to get a clear idea of tune, moves and sequence. Learn it from the video so that you are comfortable enough to teach it to your classes.

It's a good idea to start the song all solemn and serious: the king in glory and splendour. Keep the sequence of body parts as you add them. Exaggerate the moves. Children love the humour of 'bums out', so have a laugh! You have to be prepared to be a clown yourself, let your hair down and not take yourself seriously to lead this song.

Old king glory on the mountain
the mountain was so high
that it nearly touched the sky
(stretch up tall)
till it tumbled to the ground so they danced it round and round
  (tumbling down motion and dance your way, round and round!)
and they danced it to the left and they danced it to the right
  (it's wonderful to get left and right muddled up - that's the point -
we notice that for most of us it takes a few moments to work out which side is which)
and they danced it through the day and they danced it through the night
and it's one two three follow me... (slow it down here)

Add one by one: thumbs out....elbows out..... knees together.....
toes together...... bums out...
chests out...... chins out...... tongues out
a tootie ta ......   (taking you back to the beginning again)

The ant house

*from STONES HILL STORIES*
This story has its song set to the famous 'Can-can' tune by Offenbach. Lie back, put your feet up, close your eyes and listen: story-telling with no pictures attached has countless benefits for children, developing acute listening skills; ability to sustain focus and attention; and imagination.

This tale tells how seeming disaster and undoing can be the very whirlwind needed to make us alive!
I recorded it back in 2004; today it seems truer than ever.

Monday, October 14, 2019

We need the bees

*from STONES HILL SONGS*

Children love songs about insects, creepy crawlies and small intriguing creatures. As we sing about them, we can also teach the next generation to protect and value these essential organisms on this planet. Much has been written in the scientific world about the devastating impact humans have had on our environment, to our own detriment, with our thoughtless use of toxic insecticides, pesticides and other poisonous-cides. Most households have an array of chemical sprays and powders which are often used with gay abandon, a large pinch of ignorance and sometimes small and curious hands that should not be able to reach that shelf, but do.

The current plight of honey bees the world over lends urgency to this topic. I recommend (for interested adults) a brilliantly researched though deeply sobering book written back in the 1950s by Rachel Carson, addressing this very issue. More than ever, her message needs to be heard and heeded. 'Silent Spring' refers to the silence which descended in areas struck by death-en- masse of entire colonies of birds following indiscriminate campaigns by authorities on 'pests' and 'weeds'.

Dr.Seuss's fantastical story of the Lorax will invite re-reading countless times by young and old alike as it follows the crazy, doomed downward spiral that is the inevitable consequence of an economy of consumption. With each reading we hope for an alternative ending... there is always the last 'truffula seed' in this tale...

Em C D
What about the insects and what about the bees?
Em C D

Just a moment please while I fall down on my knees
Em C D

And have a little sneeze (aatishoo!) and hold my nose and wheeze (do just this)
Em D Em

And PUT AWAY THE BUG SPRAY PLEEEAAAZE! buzz buzz

Em C D

We need those insects and bees to farm
Em C D

We need to hold back from doing them harm
Em C D

The world is our web with place enough for all
Em C D

Protect and respect both the great and the small
Em D Em

And PUT AWAY THE BUG SPRAY PLEEEAAAZE! buzz buzz

{ optional extra line: Forget about the 5-G speed!!}
this referring to the controversial introduction of super-fast wifi
to the detriment of bee, bird and insect activity - a further subject..

This song has a refrain that you can play with endlessly between verses. It is something I learnt on an Orff Schulwerk music course from Sophia Lopez-Ibor who introduced this technique in another song. The principle is the same: it's about reading, reading animals left to right as we would words. We learn to read 4 in a row rhythmically, keeping the beat while fitting in words with different numbers of syllables.

