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Book: Jingle Bells

Book: Jingle Bells

by | Dec 14, 2021

Blog post written by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC | Song recorded by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC

The Christmas season is filled with many traditions. When I was growing up, my parents would allow my sister and I to open one present on Christmas Eve. I was always the first one awake on Christmas morning, ready for what the day had in store! I didn’t realize how Christmas traditions are vastly different around the world until I read Jingle Bells by Iza Trapani for the first time. 

I’m fairly certain we all know the first couple of verses to the classic song “Jingle Bells.” In Iza Trapani’s interpretation, the lyrics are changed to fit the story: traveling around the world to different countries and learning about the Christmas traditions there! Throughout the story, the reader learns about Christmas traditions in a variety of countries including Mexico, Sweden, the Philippines, and Kenya. When reading this story with your child, you can help them practice many skills such as geography, reading comprehension, and inferencing.

Geography

Within this story, the reader is shown and told about the Christmas traditions and countries all over the world. This is a great opportunity to practice geography skills with your child and to help them locate the different countries on a map or a globe. You could also work on directional skills and ask your child where a particular country is in relation to the United States.

Reading comprehension

In the back of this book, there is more information about the traditions in each country mentioned in the story. Read this information with your child and ask them questions to encourage growth of comprehension skills. What do children in Mexico look forward to on Christmas Eve? Where can children in Italy find their presents on Christmas morning? At what time do people in Poland begin eating Christmas dinner?

Inferencing

This book also gives children the opportunity to work on their inferencing skills. Encourage your child to think about the different traditions in each country while looking at the pictures in the book. Are the children in each country pictured as feeling happy? Why do you think they feel happy? How would you feel if you participated in a different tradition?

If you would like to use a recorded version of Iza Trapani’s version of “Jingle Bells,” I recorded this one for your use!

Jingle Bells

by Iza Trapani | Sung by: Kayla Davitt, MT-BC

Although Christmas traditions vary around the world, it is often a time to spend with friends and family. Whether you are celebrating new traditions or continuing on with family traditions, we hope you and your family enjoy this holiday season!

If you wish to purchase this book on Amazon, you can do so here.

Happy reading!

Finding Peace on Earth

Finding Peace on Earth

by | Dec 7, 2021

 

Written by Amy Thomas, LCAT, MT-BC, C-DBT

As we wind down 2021 with all its twists and turns we look toward a new year. Most people look forward with hope, that life might be easier, less chaotic, and filled with family, friends, good health and happiness. Christmas and Holiday cards send best wishes for a joyous and peaceful new year. There is a very real hunger and thirst for peace, for peace on this earth.

If we look at the ranking of the 20 most peaceful countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index 2021, we will find that the top three countries are Iceland, New Zealand, and Denmark. If you reside in the United States of America, you will find that it is not listed in the top 20. So, unless we plan to relocate, we will need to find ways of finding peace on earth right where we live.

The song Let There Be Peace on Earth was written in 1955. The folksong movement of the 1950s through the ’70s produced many songs known for their ease of singing, clear texts, and prophetic messages. The words were written by Jill Jackson and the melody by her husband Sy Miller. The development of these lyrics came from a powerful story of discovery.

In an interview with Jill she shared the following. “When I attempted suicide [in 1944] and I didn’t succeed,” she said, “I knew for the first-time unconditional love, which God is. You are totally loved, totally accepted, just the way you are. In that moment I was not allowed to die, and something happened to me, which is very difficult to explain. I had an eternal moment of truth, in which I knew I was loved, and I knew I was here for a purpose.” It was approximately ten years later when the couple took their song and their story to a California retreat in the mountains. The retreat was attended by a large group of young people with various socioeconomic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. During the retreat the focus was developing friendships through building relationships through the offering of many educational and musical opportunities.

Sharing these lyrics with the youth at the retreat allowed for them to discover the importance of overcoming societal boundaries. Friendship and love know no bounds, and this understanding is an origin of peace. Can you imagine 180 teenagers standing in a circle, locking arms, and singing this with united voices?

Let there be peace on Earth
And let it begin with me.
With God our creator,
Family all are we.
Let us walk with each other
In perfect harmony.

