Music

By Shawn Fogel

One of my favorite "good morning" songs I like to sing with our preschool classes is "When I Woke Up Today", by Laurie Berkner (from her 2016 "Superhero" album). What I love about this song is how adaptable it is. If you listen to the original version, you'll hear the variety of actions Laurie uses (sing together, shake together, tip-toe together, jump, and twist together). Depending on the age of the class and how active they are, I can make the actions simpler (clap together, pat our legs together), incorporate instruments (shake our shakers together), or even get a little silly (sing like cats together, meow meow meow). If the kids are really engaged, I can keep the song going as long as I want, or I can make it short and sweet for the "deer in headlights" classes (like the youngest 2's at the beginning of the year).

My favorite finger-play song is "One Little Finger". I'm not sure who the original writer is, but the most commonly used version is attributed to Super Simple Songs or Noodle & Pals. You don't need to play an instrument or even have much of a sense of pitch to make this one fun. The repetition makes it easy for the kids to join in, and, just like "When I Woke Up Today", it is very adaptable. The Super Simple Songs version uses six body parts (head, nose, chin, arm, leg, foot), but you can do fewer or more depending on the age and attention span of the class. You can always add more parts like elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle. Some classes like the challenge of going really fast. If you really want to challenge an older class, you can make it like a game of Simon Says and see if you can trick them by pointing to a body part that is different from the one you sang (sing "put it on your elbow" but instead point to your knee). Another way to expand the song is to increase the number all the way up to "Five Little Fingers". There are lots of options that will allow you to sing this song every day and make it a little different each time. 

In our school, we gather all of the classes together first thing on Friday mornings for "Bima Time", which consists of a few Shabbat songs and a story. This year we sent this Dropbox link to all of our new families with recordings and lyrics for the Bima Time songs.

 If you sing "Shabbat Is Here", you might use the lyrics "it's Friday night, the candles burning bright". This is the way it was written, and the way that I used to sing it, until a few years ago. One day a student stopped me in the middle of the song and said "but, it's NOT Friday night, it's Friday morning!". I could have explained that yes, it is not yet Friday night, but that technically Shabbat doesn't begin until the sun goes down, and therefore when we "do Shabbat" at school we're really just practicing because it isn't really Shabbat yet. Instead, I said "you're right, let's change the words to the song!" We ended up with "it's Friday, hip hip hooray", and let's face it, now the song is even more fun.

 YouTube link for "When I Woke Up Today":

https://youtu.be/mLOkR_IP1w0?si=hw36vKKU7RYyGWjw

YouTube link for "One Little Finger".

https://youtu.be/eBVqcTEC3zQ?si=ScE8S-A_xnfjK-UZ

Dropbox link for "Bima Time" Shabbat songs and blessings:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/4bcawpc7fvxagkpg40yqf/AFl6m84VHifPRn07U3lOVaE?rlkey=7s6pnkoorkm32cpsyq54n1mvx&st=yxmxeabx&dl=0

JKids Radio, the newly launched Home of Jewish Kids Music, is bringing kid-centric Jewish music, education, and inspiration to families, schools and communities everywhere. Formerly PJ Library Radio, JKids Radio streams contemporary Jewish music 24/7 via JKidsRadio.com and the JKids Radio mobile app, in addition to a full range of exciting new educational content for children and families.

An international, online radio station, JKids Radio can be accessed at home, in the car, and at school.  Jewish organizations can also embed a JKids Radio player on their organization website so visitors can listen to JKids Radio while browsing.  Parents and teachers utilize the SleepyTime mode switch to play soothing, mellow music at naptime or bedtime and every week, JKids Radio helps to bring in Shabbat with the JKids Radio Shabbat Block beginning Fridays at 1PM Eastern/Noon Central.

In addition to the JKids Radio website and app, JKids Radio Facebook and Instagram will regularly serve up amazing music videos. All JKids Radio Facebook posts are accompanied by educational suggestions for related Jewish engagement activities that families and teachers can use to enrich their Jewish lives.

This fall, PJ Library transitioned PJ Library Radio to the nonprofit Judaism Alive, which also houses Jewish Rock Radio and is directed by renowned Jewish music pioneer Rick Recht. PJ Library serves as a major sponsor of JKids Radio.

Do you remember “Disney on Ice,” or another show where the actors had to communicate to thousands of audience members using just body language?  Huge and Over exaggerated gestures are how they did it. 

Today, if we are in a classroom with children, our face most likely is hidden behind a mask, and if we are virtual, we are 2-Dimensional, behind a screen. How can we increase the RUACH (spirit) in these limited environments?   

When a child is physically engaged in their musical experience, they will have a stronger anchor in creating a permanent memory, even on a subconscious level. When using music

• Engage in songs that the kiddos can offer their ideas, movements, instruments playing styles, etc.
• Include instruments such as egg shakers, rhythm sticks, djembes, etc.
• Use props like scarves, parachutes, ribbons, and stuffed animals
• Utilize large movement songs that involve the entire body
• Have students offer their ideas for movement, animals, foods, sounds, etc.

For teachers in a virtual classroom setting

• Create homemade instruments during class and then use them in future music classes or have parents purchase instruments.
• Provide parents a list of props and inexpensive instruments to purchase for home and school use.  

To help, Rhythm ‘n’ Ruach, an interactive experience through music, movement, and the #joyfulJudaism, has a list of finger play Song Ideas.docx for you to use in your classroom.    

Shelley Dean
Owner and Founder
Rhythm ‘n’ Ruach