Singing with your Child

By Diane Forrest

Sing.
Sing a song.
Sing out loud, sing out strong.
Sing of good things, not bad.
Sing of happy, not sad.
Sing.
Sing a song.
Make it simple to last your whole life long.
Don´t worry that it´s not good enough for anyone else to hear.
Just sing.
Sing a song.
La La La La La La
La La La La La La
La La La La La La
Sing. Sing a song.
Let the world.
Sing out loud.
Sing of love there, could be.
Sing for you and for me.
Sing a song.
Make it simple to last your whole life long.
Don´t worry that it´s not good enough for anyone else to hear.
Just sing, sing a song.

This song was recorded by the group the Carpenters, and it is one of my favorites.  I love to sing, I began singing in church probably as soon as I could talk.  I have always been a part of a school or church choir.  One of the first performances I remember was in a program for my kindergarten class.  I sang a solo, a tisket a tasket, a green and yellow basket. 

So it was no wonder when my son was born that I would sing to him too.  From the time he was born until the age where he didn't want to be around his mother, we would sing songs together.  Even now we will occasionally sing a rounding version of Little Cabin in the Woods.  He still laughs when I do all the hand gestures.

Singing with your child is a wonderful way to bond and bring the family together. 

March is Sing with Your Child Month.  According to musictogether.com, When we take the time to sing and make music as a family, we form everlasting bonds, which ultimately allow our children to feel safe and secure as they grow, putting them on the road to future success. In addition to the bonding that occurs when parents sing and make music with their children, the children grow into confident music-makers who are able to participate with joy in the music of their culture. And, music learning supports all learning by promoting creativity, personal expression, and social interaction.

The beauty is that making music with children does not require special skills or “musical talent.” In fact, this may be the one time in your life when the audience (your children!) will always be thrilled with your participation — and want more! These experiences will live in your children’s memories for the rest of their lives and help them develop the necessary qualities to grow into loving and confident adults.

The impact of singing and making music with your child is immeasurable, and the rewards of this simple act will help us make the world a much better place than it is now. Sing a song, grab a drum (or even a plastic bowl and wooden spoon!) and join us as we celebrate Sing With Your Child Month.

(All Images from Google) 

Universal Music Day

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest

It’s a cold, cloudy rainy afternoon, so I'm sitting in front of the television watching a movie that I taped a while back, well actually there are three of them.  It's the series of High School Musical.  I love watching them and singing along with the songs.  I have always wondered why nobody at my school never broke out into song and dance.  Every time I'm feeling blue, a musical will always pick me up.  I love the show tunes, and think about singing in the rain with Gene Kelly.

There is nothing better than brightening your mood than to sing a song.  I love singing, since I was small I sang at church, then later I was in several choirs at school and church, and when I became a mother I sang to my baby every day.

I have a friend who will go out for breakfast in the morning and start the day rocking to different songs on his earphones.  I have a special CD I play when I travel in my car, it was my husband's favorite, and I turn it up and sing the songs over and over until I reach my destination.

My family sings as well.  My father used to sing in the church choir until he began having throat problems, my mother makes a "joyful noise" at church, and is often seen out shopping singing "Jingle Bells" no matter what time of year it is. My son is not much of a singer, but he loves to play the guitar, and loves listening to music.  In fact he went out of town to hear a concert this weekend.

(Google Image) 

Today is Universal Music day.  The goals for this day include:

• to support the 80% of people who WISH they could sing or play an instrument. They will then be your best supporters of the Arts.
• to keep Music in the schools
• to bring Music making into corporations
• to bring MUSIC to the bedside for sick and dying.
• to bring MUSIC back into the home.

(Google Image) 

According to their website at universalmusicday.com, their mission is to Encourage people to make MUSIC — sound, silence, vibrations, from their HEARTS with the intention of creating LOVE, JOY, BEAUTY, COMPASSION AND CREATIVE LIVING.  Music is something that just brings people together, and there are all kinds of styles and types of music.  There is rock and roll, classical, jazz, country, opera, rap, heavy metal, and others.  According to Plato, Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.

So today, on Universal Music Day, Sing...sings a song; sing out loud...sing out strong!!!  Sing of good things not bad....sing of happy not say, Sing, sing a song, make it simple to last the whole day long...don’t worry if it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing...sing a song!!!!

(Google Image) 

Today through Pictures

November 7, 2012

Right On! 

Something wrong here

Love and Trust

What's your favorite song?

Spot On!

Choice!