The simplicity of the song’s meaning, peace on Earth begins with you and me, spread as they returned home from the retreat. Over time it was heard across the globe. Over the years it has been recorded by many artists. We thought it was appropriate and special to share this rendition by the Voices of Hope Children’s Virtual Choir.

 

Did you know, from 11:30 p.m. on December 31st to 12:30 a.m. on January 1st each year, is recognized as the Universal Hour of Peace? The day encourages the promotion of peaceful activities during the hour of observance. What can we do on this day and the following days to live out and share the message of peace? It begins with us.

World Music Therapy Week 2024

World Music Therapy Week 2024

Apr 3, 2024

This blog was written by Robin Neary and Amy Thomas.  Happy World Music Therapy week! It brings us joy to know that all around the world music therapists are coming together to celebrate and educate our communities on our profession. This year, Upstate Music Therapy...

The Planets: A Story Orchestra

The Planets: A Story Orchestra

Apr 3, 2024

Blog post written by Abby Hamel On April 8th, 2024, an out-of-this-world event will occur: the solar eclipse! Rochester is lucky enough to be in the path of totality for this eclipse and I can feel the excitement around me. The Planets by Helen Mortimer is the newest...

Children’s Songs That Won’t Drive You Mad

Children’s Songs That Won’t Drive You Mad

Apr 3, 2024

Blog written by Rebecca Szalay If you are the parent of a young child, chances are you have a CD or playlist of young children’s songs that you listen to everywhere, especially in the car.  You may also find yourself singing “Baby Shark” in the grocery store because...

Book: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey

Book: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey

by | Nov 16, 2021

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC 

An old lady, a turkey, a football, and a boat. You may be asking, “What do these specific objects have in common?” If you have small children at home, you’ve probably heard or read the book There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Well, in this series, the main character continues to swallow seasonal objects as the calendar year progresses! In There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey, the story centers around a turkey-eating holiday: Thanksgiving!

 

As we meet the main character, she begins by swallowing a live turkey. She then proceeds to swallow a variety of objects, some that very obviously make one think of Thanksgiving. When reading this book with your child, you can encourage them to think about what is happening in the book. Here are some ideas:

Fact vs. Fiction

For young children, they may still be learning about how to separate fact from fiction. This story is a great way to allow your child an opportunity to apply their reasoning skills to the events in the story. You can ask them questions such as: Do you think a person can swallow a balloon? Is it possible for a person to swallow a boat? What do you think would happen to a person if they swallowed something inedible like a ball? These questions and others can encourage your child to apply skills and knowledge from their own lives to answer the questions logically.

Sequencing

The events in this story follow a pattern, so this is a great way to work on comprehension skills with your child! When reading this book with your child, you can leave blanks in the content and allow your child to fill in the blank with the correct word. You can turn it into a game with your child and see how quickly they can fill in the blank! Another way to practice putting events in sequential order is to print out these activities and have your child put the pictures in the correct order according to what the old lady swallowed in the story.

Fine motor skills

The above mentioned activities not only allow your child to work on their sequencing skills, but they can also work on their fine motor skills! The activities consist of coloring, cutting, and glueing. This would be a great time to work on some of those skills with your child!

If you’re looking for a recording of the song to use while reading this book with your child, here is one that I enjoy.

Also, check out this amazing activity by Speechin Made Easy to act out the story as you listen to the recording.

We hope you enjoy reading or singing this song with your child as 2021 comes to a close!

If you wish to purchase this book on Amazon, you can do so here.

Happy reading!

Book: The Night Before Summer Vacation

Book: The Night Before Summer Vacation

by | Aug 17, 2021

Written & submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC

Excitement. Anticipation. Thoughts of the beach, the sand, and the sun. I can remember when I was younger how excited I would be on the night before a summer vacation trip – I wouldn’t be able to sleep! For many years, my family would take weeklong summer vacations to different spots on the east coast: Myrtle Beach, Williamsburg, and the Outer Banks (to name a few). The night before getting on the road was almost always filled with chaos: last minute packing, laundry, loading the car, and going through checklists, much like the characters in Natasha Wing’s The Night Before Summer Vacation.

