Learn to Sing Holiday Songs Using Solfege (Do-Re-Mi...) With Teacher Debbie

Students will learn to sing using solfege.  Students will enjoy the diversity of different winter holiday celebrations.  Students will socially interact with the teacher and with each other.

I am a certified music teacher.  I am certified to teach all grades.  I have years of experience teaching music and literacy to all grades.  I have taught about Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa in inner city public schools.  I also worked in an inner city school with a very diverse population of students.  I currently teach Chinese students.  I teach respect and work to foster understanding and exposure to many cultures in my classroom.  As a public school teacher, I had intensive trauma-informed instruction training and sensitivity training.  I also regularly attend professional development in these areas and in the area of racial reconciliation.  Although I am not a member of Black Lives Matter, I post regularly on social media to encourage respect, change, and advocacy.  I work constantly to improve my speech patterns to reflect the love and enjoyment I have for many different cultures.  I work occasionally with a historic black university in my city.  As a music teacher, it is extremely important to me to expose children to many cultures and traditions.  My degree included teacher training on teaching multicultural music.  In college vocal music lesson, I sang songs in Italian, German, French, and English.  I have traveled to Japan, Mexico, Canada, half of the U.S., and Costa Rica.  I also grew up in Florida and attended school with ethnically Haitian and Cuban children.  I was fortunate to have Spanish classes from Grades 1-6.  In graduate school, I studied Hebrew.  I want all of my students to experience a taste of many different places through the music they learn.  Marginalization of any people will not be tolerated in any of my classes.  All students are welcome, respected, affirmed, and loved.

No homework is required, but practice is encouraged!  Learners will work together during class and friendships that continue outside of class will be encouraged.

This class is formative, social, collaborative, and a practical use of the concepts taught in the classes titled, "Learn Music With Teacher Debbie: Second/Third Grade General Music Class, Part 1/Part 2."

50 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 0 - 1 hours per week outside of class.

Class slides cite all of the sources on that slide.  Students will see pictures of the vocabulary in each song, found on Freepik, Unsplash, and other free sites.  Here are the lyrics to each song.  Please look at them to make sure this class is good for your child.  

"It's a Small World" by Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman
It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world
There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev'ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world
     It's a Small World (It's a Small World) lyrics © Wonderland Music Co. Inc., 
     Wonderland Music Company Inc., Wonderland Music Company Inc, 
     Wonderland Music Co., Inc.

"Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel;" by Samuel Grossman and Samuel Goldfarb
I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.
And when it's dry and ready, then dreidel I shall play.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play.
It has a lovely body, with legs so short and thin.
When it gets all tired, it drops and then I win!
Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, with leg so short and thin.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it drops and then I win!
My dreidel's always playful. It loves to dance and spin.
A happy game of dreidel, come play now let's begin.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it loves to dance and spin.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. Come play now let's begin.
I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.
When it's dry and ready, dreidel I shall play.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play.

"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," by John Jefferson Rox
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky tinker-toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door
That's the easy thing to do
I can see me now on Christmas morning
Creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise
When I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too
Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian
There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage
I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage
I can see me now on Christmas morning
Creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise
When I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too
     I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

"Up On the Housetop," by Benjamin Hanby
Up on the (housetop/rooftop) reindeer pause
Out jumps good old Santa Claus.
Down through the chimney, with lots of toys,
All for the little ones' Christmas joys.
Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn’t go.
Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn’t go,
Up on the housetop, click, click, click;
Down through the chimney with (good / nice / old) Saint Nick.
First comes the stocking of little Nell;
Oh, dear Santa fill it well!
Give her a dolly that laughs and cries;
One that will open and shut her eyes.
Repeat chorus
(Look in / Next comes) the stocking of little (Will/Bill);
Oh just see what a glorious fill!
Here is a hammer and lots of tacks;
A whistle and a ball and a whip that cracks!
Repeat chorus
     Up On The Housetop lyrics © Public Domain

"The Twelve Days of Christmas," by Frederic Austin
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
Subsequent verses follow the same pattern, each adding one new gift and repeating all the earlier gifts so that each verse is one line longer than its predecessor:
4 calling birds
5 gold rings
6 geese a-laying
7 swans a-swimming
8 maids a-milking
9 ladies dancing
10 lords a-leaping
11 pipers piping
12 drummers drumming

"Kwanzaa, Celebration," by Quaver Music
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa celebration.
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa celebration.
The first day of Kwanzaa, we call it Umoja,
Unity, unity.
The second day of Kwanzaa, Kujichagulia,
Self-determination.
The third day of Kwanzaa, we call it Ujima,
Collective work and responsibility.
The fourth day of Kwanzaa, we call it Ujamaa,
Cooperative economics.
The fifth day of Kwanzaa, we call it Nia,
Purpose, purpose, I have a purpose.
The sixth day of Kwanzaa, we call it Kuumba,
Creativity, creativity.
The last day of Kwanzaa, we say Imani,
That's what we call faith.
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa celebration.
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa celebration.
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa celebration.
Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa celebration.
Celebration!

"Auld Lang Syne," by Robert Burns and James Watson
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

"Wishing You Prosperity (Gongxi Ni Facai)" in English, a popular Chinese song for Spring Festival
Ye yi ye yi
hihihi haho...
I wish you prosperity
I wish you a brilliant life
Best things please come
Bad things please go away
Oh, many gifts people don't mind
I wish all girls around the world
Each marry a good one
And the young couple always stick together
I wish all children around the world
Smartness exceeding scholars
Intelligence filling your brains
I wish all respectable grannies
Thirty-six laps around the track
No puffing and no change of face
I wish my third uncle's business
Fame around the world
Wealth flowing in and living in a mansion.
Swaggering
A happy sky replacing your disasters
Wishing you prosperity
Shout it loud and bold
Wishing you prosperity
I wish you prosperity...
Ye yi ye yi
hihihi haho……
I wish everybody a permanent smile
Wholeheartedly letting love flow
Tomorrow will be more awesome
I wish the world's frustrations
Run away faster than Bolt
Every year producing talented people
Swaggering...
I wish you prosperity...[x2]
Wishes of prosperity!