Sing with your Children

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest

I have grown up singing.  I love music, all kinds, from opera to rap, well some rap anyway. When I was in kindergarten I sang my first solo at our end of the year program.  The song was "A tisket a tasket a green and yellow basket, I wrote a letter to my love, and on the way I dropped it."

For as long as I can remember I have always been in a choir.  I started in church choirs, then school choirs, and then back to the adult choir at church.  It probably won't come as a shock when I tell you when my son was born I would always sing to him too.  As he got older, he learned the words to the songs and sing with me.  It is a wonderful thing to spend time with your children and sing and have fun.  I guess that is why March is Sing with your Child Month.

Some people may not think they can sing, or don't like to sing, but starting your child off with music is not only a great bonding experience, you could be planting the seeds for the next American Idol. To quote the song by the Carpenters, "Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear just sing, sing a song."

Below are a few songs to get you started:

(Google Image)  

The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go round and round

Round and round, round and round

The wheels on the bus go round and round

All through the town.

The wipers on the bus go "Swish, swish, swish,

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish"

The wipers on the bus go "Swish, swish, swish"

All through the town.

The door on the bus goes open and shut

Open and shut, open and shut

The door on the bus goes open and shut

All through the town.

The horn on the bus goes "Beep, beep, beep

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep"

The horn on the bus goes "Beep, beep, beep"

All through the town.

The gas on the bus goes "Glug, glug, glug

Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug, glug"

The gas on the bus goes "Glug, glug, glug"

All through the town.

The money on the bus goes "Clink, clink, clink,

Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink"

The money on the bus goes "Clink, clink, clink"

All through the town.

The baby on the bus says, "Wah, wah, wah!

Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah!"

The baby on the bus says, "Wah, wah, wah!"

All through the town.

The people on the bus say, "Shh, shh, shh,

Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh"

The people on the bus say, "Shh, shh, shh"

All through the town.

The mommy on the bus says, "I love you,

I love you, I love you"

The daddy on the bus says, "I love you, too"

All through the town.

(Google Image)  

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,

Little lamb, little lamb,

Mary had a little lamb,

Its fleece was white as snow

Everywhere that Mary went,

Mary went, Mary went,

Everywhere that Mary went

The lamb was sure to go

It followed her to school one day

School one day, school one day

It followed her to school one day

Which was against the rules.

It made the children laugh and play,

Laugh and play, laugh and play,

It made the children laugh and play

To see a lamb at school

(Google Image)  

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

(Google Image)  

This Old Man

This old man, he played one,

He played knick-knack on my thumb;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played two,

He played knick-knack on my shoe;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played three,

He played knick-knack on my knee;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played four,

He played knick-knack on my door;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played five,

He played knick-knack on my hive;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played six,

He played knick-knack on my sticks;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played seven,

He played knick-knack up in Heaven;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played eight,

He played knick-knack on my gate;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played nine,

He played knick-knack on my spine;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played ten,

He played knick-knack once again;

Knick-knack paddy whack,

Give a dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

(Google Image)  

Old MacDonald had a farm

Old MacDonald had a farm,

Ee i ee i oh!

And on that farm he had some chickens,

Ee i ee i oh!

With a cluck-cluck here,

And a cluck-cluck there

Here a cluck, there a cluck,

Everywhere a cluck-cluck

Old MacDonald had a farm

Ee i ee i oh!

Old MacDonald had a farm,

Ee i ee i oh!

And on that farm he had some dogs,

Ee i ee i oh!

With a woof-woof here,

And a woof-woof-woof there

Here a woof, there a woof,

Everywhere a woof-woof

Old MacDonald had a farm

Ee i ee i oh!

Old MacDonald had a farm,

Ee i ee i oh!

And on that farm he had some turkeys,

Ee i ee i oh!

With a gobble-gobble gobble-gobble here,

And a gobble-gobble gobble-gobble there

Here a gobble-gobble, there a gobble-gobble,

Everywhere a gobble-gobble-gobble

Old MacDonald had a farm

Ee i ee i oh!

Old MacDonald had a farm,

Ee i ee i oh!

And on that farm he had some cows,

Ee i ee i oh!

With a moo-moo here,

And a moo-moo there

Here a moo, there a moo,

Everywhere a moo-ooo

Old MacDonald had a farm,

Ee i ee i oh!

(Google Image)  

The itsy bitsy spider

The itsy bitsy spider

Climbed up the waterspout

Down came the rain

And washed the spider out.

Out came the sun

And dried up all the rain

So the itsy-bitsy spider

Climbed up the spout again!