Many of us are familiar with the classic Christmas tale ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The classic tale describes the excitement and joy a child feels the night before opening presents and spending time with family. Natasha Wing altered the common tale for children to identify with another exciting event –  a summer vacation! There is a song that goes with the classic tale and the tune can easily be sung with the words from the summer vacation story. The whimsical illustrations by Julie Durrell in this storybook capture the innocence of a child excited about what is to come in the days ahead.

Even though I don’t have kids of my own, I can only imagine how stressful and chaotic the night before summer vacation can be! I can remember my parents being worried that chores and packing were not going to get done before we had to leave early the next morning. One of my cousins has three kids and she would make travel packs for her kids for the 16-hour drive to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. These packs would include games, coloring books, colored pencils or crayons, notebooks, and little games for the kids to play in the car. If you’re looking to do something similar, here are some fun ideas from The Joys of Boys Blog!

When reading this story with your child, ask them how they would feel on the night before a summer vacation. Maybe make a checklist of items to pack, movies to watch, and games to play in the car. One of my favorite parts of preparing for a road trip was picking songs and CDs to listen to in the car! Check out our blog from earlier this month for fun ways to incorporate music into your road trip! 

We hope you enjoy reading this storybook with your children this summer! If you wish to purchase this book on Amazon, you can do so here.

Happy reading!

   

The Planets: A Story Orchestra

The Planets: A Story Orchestra

Apr 3, 2024

Blog post written by Abby Hamel On April 8th, 2024, an out-of-this-world event will occur: the solar eclipse! Rochester is lucky enough to be in the path of totality for this eclipse and I can feel the excitement around me. The Planets by Helen Mortimer is the newest...

6 Creative Summer Activity Ideas

6 Creative Summer Activity Ideas

Jun 6, 2022

Written by Amy Thomas, MT-BC, LCAT Who needs summer ideas for your children and family? In this blog you will find fun, creative, and simpleideas for the summer months. Keeping it simpleWe’re aware that simple for one person may not be simple for another. For this...

Nature’s Instruments: Making Music Outside

Nature’s Instruments: Making Music Outside

May 2, 2022

Spring is finally here! The daffodils are blooming, the Easter bunny made his visits, and families are itching to get out of the house. In the spring, the outside world is full of sounds. Last week, we shared the blog Pause and Hear the Sounds of Spring to practice...

5 Songs to Get You in the Summer Mood

5 Songs to Get You in the Summer Mood

by | Jun 15, 2021

Summer is just around the corner, and this year brings a lot to celebrate. You may have finished up your first year of virtual teaching or homeschooling. Maybe you can finally travel to see family that you’ve been missing! If staying home is in your plans, don’t hesitate to turn the music up loud and simply enjoy the sunshine. Upstate is here to share five songs that are tried and true to get you in the summer mood.

1) Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow

If you’re hit with a rainy day this time of year, it’s easy to get sucked back into the wintertime blues. Soak up this melody and let this classic boost your mood!

 

2) I’m Comin’ Out from the Trolls Soundtrack

With this throwback mashup you’re bound to get everyone in the house up and dancing! Even the kids will know it if they’ve seen the hit movie Trolls. Schools out and I’m Comin’ Out is a great way to kick off summer vacation!

3) All Summer Long by Kid Rock

If you’re a fan of country or rock music, this one’s for you! Here in the Rochester area, we are all about lake life. Close your eyes and picture a day fishing from a dock or floating on an inner tube with your feet in the cool water. Those days aren’t that far away!

4) Summer of 69′ by Bryan Adams

What were you doing the summer that this song came out? Were you working your first summer job? Or, maybe you were still a kid enjoying carefree days of no school. If this song was before your time it’s still bound to conjure some memories of summers past.

5) Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves

Last but not least we have a summer anthem like no other. If you know a music therapist, chances are they have played this one a time or two to bring the sunshine into music.

We hope one or more of these songs brings you some joy this summer! For many, summer 2021 is a time to celebrate and make up for the difficulties of 2020. No matter where you are or what you’re doing this year, turn up that radio dial, dance, and sing along.

