Roots Forest School: A Song from Miss Katie

Hello Roots Families! It’s Miss Katie, your music teacher! So excited to be a guest on the blog today! I have some fun musical activities to share with you! As we’re all navigating new ways to learn and interact from home, I want you to remember that music is everywhere! My family and I have been trying to get outside each day and listen to the musical sounds happening outside as well as creating and listening to our own too. When you go outside, what music do you hear? Here are some nature music sounds we’ve been observing lately:

Birds singing and chirping

Dogs Barking
Snow crunching under our feet
Wind whispering through the trees

I’d love to hear what musical sounds you hear outside at your house!

I’d also like to share a few of the classical music selections we’ve listened to as we started our monthly music lessons at Roots throughout this past year so you can enjoy them at home too! I bet you’ll recognize some of these songs! Below are Youtube links to a few of our favorites, these can all be found on iTunes as well. Try finding the beat while listening by clapping your hands, patting your legs, dancing with scarves or tapping sticks together.

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in C Minor

Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Op. 71:

Remember when we listened to this song and pretended the room was filled with jello? See how slow you can move to this one!:

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for Violin & Oboe in C Minor, BWV 1060: ll. Adagio

I also have a fun call and response song called “My Aunt Came Back” that my family and I have been enjoying for the past couple of weeks. Here’s the sheet music to the song as well as additional verses, you can even make up your own rhymes with your family! Watch the video below to see an example of our family enjoying the song! Our dog Lily even joined us! Parents: Feel free to start and stick with just one verse. Repetition is your friend! They'll love to repeat the song many times as they build confidence in the beat, melody, and lyrics. Once you have one verse down really well, feel free to explore and add a new one! Have fun!