Category: Music Therapy

Here are today’s activities from Emmeline.

Vocal Warm-Up: The Magic Pencil
This week’s vocal warm-up is going to be The Magic Pencil. The idea is to make imaginary drawings with the pencil and copy these with your vocalisations. If you are with other people you can pass the magic pencil in a circle continuing its music as it goes.
This is Emmeline’s favourite vocal warm-up!

Canny Shove Yer Grannie off a Bus: Part 1 – Verse 1 & Chorus
This week we are going to be learning the Makaton for another favourite Scottish Song; ‘Canny Shove Yer Grannie off a Bus’.
Today we are going to learn the first verse of the song and the chorus:

Ye canny shove yer grannie off a bus

PUSH PUSH
Ye canny shove yer grannie off a bus

PUSH PUSH
Ye canny shove yer grannie
Cause she’s yer mammie’s mammie
Ye canny shove yer grannie off a bus

PUSH PUSH.

Musical Story: We All Sing with the Same Voice by Philip Miller and Sheppard Greene 

 This is a lovely story with a very kind message. We thought about doing our own version of this story but the sung version by children around the world is unbeatable. You can watch and listen to it from the link below;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezAwndQ5FRs

If you would like to hear the story alone, Emmeline has read the story without the music in the video below.

Touch the Sky: Part 5 – The Whole Song!

It is time to sing and sign all of ‘Touch the Sky’ together! Good Luck everyone.

Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.

Let’s Make Music Together Today

 Today’s Musical activity is called ‘Let’s Make Music Together today’. The aim of this song is to allow everyone an opportunity to do some solo playing and then all join in to play together again.

The first verse which everyone plays along with goes;

Let’s make music together today, 

What can we sing and what can we play, 

We’re making music together today. 

We can sing and we can play. 

In the next verse it is time for someone to take their turn to play on their own;

Let’s make music together today, 

What can we sing and what can we play, 

(Emmeline’s) playing the (shaker) in music today, 

Let’s all listen to Emmeline play.

After this verse everyone joins in again until it is the next person’s turn. You can finish the song by singing;

We’ve made music together today. 

We can sing and we can play!

 Touch the Sky: Part 4 – Verse 

Hello everyone, today we are going to learn Verse 3 of Touch the sky before we put the whole song together tomorrow!

I will hear their every story
Take hold of my own dream
Be as strong as the seas are stormy
And proud as an eagle’s scream.

Here are today’s musical activities with Emmeline.

Soundscape: Sky

In keeping with our Makaton song of the week, we have created our interpretation of a sky Soundscape today. We have provided this picture as a visual stimulus for the Sky but you can also choose your own picture or look at the sky from your window or garden.

Please relax, listen to the music, look at the picture, imagine different things you might find in the sky and take deep breathes. Perhaps you have some things at home that make you think of the sound of the clouds moving past or the sun shining that you could add in.

Touch The Sky: Part 3 – Verse 2

Well done so far with Touch the Sky. It is not as familiar a song to many of us as ‘Donald Far’s Yer Troosers’ is but we hope it will be by Friday! Today we are learning the second verse.

Where dark woods hide secrets
And mountains are fierce and bold
Deep waters hold reflections
Of times lost long ago.

Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.

Song: Five little Ducks 

 Our Five little Ducks activity is very similar to last week’s Five little monkeys. We have prepared our version of it with 5 printed ducks stuck to desk bells! Every time Mummy duck says; ‘quack, quack, quack quack’ we are going to play one of the bells and it will swim away. Again, please don’t worry if you do not have instruments like this! You could sing, clap, sign or tap the quacks instead. You could also print and cut out or draw five Little Ducks to practise counting down.

Touch the Sky : Part 2  – Verse 1 

It is time to learn the first verse of Touch the Sky today and then add it to the chorus!

When the cold wind is a-calling
And the sky is clear and bright
Misty mountains sing and beckon
Lead me out into the light.

Here are today’s musical activities with Emmeline.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Vocal Warm- up: Humming to Singing 

This week’s vocal warm-up is going to be practising humming into singing.

See if you can put your lips together and make a tickly humming sound which gradually gets louder and turns into an ‘ahh’ sound that you are singing. Try doing this along with Emmeline first at different volumes and then try it at home. It is a brilliant exercise to build confidence and you can practise it anywhere!

Touch the Sky: Part 1 – Chorus 

The Makaton song we are going to be learning this week is ‘Touch the Sky’ by Julie Fowlis from the film Brave. This was a new song recently for the Makaton Choir at Orchard Brae School, so now is the perfect opportunity to perfect it! Today we are going to learn the chorus for this song.

I will ride, I will fly

Chase the wind and touch the sky

I will fly

Chase the wind and touch the sky.

Here are today’s musical activities from Emmeline.

Song: Five Little monkeys
Five little monkeys is such a popular children’s song. We have prepared our version of it with 5 printed monkeys stuck to desk bells! We will play one each time a monkey falls off the bed. Don’t worry if you do not have instruments like this! Could you bang a pan or clap your hands every time a monkey falls off the bed instead? You could also print and cut out or draw 5 Little monkeys to practise counting down.

Donald Far’s Yer Troosers: Part 4 – Verse 3

Today we are learning the third verse of Donald Fars Yer Troosers! We hope you can still remember the other verses and the chorus as tomorrow we will be putting the whole song together!

Now, I went down to London town
And I had some fun on the underground.
The ladies turned their heads around, saying;
“Donald, where are your trousers?

Here are today’s musical activities with Emmeline.

Soundscape: Under The Sea

Every Wednesday we are going to be providing a different themed soundscape.

Today’s theme is Under the Sea. We have provided this picture as a visual stimulus for under the sea ideas.

Please relax, listen to the music, look at the picture, imagine different under the sea creatures and take deep breathes. If you have anything at home that sounds like the sea then you can also join in using this. Perhaps you have a container filled with beads or buttons that could be used as your own ocean drum or a shell to hold to yours or someone else’s ear?

Donald Far’s Yer Troosers: Part 3 – Verse 2

Today let’s try the Second verse of Donald Far’s Yer Troosers,

A lady took me to a ball
And it was slippery in the hall
I was afraid that I would fall
‘Cause I didn’t have on my troosers

Here are today’s musical activities with Emmeline.

Play Away & Stop 

This is a brilliant fun game of musical statues with instruments included! The lyrics of the song are;

Play Away, Play Away, Play Away and Stop!

Try playing along with Emmeline first. Playing and listening at a normal volume, quietly, loud, fast and slow. You can then try this amongst yourselves. If you do not want to sing the song you can say ‘Play’ and ‘Stop’ or wait for someone to vocalise or smile to indicate the starting and stopping. Try playing about with the dynamics and tempo at home too!

Also remember if you don’t have any musical instruments, please don’t worry. Use a pot, pan, old box, kaleidoscope, homemade shaker, clap your hands or tap your knees!

Donald Far’s Yer Troosers: Part 2 – Verse 1

Today we are going to learn Verse 1 of Donald far’s yer troosers, we will learn a little bit each today to build up to the entire song on Friday! Don’t forget to do your ‘Little Man’ vocal warm-up from yesterday before we start!

Just got in from the Isle of Skye
I’m not very big and I’m awfully shy
The ladies shout as I go by
Donald far’s yer troosers?