World Music Therapy Week 2024

World Music Therapy Week 2024

Apr 3, 2024

This blog was written by Robin Neary and Amy Thomas.  Happy World Music Therapy week! It brings us joy to know that all around the world music therapists are coming together to celebrate and educate our communities on our profession. This year, Upstate Music Therapy...

The Planets: A Story Orchestra

The Planets: A Story Orchestra

Apr 3, 2024

Blog post written by Abby Hamel On April 8th, 2024, an out-of-this-world event will occur: the solar eclipse! Rochester is lucky enough to be in the path of totality for this eclipse and I can feel the excitement around me. The Planets by Helen Mortimer is the newest...

Children’s Songs That Won’t Drive You Mad

Children’s Songs That Won’t Drive You Mad

Apr 3, 2024

Blog written by Rebecca Szalay If you are the parent of a young child, chances are you have a CD or playlist of young children’s songs that you listen to everywhere, especially in the car.  You may also find yourself singing “Baby Shark” in the grocery store because...

Book: Pete The Cat – The Great Leprechaun Chase

Book: Pete The Cat – The Great Leprechaun Chase

by | Mar 16, 2021

St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that is near and dear to my heart. Growing up, my family celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by eating corned beef and cabbage, listening to Irish music, and discussing our Irish heritage. Now that I provide music therapy services for children, reading Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase by James Dean has become part of my personal St. Patrick’s Day tradition.

This storybook mentions the quintessential St. Patrick’s Day icons: rainbows, pots of gold, clovers, and leprechauns. The colors and illustrations throughout the book are bright and vibrant, enticing for children of all ages! Perhaps my favorite aspect of this book is the use of limericks. According to www.dictionary.com, a limerick is “a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet.” Here’s an example of one of the limericks from the story:

“Once there was a cat named Pete,

Who thought nabbing some luck would be neat.

Then he happened upon

A smart leprechaun,

Who he’ll find quite tricky to beat.”

When I read this book with little ones, I almost always put the limerick to a rhythm; it’s quite fun! If you would rather use a recording of the story, one of my favorites is this one by A Story for Boo on YouTube.

Though this story isn’t specifically set to music, there are many parts of the story where music can be incorporated. One specific example is when Pete is going to try and catch a leprechaun for his friend. His friend wishes for good luck for his band recital. You can ask your child “What song do you think Pete’s friend is going to play?” or “What instruments do you think Pete’s friend will use in his recital?” This is the perfect opportunity to introduce your child to traditional Irish songs such as McNamara’s Band, When Irish Eyes are Smiling, and (my personal favorite) Come By the Hills. These songs (along with many others) use a variety of traditional Irish instruments including the bodhran drum, tin whistle, and Uillean bagpipes. I encourage you to look these instruments up and listen to them being played. They’re very unique!

You can also encourage your child to put themselves in Pete’s shoes: How would they help a friend in need? What would they do with a pot of gold? What tricks would they use to catch a leprechaun? These questions will encourage your child to think outside of the box and will allow them to be creative!

We hope you enjoy using this storybook in your child’s schooling adventures, whether they be attending in-person, remotely, or both! 

If you wish to purchase this storybook on Amazon, click here.

Happy reading!

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC

   

The Planets: A Story Orchestra

The Planets: A Story Orchestra

Apr 3, 2024

Blog post written by Abby Hamel On April 8th, 2024, an out-of-this-world event will occur: the solar eclipse! Rochester is lucky enough to be in the path of totality for this eclipse and I can feel the excitement around me. The Planets by Helen Mortimer is the newest...

Book: My Voice is a Trumpet

Book: My Voice is a Trumpet

Feb 22, 2022

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC  “Voices are powerful, and together they’re strong, like the musical notes of a beautiful song.” Think about it. Each person has a voice. When voices come together, it can sometimes be chaos. But, it can...

Book: Jingle Bells

Book: Jingle Bells

Dec 14, 2021

Blog post written by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC | Song recorded by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC The Christmas season is filled with many traditions. When I was growing up, my parents would allow my sister and I to open one present on Christmas Eve. I was always the first one awake on...