The Holidays 2012

Happy holidays!

It's that time of year for singing about Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and the new year!  We've been having fun with the following:

"Light the Candles" - done with sign language to the tune of "The More We Get Together."

"Jingle Bells" - a twist on the old favorite, shaking our bells high, low, fast and slow.  We also shake them side to side, up and down, in a circle, and as we're spinning 'round!

"The Holidays" - an original tune I officially plan to release next year, where we sing about the big holidays and what they all have in common!

The Saturday-morning class takes place only two more times this year - December 8 and 15!  We'll be dancing to and singing these songs as well as others before 2013!

December!

Happy holidays!

Here we are, into the last month of the year.  It's been a great 2012.  I'll be singing some holidays songs with some schools and preparing for shows at a couple of them.  The song selection will inclue:

"Light the Candles"
"Jingle Bells"
"The Holidays"

"Light the Candles" and "The Holidays" encompass the big holidays of Hanukkah (December 9), Christmas (December 25) and Kwanzaa (December 26).  I've changed "Jingle Bells" a little big so it's all about shaking jingle bells and moving around!

I'll be having my Saturday class in December until the schools take a winter break.  I'll also be playing at the Zimmer Museum in the mid-Wilshire district on December 16.  More details to follow!

Turkey Day 2012

Time for Thanksgiving!

Over the next few classes, I have the privilege of singing not only traditional children's songs and originals I've composed but also a couple of Turkey Day tunes.  One of them, "The Turkey Ran Away," I found in a book I've had for quite a while, and it's just a silly song about the turkey and other Thanksgiving staples sprinting out of the house before they are served for the holiday dinner.

I also like to sing about Thanksgiving's special meaning, so this year I composed a song called "Thankful:"

Sometimes when I'm feeling sad
I think of everything I have
Then I start to feel so glad
I begin to smile and even laugh

I've got a very caring family
And lots of friends that are dear to me
I'm proud of all my hopes and dreams
And those things make me feel happy

I am thankful, thankful for so much
I am thankful, thankful to you
I am thankful that you're in my life
I am thankful for all you do

And, of course, I get to bring "Tommy Turkey" with me, a toy that's so rare I don't think they make anything like this anymore!  You press his left wing, and he gobbles and says, "What's for dinner? Well, howdy pilgrim!  Eat ham, thank you!  I'm stuffed!  Thanks for giving!"

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  I'll be enjoying it with friends, family and food and being extremely thankful for the blessings in my life, one of which is singing songs at so many schools and seeing children learn through music.

It's the first Sunday of November! 

Thanks to everyone who made time in his/her busy schedule to bring the kids for some Music Day Hooray! tunes on Saturday at Books and Cookies in the Santa Monica/Venice area. 

I think the children had fun waving scarves, playing shakers, exploring the very cool store and learning to some contemporary and original songs, most of which are taken from SPECIAL SONGS for SPECIAL KIDS. 

Here's what I played:

"Get Ready for the Day"
"How Do You Do That?"
"Signs"
"Numbers"
"Yes and No" and "Melody Medley"* - both on the ukulele
"Red Yellow Blue"
"FUNdamentals of Music and Movement"*

*to be released on the next Teacher Davis CD in 2013!

I'm looking forward to another show in December, and I hope a lot of people can make it!  Thanks again!

Halloween 2012

Oh, Halloween is almost here! For the children that celebrate it, it's a very exciting time. I've been getting them ready with a series of songs I play this time of year:

"Trick or Treat" (to the tune of "Three Blind Mice")

"Halloween Is Here" (a song I found online)

"Old MacDonald Had a Haunted House" (an adaptation of the classic) 

"The Teacher Davis Halloween Song"

"Signs (Halloween version)"

"The Happy Halloween Dance" (to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It")

I also like to bring a few Halloween friends such as "Jack O. Lantern" and "The Halloween Hot Dog." "Jack" sings Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy," and the "dog" likes to flap his ears to "The Addams Family."

I'll be doing some special Halloween events this year on October 25th and 26th. I'm looking forward to them and playing these songs, all for Halloween 2012!

      Here's Jack O. Lantern (or Pumpkin Kid) ...

                ... and the Halloween Hot Dog!

Created a press release for the album this morning (Sunday the 7th).  Hoping to get the CD out there and play more gigs to support it!

Available at Amazon and on iTunes!

Teacher Davis’ first CD, SPECIAL SONGS FOR SPECIAL KIDS, was mostly inspired by his time working as a music therapist for children with mental and physical challenges.  However, Teacher Davis’ original songs are for young people of all abilities, since they deal with basic concepts and life skills – doing daily activities, knowing numbers, answering questions and even using sign language.  “Left Right Left” helps children in knowing their directions; “How Do You Do That?” incorporates full-body movement as they imagine playing sports and musical instruments; and “Where …?” is another interactive song to see what children can find.  “Red Yellow Blue” teaches about basic colors and “Wash Your Hands” advises kids to … well, wash their hands!

Teacher Davis’ love for contemporary music is embedded in these songs, and there are also some dance mixes of classic tunes as well: “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “Wheels on the Bus,” and “This Old Man” are presented as dance tracks with a bit of a lyrical twist.  The CD also includes acoustic versions of the original songs, much like how they are played for the most part in a typical classroom or event setting.

Teacher Davis hopes that children can learn from SPECIAL SONGS FOR SPECIAL KIDS as well as dance and move to its tunes, and parents, families and guardians can join in on the fun!

Yay! It's the beginning of Fall Quarter 2012 (October 1st, Monday).  This week the emphasis for the older children is on the guitar (to what family does it belong?  How many strings does it have?  What is an electric and what is an acoustic?) and learning a few Halloween songs.  For others, we'll be rocking out to "B-I-N-G-O" with percussion and the djembe drum, and I'll be playing original songs from my album SPECIAL SONGS FOR SPECIAL KIDS and some others that will be on future Teacher Davis releases. 

This quarter (13 weeks) is always one of the most fun because of all the holidays, Jewish events and other festivities that take place over the next three months.  The regular lesson plan is altered due to the aforementioned activities.  I get to dive into my boxes at home and fish out things like my little Pumpkin Friend that sings "I Want Candy" and all kinds of other characters for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas.

So if your children see me this week at one of the preschools I visit on a regular basis, I hope they're looking forward to our songs like "This Old Man," "If You're Happy ... (Teacher Davis Mix)," "Get Ready for the Day" and "Numbers" (from my album), "Animal Animal" (another original song), "B-I-N-G-O" on the djembe and also some Halloween fun with "Trick or Treat" and "Halloween Is Here!"

First Day of the New School Year

Djembe Drum Time!

After returning from a trip to visit Mom in my hometown of Reno and a side trip to Las Vegas, here I am, back in Los Angeles and ready to start a new school year for many children, with a refurbished curriculum that will highlight my original tunes, especially those from SPECIAL SONGS FOR SPECIAL KIDS, which was released in the spring of this year.  I'm excited for the new school year and started the week with some violin for the youngest class, some yoga for the 3- to 4-year olds and some learning about the C scale for the oldest group (5- to 6-year olds).  This is my fifth year at this "job" (I feel guilty calling it that, because it's way too much fun), so I'm looking to revamp and improve and keep the fun spirit I've had since the summer of 2007 ... and even before that.
September 4, 2012 (Tuesday)