Clap for Classics!

Latest Episodes:

28. Vivaldi's "Autumn" Party Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

For this activity you can grab some rhythm sticks, a scarf, and a pillow! We’ll be enjoying Vivaldi’s “Autumn” the whole first movement. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much fun you and your kids will have while engaging with this beautiful music.

Get your hands on the free printable now at www.clapforclassics.com/episode28. It is a PDF with a listening map for this classical music activity. It’s a great way to extend the learning with a visual representation of what is happening in the music. We are teaching musical form in this episode, and your child will experience the form through movement and then the listening map will help solidify the concept.

Check out the blog post where we share this activity in video form.

This activity comes from our “Autumn All Around” course that can be found both inside our Four Seasons Music and More Curriculum, as well as inside our All Access Membership.

For another engaging musical activity to accompany Vivaldi’s “Autumn” check out this video: https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/autumn

In this activity we enjoy the 3rd movement of the Autumn Concerto.

Do you have kids hungry for more and more!! Extend the learning even further by watching this video that will give you some great information about who Vivaldi was and about his Four Seasons violin concertos. https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/vivaldi4seasons

To get information about our Four Seasons Course go to www.clapforclassics.com/fourseasons

To learn all about our All Access Membership go to www.clapforclassics.com/join.

And don’t forget that as a podcast listener you can get 50% off your first month of the membership by using the coupon code “PODCAST.”

Please help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review, telling your friends, or sharing our social media content!

Leave Forte a joke and be featured on an upcoming podcast!

www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics

Classical music for this podcast is licensed to us for our use by Classical.com

27. Beethoven's 5th: a Dragon Story Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Happy Classical Music Month! We are sharing one of our very favorite classical music activities with you, Beethoven’s 5th: a Dragon Story. We made up our own story inspired by the beginning of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.

Grab the free printable now at www.clapforclassics.com/episode27. It is a PDF with images that accompany the story we will be telling through the music. We like to turn the images into simple popsicle stick puppets or a flannel board story.

Check out the blog post where we show you our flannel board and a short video clip of this activity: www.clapforclassics.com/dragonstory

Join our membership to get access to this activity and a library full of musical play activities like this one. All the details are at www.clapforclassics.com/join Use the code "LION" for 50% off your first month!

Leave Forte a joke and be featured on one of our upcoming podcasts: www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider helping us reach more families by leaving us a review, telling your friends, or sharing our social media content!

Classical music is licensed to us by classical.com.

26. This Little Light of Mine Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

Today’s podcast features my friend Adeline, and a wonderful song: “This Little Light of Mine”.

This little light of mine (tap knees), I’m gonna let it shine, (arms: up down up down)

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. (dance in a circle)

This iconic American gospel song has been energizing and uniting diverse groups of people for nearly a century. It’s impossible to sing this song without moving your body and feeling a spark of excitement and purpose. It is a great song to sing with kids because the words are so repetitive, and the message is so positive!

We’ve added some simple actions to each verse, and suggested a flashlight activity for the second time through -- kids and flashlights always seem to be drawn to each other, right?

Want to see a video version of this activity where I sing and dance with 3 young musicians to this song? Find it on the Clap for Classics blog here: https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/thislittlelight, along with more great information about this song and ideas for how to extend the learning with your child.

Don’t miss these incredible renditions of this song by these famous black artists.

Aretha Franklin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Fannie Lou Hamer.

This activity is found inside our membership, in the super-fun “American Classics” music course. Want to know more about the membership? Details here: www.clapforclassics.com/join.

To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics

If you enjoy our podcast please consider leaving us a review, telling a friend about the podcast or sharing about it on social media. This helps us grow and reach more music-loving families!

25. Hi Ho the Rattlin' Bog Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

Today’s podcast is a fast, fun song from the wetlands of Ireland! Grab an egg shaker and get ready to learn “Hi Ho the Rattlin’ Bog” with me and my young friend Calvin. Grab the free printable that accompanies this episode at www.clapforclassics.com/episode25. It is a PDF with extra lyrics, ukulele chords and extension ideas to continue the learning and fun with this song.

Chorus:

Hi ho the rattlin’ bog

The bog down in the valley-oh

Hi ho the rattlin’ bog

The bog down in the valley-oh

Now in this bog there was a tree

A rare tree, a rattlin’ tree

The tree in the bog, and the bog down in the valley-oh

Chorus

Now on this tree there was a branch

A rare branch, a rattlin’ branch

The branch on the tree,

And the tree in the bog, and the bog down in the valley-oh

Chorus

Now on this branch there was a nest

A rare nest, a rattlin’ nest

The nest on the branch, and the branch on the tree,

And the tree in the bog, and the bog down in the valley-oh

Chorus

Now in this nest there was an egg

A rare egg, a rattlin’ egg

An egg in the nest, and the nest on the branch

And the branch on the tree,

And the tree in the bog, and the bog down in the valley-oh

Chorus

Now on this egg there was a bird

A rare bird, a rattlin’ bird

A bird on the egg, and the egg in the nest

And the nest on the branch, and the branch on the tree,

And the tree in the bog, and the bog down in the valley-o!

This cumulative song is such fun to sing, and great for strengthening our memory.

Here are some possible extension ideas:

Add movement by acting out the parts of the song as you sing: strand straight for the tree, stick out arm for the branch, cup hands for the nest, flapping arms for the bird.

Add a visual: For preschoolers: As you slowly sing or review this song, have your child draw a picture of what the song is about, helping her as needed.