Generally I repeat each set 4 times as this makes some musical sense (phrasing). You can then quickly switch and re-arrange the order for further fun. Then begin by removing one which becomes a silent space (called a rest in music). Then remove another... the play of syllables, sequences and rests are infinite, each one with its own rhythmic pattern. Sometimes it's useful to use a pointer, like a cursor, indicating each animal in turn, in time, as it's named.

Here are a few examples to get you going:

BUTTERFLY BEE CATERPILLAR SPIDER
X4

SPIDER CATERPILLAR BUTTERFLY BEE
X4

SPIDER BUTTERFLY BEE
X4

ETC. Play with it yourself by saying the words and sensing their natural rhythms before taking it to your classes. You can also have two different 'sentences' running together for two different groups. The overlay of rhythmic patterns from two groups is particularly mesmerizing.

A serious song about a sobering subject, but lots of fun to be had with the name patterns as well.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Tree in the wood

*from STONES HILL SONGS*

This is an old folk song passed down by oral tradition over many generations. Its charm and simplicity have stood the test of time and to this day it evokes a magical unfolding of nature that captures any child's imagination. What makes it so special is the fact that all the elements are good and 'fine'.

The tune is well shaped and gently repetitive, lending itself to some improvised embellishment if the teacher so wishes. It's worth modulating up if possible to stretch both the voice and the ear. It can be sung gently, without hurry, using pause and 'rubato' as if telling a tale - which is exactly what it is doing. It is a song with a story.

The song gathers momentum, accumulating along the way. This practice using sequencing and memory is a well-loved as a classic children's game. The accompanying movements helps to reinforce the patterning and can be performed in dance-like fashion.

Several versions have been demonstrated to accompany 'the green grass growing all around' - the choice is up to the teacher depending on the age and ability of the group. I have used it with very young ages all the way up to 8/ 9 year olds.

All in the wood there was a tree

the finest tree you ever did see

the tree was in the ground

and the green grass grew all around, all around

the green grass grew all around

Now on this tree there was a branch

the finest branch you ever did see

the branch was on the tree....

Now on this branch there was a twig.....

Now on this twig there were some leaves....

Now in the leaves there was a nest....

Now in the nest there was an egg....

Now in the egg there was a bird....

Explore the collection of Stones Hill songs listed below - share them with people whom you know will use and enjoy them. Please acknowledge source and composer if piece is used for public performance - copyright Liz Campbell, Stones Hill songs. Feedback would also be appreciated - how the song works for you, how you may have used it: liz.jessam@gmail.com

Plastic bottle eco-brick

*from STONES HILL SONGS*

Following a week of singing and dancing with children at Jujurha pre-school in Bulungula, this song emerged as a focus for dealing with the present plastic crisis that affects us all, everywhere. Effective management of our everyday waste requires the same attention as other basic daily

needs, and the children were quick to see how the eco-brick could be one solution towards helping address this. Made into a fun song, the task of pushing plastic scraps into the 2 liter bottles became surprisingly meaningful and satisfying, especially when done as a group initiative with a view to using the bricks for a building project for the school (never mind that it's a perfect activity for developing fine motor co-ordination, bilateral motor co-ordination, praxia and a host of other impressive developmental tasks for small digits).

Watch the following link to find out more about eco-brick activity in Makahanda:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ZrkhmJbvg

This clear, informative sign was posted at Buccaneer's backpackers, Chintsa:

Any or all parts of the following song can be used in different combinations, depending on the ages of the children involved. The bottles were taken home to be used as a bin for plastic/ foil. And this is only the start as we find ourselves at the critical point where our daily toxic rubbish needs to be beaten into building blocks for our future (as swords too can be beaten into ploughshares) before it swamps our environment.

