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Music
Up on the Housetop: Christmas Story Behind the Song Series
We'll learn the history behind this wintertime classic, what inspired it, and interesting facts about the songwriter. We will learn about the parts of a song, i.e. verse and chorus. We will have fun discussing the lyrics as we sing!
There are no upcoming classes.
6-11
year olds
3-7
learners per class
$14
Charged upfront
Meets once
45 minute class
There are no open spots for this class.
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Description
Class Experience
This secular American Christmas song is a classic. We will delve into the possible inspiration for the song and discuss interesting facts regarding the song and its popularity in American recording history. As we sing the song, we will stop and look at the lyrics, finding keywords to discuss along the way. We will spend a portion of the class on the storyline of the song and use that as a springboard for discussion of the legendary character of Santa Claus*. For a historical element, we will...
This class is taught in English.
Learners will gain an appreciation for this Christmas classic and its place in sound recording history. History and how it can be discussed through the context of a song will be a focus. Learners will gain an understanding of the typical parts of a song and be able to use them in reference to the lyrics.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Music and have been teaching music for many years! I have had a love of singing and songs from a young age and am looking forward to opening up the world's most famous songs to your learners!
Three optional reports or essays: 1. "Up on the Housetop" is the oldest English song to reference St. Nickolas or Santa Claus. Discuss how St. Nickolas/ Santa Claus popularity grew through the Nineteenth Century 3. The topic of this essay/report refers to the lyrics in the song in regard to the toys Santa leaves the children. Discuss popular 19th and 20th Century handmade toys and which are your favorites and why. For older learners: 3. Dealing with the abolitionist/Underground Railroad background of the composer's family. Discuss why Christmastime was the best time of year to escape slavery.
The homework is optional but I will be happy to provide feedback if submitted.
45 minutes per week in class, and maybe some time outside of class.
We will discuss Santa Claus in this class as depicted in the song. We will also look at "Letters to Santa" and stories about Santa Claus and Christmas from newspapers in the early twentieth century. The topic of whether Santa Claus is a myth or not, will not be addressed in this class. I will just assume that most of the students believe in Santa and will just address him as "Santa." I may say "Our ideas of Santa have changed over the years." I will act more like an investigative reporter on Santa and his doings. Although I will not directly reference Santa Claus as a myth and not give my opinion as to whether I believe he is or not, nor will I ask the learners their opinion, the learners may get that impression from looking at the changes in Santa Claus' depictions in newspapers etc. In discussions with other children in the class, they may also get opposing views, but, I don't believe this is any different than the views they may have with peers in school or older siblings. Also, I will reference abolitionism and the Underground Railroad as it pertains to the family history of the composer of the song. I will not go into depth but it may be a sensitive subject to some. I will gauge the age of the learners in regard to how much weight I put on the subject. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding any of the discussion topics and I will do my best to answer.
https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/up_on_the_housetop.htm https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-st-nicholas https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/hanby_scores/1/ https://westervillelibrary.org/black-history-railroad/ https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/25080394/o-t-t-e-r-b-e-i-n-a-c-o-l-l-e-g-e-our-roots-are-in-university-and- http://touringohio.com/central/franklin/westerville/hanby-house.html https://ohio.org/things-to-do/destinations/hanby-house-museum https://www.stripes.com/history/2021-12-24/why-christmas-best-time-year-escape-slavery-4076617.html https://www.arkrepublic.com/2022/01/01/steal-away-on-new-years-day-why-most-enslaved-people-ran-away-as-the-year-began/
Teacher
About Me
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Arizona. I have taught music to all age groups from preschool to adult both in elementary and middle school settings as well as in my own music studio. I have also taught Reading in the...