For any age: use felt to cut out a tree, a branch, a nest, an egg, and a bird -- then assemble the parts on a flannel/felt board while you sing, pointing to each part when it comes back again and adding the new piece with each verse. Let your little one help you!

This activity comes straight from one of the most popular courses in our All Access Membership, “A Musical Trip Around the World.”

Join us in our All Access Membership for more active, engaging musical activities for you and your little one. Details are at www.clapforclassics.com/join. Use the code "LION" at checkout for 50% off your first month.

Want to see a video version of this song? Find it on the blog at www.clapforclassics.com/blog/bog

Please consider leaving us a review if you enjoy this podcast, it helps us grow and reach more kids and parents!

24. Row Row Row Your Boat Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

Today’s podcast is short, sweet, and familiar! My friend Evelyn and I share Row Row Row Your Boat with some fun and silliness!

Hopefully this sparks your creativity to write some more silly verses.

We use our imaginations to pretend we’re in a boat, or sit facing a partner holding hands and rocking back and forth as if in a boat.

Row row row your boat

Gently down the stream

Merrily merrily merrily merrily

Life is but a dream

Row row row your boat

Gently to the shop

And if you see a kangaroo

Don’t forget to hop

Row row row your boat

Gently to the swamp

And if you meet an elephant,

Don’t forget to stomp.

Row row row your boat

Gently down the stream

And if you see a hungry shark,

Don’t forget to scream.

This activity and many others come straight out of our Summer music course which is inside our membership (Use the code "LION" for 50% off your first month) but also found in our "Four Seasons Music and More Curriculum."

Click here to read more about what is included inside the summer course and to see if the Four Seasons Curriculum is right for your family.

How to adapt and extend the activity found in this episode:

Make up new verses with your child. Ask them which animal they would like to meet, what the animal does (ie: stomp, hop, etc) and then come up with a location word that rhymes with the animal’s action.
Imaginative play: take an imaginary trip on a rowboat with your child. As you meet the various characters in the song, imagine what you/they might say, and what types of adventures you may have together.
Create more variations incorporating musical concepts: Example: Row, row, row your boat softly down the stream (piano!), then loudly down the stream (forte!). Row smoothly or bouncily down the stream (legato/staccato), slowly or quickly (adagio/allegro).
Ukulele: learn how to play the C chord, and sing this song while strumming the C chord If you have a few older singers in your family, try singing this song as a round with 2 or 3 groups. One person or group starts the song and continues while the next group starts singing, one phrase later.

What your child is learning:

Cooperation
Gross motor skills
Body awareness
Steady beat
Phonemic awareness (rhyming and repetition)

Music credit: Row, Row Row Your Boat: Traditional American nursery rhyme, credited to Eliphalet Oram Lyte

23. A Musical Boat Ride With Handel Jul 14, 2022

Show notes

Today we’ll be listening to and learning about a famous piece of music by George Frideric Handel, part of his iconic "Water Music".

Grab some rhythm sticks and the free printable if you’d like to extend the activity for a little more interaction. To grab the free printable that accompanies this episode go to www.clapforclassics.com/episode23. It’s a set of images of the string family and the brass family so you have a visual of the instruments while you listen.

To watch a video of this activity (the one that comes straight out of our All Access Membership), go to https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/watermusic. There you’ll also find a blog post with more information on the piece and even more ways to extend and enjoy this wonderful music.

Enjoying the podcast? Consider joining us inside our All Access Membership to make learning music fun, engaging and rewarding for you and your young child.

Music Credit: “Water Music” Suite No. 2 in D Major by George Frideric Handel 2. “Alla Hornpipe” Performed by the Orchestre Symphonique de Radio-Télé-Luxembourg, conducted by Louis de Froment

Special thanks to Classical.com for licensing this music for our use on the podcast and in our membership.

22. Gershwin's Rhapsody on Burger and Fries Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

Join Ms. Elizabeth, Wilder, and Riff the Pig as we share a wonderful piece of music from american composer George Gershwin.

Grab some rhythm sticks and our free printable to extend this activity. The printable includes images of the instruments that we’ll identify as we listen to this piece. Print them on cardstock and mount on popsicle sticks for puppets, or print two sets and use them to play memory with while you listen! Grab it at www.clapforclassics.com/episode22

This activity comes right out of our American Classics course that can be found inside our All Access Membership. Use the code LION to get 50% off your first month!

We teach the theme to Rhapsody in Blue with a silly phrase, and we don’t think you’ll ever hear this piece again without thinking these words!

Fries……… Ketchup and mustard

And don’t forget cheese

On my hamburger dinner today!

Want to extend the fun and learning even more?

Join our All Access Membership for a library of activities just like the one in this podcast.
Watch the animation from Fantasia 2000, accompanied by Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Listen to the entire piece of music during bathtime, or mealtime. Continue listening for the “ketchup and mustard” theme, and listening for the clarinet, trumpet, and piano.
Play a game of musical memory with the free printable from this episode. Just print out two pages of the cards.
Learn more about our American Classics course found inside our All Access Membership.

What your child is learning:

Active engagement with a piece of classical music
Active listening for a repeated theme
Instrument identification: clarinet, trumpet, piano

Music credit: Special thanks to Classical.com for licensing the music on this podcast. “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Christopher O’Riley on piano and Barry Wordsworth conducting

21. Tortuga Concha: call and response song Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

Learn this fun call and response song from El Salvador! Ms. Elizabeth and Abbey will teach a few words in spanish and then introduce a fun way to sing this song

Tortuga Concha, it’s time to sing