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)