2014 Term 4, Week 7: Thanksgiving - and more Christmas songs - and dances

Thanksgiving is a holiday in Usa and Canada  It is celebrated in Usa on the fourth Thursday of November, and in Canada, on the second Monday of October.

This first Thanksgiving took place in 1619 when early settlers travelled from England to North America.  The following year, a ship called the Mayflower brought English pilgrims to Massachettes. Many of them died during the first winter because they were cold and didn’t have enough food.  The  next year, local Native Americans  (the Wampanoags)  helped them grow crops. The pilgrims thanked God and the Native Americans for helping them survive and held a feast, inviting  three of the tribe who had helped them. These three brought their families  and there was over 90 people - and not enough food, so the Wampanoags brought more food along: turkey, duck, fish, deer, berries, squash (pumpkin)  and cornbread and vegetables they had grown.

Here's a Horrible History rap about the story of the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. 

This is a short animated story about the first Thanksgiving. 

Not quite turkeys, but here's  the Chicken Dance - which is near enough. 

We've been learning this song - I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.  

Here's a very lively Must be Santa by Bob Dylan. 

This is one version of All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth. 

Here's a fun dance Mah na mah nah. 

This is Sesame Street version of the Mah Nah Mah Nah song - with Sandra Bullock. 

And here's a Crazy Christmas Dance - Can you keep up with it?   

The Juniors are learning Do Re Mi. Here's a karaoke version. 

Here's a version that shows the notes as well as the words. Each note is a different colour to help you recognise the differences.   

This is the version from the film The Sound of Music.

This is a Wellington High School flashmob doing a dance to Do Re Me.

Term 4 Week 6: Chopsticks

 The tune known as Chopsticks  was originally called the Chop Waltz. It was written in 1877  by a 16-year-old British composer called Euphemia Allen - although she used the pseudonym Arthur de Lulli.  When she wrote the music, she said that it should be played with the palms of the hands facing each other vertically and the keys struck with the little fingers  - in a chopping motion.   It is one of the world's most common tunes and is often the first piano music young players pick up from other players, without needing to read music.

Here's a Muppets  episode with Liberace doing Chopsticks

You can see the sheet music and the piano playing it at the same time here. 

Here are two classical pianists having a bit of fun with Chopsticks variations based on other well-known classical pieces.

Here's a bar graph of the music and the piano playing it at the same time.

This is a version from a 1958 television (black and white) programme. It's played in several different styles, including jazz,  and includes a song as well.

This is an Australian  fun song version  by Peter Combe - with lots of children involved.

 And a Sesame Street Two-Headed Monster version.

And another Sesame Street song - about how to use chopsticks to eat food.

This is a Christmas version of Chopsticks.

and a boogie version from  1960s television programme.

And, just for the fun of it, a dancing 27-year-old cockatoo.