You pick-a-pick a bottle and you pick-a-pick a stick
and you pick-a-pick-up rubbish and pick plastic
and you stick it in the bottle and you stick it with your stick
You push it and you stick it and you make a plastic brick
(do this bit slowly, story-telling style, while introducing the bottle/stick/ plastic idea. Use drama to pick up plastic scraps and feed them into a bottle)

A plastic bottle eco-brick - it's a plastic bottle eco-brick
A plastic bottle eco-brick - it's a plastic bottle eco-brick
(this is simple version with no passing, make up rhythm patterns on bottle)

Pass the bottle - pass the stick - make a little beat going tic-tic-tic
Pass the bottle - pass the stick - make a little beat on the eco-brick
(a passing game, and a useful way of distributing the bottles round a circle)

The rubbish that we drop gets caught in the trees
It blows in the wind and lands in the sea
It tangles with the turtles, gets swallowed by the fish
Lands up in the food on your your very own dish
(lead this line by line, children copying your words and actions)

The video recording for this song is not intended as a backing track or for listening entertainment: it has been simply and clearly recorded so that teachers can learn it as easily as possible. It can be sung with no accompaniment except the bottles for percussion. Optional guitar can be added but is not essential.

Further songs that are useful with the bottle theme:
- 10 plastic bottles sitting on the floor (a la 10 green bottles sitting on a wall)
- Building up a house (part of the Stones Hill Song collection)

The song came about at Jujurha pre-school in Bulungula, in the Amathole district of the Wild Coast, South Africa. The school is one of the several community projects run by the Bulungula Incubator - a rural development NGO https://bulungulaincubator.org/

Spring is sprung

*from STONES HILL SONGS*

This song celebrates the change of season, noticing changes that take place around us as winter moves into spring. We do children a great service, teaching them to pay attention to what's happening around them in nature, appreciating birdsong, bee activity, growth of trees, leaf and flowers.

Once again I sing it in my plain voice, encouraging teachers and class facilitators to do the same. There is much merit in unaccompanied singing, without flashy backing track. It trains and tunes the ear like nothing else so launch in boldly!

Start by playing with the word SPRING! Sprong, sprang, sprung, sproong, spreng.... each with its own gesture of hands and face (our primary communicating tools along with voice). Have fun, be dramatic.

I would teach the song line by line, letting the children echo after me to find the simple words and tune. They will pick it up quickly with its repetitive patterns and sequences.

Once established, stand up and add a little turn around dance for the la-di-da bit. Or work in partners, mirror the actions and do a little dance linking arms in each twosome. It all depends on the number and age of the children you have in a group. Do whatever works easiest!

Spring is sprung the grass is green

La di da di dadida dee

Birds are singing in the trees

La di da di dadida dee

Flowers grow for busy bees

La di da di dadida dee

Animal Farm

*from STONES HILL SONGS*

This song borrows part tune and part lyrics from an unknown source, perhaps familiar to some teachers. Here it's developed and gallops off in a slightly different direction, as songs often do over time.

It's best sung unaccompanied as presented in the demo-video, leaving the teacher free to set the pace, employ story-telling drama and lead the accompanying actions. Whether you do it sitting down or get up and run about in the middle is entirely up to you -you know your group best. Enjoy the sssshhhhh! quiet at the end!

There are ducks in the meadow and when everybody's out

All the ducks make their noises as they quack and flap about
NOISE AND FLAPPING!

The farmer comes back home and says: WHAT'S ALL THIS NOISY RIOT?!

Gives feed, gives water, pats them all – and suddenly- shhhhhhh!! - it’s quiet....

There are horses in the meadow and when everybody’s out

All the horses make their noises as they gallop all about
NEIGH AND GALLOP!

The farmer comes back home and says: WHAT'S ALL THIS NOISY RIOT?!

Gives feed, gives water, pats them all – and suddenly- shhhhhhh!! - it’s quiet.....

There are pigs in the meadow and when everybody’s out

All the pigs make their noises as they frolic all about...

There are cows in the meadow and when everybody’s out

All the cows make their noises as they plod and moo about...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Friday, October 18, 2019

Monday, October 14, 2019

Sunday, October 13, 2019