2016 Term 2, Weeks 9 & 10: Cool Cats and Countdown to Holidays

Cool cats clicking their fingers in time to Sh-boom sh-boom by the Koi Boys from New Zealand. What dance movements can you create for the verses and choruses?  Here's a link to the lyrics for Sh-boom Sh-boom.

Add 4 bar lines to make 5 bars of 4 beats each.

Holiday by Fatcat and Fishface
Here's another fun song from our favourite singers-and-songwriters. 
 
Click here for the link to the web page for this song. You can listen to the song for free for a few times then you need to pay for it  - which I recommend.   Great to support New Zealand music and musicians.
Tahi - rua - toru - wha
 
On a holiday in Polynesia
Sitting underneath the coconut trees
Sun is shining on the pretty blue sea
When a big fat coconut fell on me 

Oh - oh - oh -oh - oh

On a holiday in Australia
Kangarooses on the hop all daya
Sitting underneath the old gum tree
When a blue-tongued lizard took a piece of me
Oh - oh - oh -oh - oh 

On a holiday in the Antarctic
Took my snowshoes and my sharpest ice pick
Played with penguins in the freezing sea
When a hump backed whale got a crush on me

Oh - oh - oh -oh - oh  
hol-i -day   hol-i-day 
hol-i-day  
Oh - oh - oh -oh - oh 
  
On a holiday in old New Zealand
Grass is greener and the sheep are clean and
Birds are singing in the totara tree
When an earthquake shook itself all over me
 Oh - oh - oh -oh - oh 
La-la-la-la-la . . .  

A map of Polynesia.  What islands and countries are in Polynesia? What islands and countries in this map are not in Polynesia?  Poynesia comes from two Greek words meaning  "many islands".

What's at the top of a coconut tree?

Find Australia, New Zealand and the Antarctic

An Australian blue-tongued skink (lizard)

The Antarctic - how many countries can you find?

A hump backed whale "breaching"

Juniors:

Get the Sillies Out 

2016, Term 2 Weeks 7 and 8: Bird Brains and Bugs Bunny

Here's another song by Fatcat and Fishface.  Click on this link to find the music  for Bird Brain- but you can only play it a few times before it's blocked and then you will need to follow the instructions to buy it for yourself. (Well worth it!)
 






















Bird  Brain 

Bird . . .  Brain . . .  Bird. . . Brain 

The brain of a bird is a marvellous thing
It can teach you to fly. It can teach you to sing
It can teach you to operate both of your wings
Oh the brain of a bird is a marvellous thing
The brain of a bird is a marvellous thing

Bird . . .  Brain . . .  Bird. . . Brain  

The brain of a bird is a marvellous thing
It can make you take journeys in winter and spring
It can make you make nests of tinfoil and string
Oh the brain of a bird is a marvellous thing
The brain of a bird is a marvellous thing

Bird . . .  Brain . . .  Bird. . . Brain 

Your bones may be hollow
Your feet may be webbed
Your song may be just a quack
Yet you can fly thousands of nautical miles
You can fly thousands of nautical miles 
You can fly thousands of nautical miles
And know how to get yourself back

Bird . . .  Brain . . .  Bird. . . Brain 

The brain of a bird is a marvellous thing
It can help you to see when it’s terribly dim
It can lead you to water to duck, dive or swim
Oh the brain of a bird is a marvellous thing
the brain of a bird is a marvellous thing
the brain of a bird  -  is a marvellous thing

Brain  A marvellous thing        Bird  
Brain  A marvellous thing        Bird  
Brain  A marvellous thing        Bird 

Last week we looked at Tom and Jerry's version (Cat Concerto) of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2.  Here's another cartoon version of  Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2, starring Bugs Bunny.   What similarities can you find between the two versions?  They were both released in 1946, and both film studios accused the other of plagiarism, but no proof has ever been found.  In 1947, the Cat Concerto won an Academy Award for best animated short film.  

 Vocabulary: 

rhapsody -  a one-movement piece of instrumental piece of music with several  contrasts of tempo and mood 

movement - one section of a longer piece of classical music. Longer pieces of classical music are often broken up into different sections - called movements. Often  there is a different tempo and mood to each movement.  Audiences are not supposed to applaud between movements, but wait until the very end when the conductor puts down his baton and bows. 

tempo -  the speed a piece of music is played. There can be many changes of tempo in a single piece of music.

applaud -  to clap. Applause means clapping. 

concerto -  from the Italian language meaning 'agreeing' or 'playing together'.  A concerto is a piece of music played by a solo instrument with an orchestra.  (A piano is the solo instrument in the Tom and Jerry cartoon. We don't get to see the orchestra but we hear them.) 

nautical -  means to do with the sea, sailing, or navigation. 

plagiarism - copying someone else's work and using it as your own.  

Chcek out nzso.co.nz for availability of tickets 

2016 Term 2 Week 7 Wednesday: While the teacher's away

Here's some music for the relief teacher to use with my junior music classes while I'm away on Wednesday. Choose from any of the activities below. Look for the links for video clips.
 
How many musical instruments can you find making up this motorbike?

Below are some of the Juniors' favourites and they will be able to sing and dance along with the videos, or just watch and enjoy revisiting some of our favourite performers and performances. 

The Wonky Donkey Dance performance for junior audience.  The students may like to sing along with as much of this they can keep up with. 

Cat Concerto by Tom and Jerry   A six minute Tom and Jerry cartoon where Tom is trying to play Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2, and Jerry ends up getting the applause.  
Ask students to: 
- listen for the audience clapping when the pianist walks on
- listen for the orchestra tuning up, then the conductor tapping his/her baton to indicate that they are ready to start
- look for how a piano makes sound
- look for how the pianist alters the height of the piano stool
- look for where on the piano you play the high notes and the low notes 

 

Here's another version of Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2 - played by two pianists. 

Star Wars March  
Play the sound track but put video on Freeze as the images will be distracting to juniors. (Just a whole series of notes for rhythm work.) March around the room with students following you; avoid stamping and thumping  . . .   

Selfish Shellfish song   by Fatcat and Fishface.    This is the lyrics page; look for the sound track in the top left hand corner. 

Looby Loo    (For  Years 1 and 2) This is slightly different to the version we do together in class, but they will know enough to join in and probably do the dance. 

The Hampster Dance They haven't done this dance this year, but it's easy enough to follow. Just make sure you have enough space for them at the front of the room.  You may need to shut down a few pop ups during the vid. 

The Freeze Game   
They haven't done this dance this year, but it's pretty easy to follow. 

For Years 3 &4: Best Day of My Life - with lyrics