Month: May 2020

Greetings My Lovely Friends!  I hope you enjoyed the Victoria Day weekend with your families!  In this week’s videos, you will have opportunities to explore being active.  In the first video, you will play rhythms using body percussion.  That means using your body to make rhythmic sounds such as:  clapping your hands, snapping your fingers, patting your legs, stepping in place (or while traveling), clicking your tongue and so much more.  Of course, if you have an instrument at home, feel free to use that, or play a household or “found” object!  Remember to use a feather touch when tapping.  Being gentle is the key to creating beautiful sounds.

I invite you to use your IMAGINATION in the second video as I will be leading you through a guided meditation while listening to some classical music by French composer, Claude Debussy.  You’ll get to watch a series of animal poses on the picture cards as I describe how to move your body into these poses.  As with any yoga practice, it is very important to note that you should only hold a pose and feel a stretch that is COMFORTABLE for your body.  Do not push yourself to stretch too far.  If you feel pain or discomfort…then that’s definitely too far!  The beauty of yoga is not to compete with anyone else or to notice how far someone else is able to stretch, but to work with your own body’s ability and to do what is comfortable for you.  Remember to BREATHE calmly and steadily throughout each of the poses to gain the maximum amount of benefit to your muscles and to your mind.  Enjoy and Namaste!

As always, please feel free to leave me a comment in the box below or email me at:  Ravena.Berar@burnabyschools.ca with a picture of you doing a pose or playing body percussion and I will try to share those photos here.  Take great care of yourselves and I look forward to seeing you before too long!  Missing you all!!!

With love and light,

Ms. Berar

Hello My Friends,

“May There Always BeSunshine” is a song written and composed by BC’s own, Charlotte Diamond.  Watch & listen to this composer performing it.  See if you can sing-along as a way to honour your Mom or Mother-Figure in your life.   I have had the pleasure of meeting Charlotte Diamond twice and my family and I have seen her perform live at the Vancouver Children’s Festival and at other concert venues in Vancouver, over the years.  I have a really special connection to her because of one of my most special Aunt’s,  who was an AMAZING  Grade 3 Teacher in Vancouver, and who passed away in August 2018.

When I sing this song I always think of my wonderful Mom (who is also a retired Elementary School Teacher) and I also think of my Aunt because she was like a mother to me too.  She always treated me more like a daughter, than a niece.              My Aunt Susie  (who I called “Pooha”  [often spelled Bhua]) was approached by Charlotte Diamond to translate this song into Punjabi, sometime in the 1990’s.      In this version, recorded in 1987, you don’t hear the Punjabi verse.  However, Charlotte does sing her song in many other languages in this video.   After listening to the song, see if you can sing along to one or more of the verses.  If you speak a language other than English, see if you can sing the song in the language that you speak!      

I met Charlotte Diamond for the second time in October 2019 at the BC Music Educators’ Association Annual Conference in October 2019, where Charlotte was the Key Note Speaker.  She made such an INSPIRING speech and she performed for us, in her signature style!  Her words, from one music educator to another, resonated very deeply with me and I felt so completely heartened and affirmed about the power of music and about the power of music education.  I will always admire the beautiful soul that she is!!!

Hopefully, you have been able to watch the videos that I shared in the two posts that I published last week.  One of the songs was of a video from The Muppets Show called, “Sing.”  Here is a video that I made of me singing that song, written and composed by Joe Raposo.  I invite you to sing along with me!

Click HERE to access another great website to explore music-making games at PBS Kids.

I would LOVE to hear from you!  Please leave me a comment about this or any previous blog post.  Of course, if you have any questions, you may also email me at:  Ravena.Berar@burnabyschools.ca  If you feel like responding to any of the songs that I have shared, please feel free to do so in the following ways:

1.   After listening to or singing a song, make a picture of how the music makes you feel.  Take a photo and send it to me.

2.  Create a 3-dimensional sculpture with items from your home, such as lego bricks, blocks or small toys.  Be as creative as you like, but be sure that you have permission to do so by asking your adults first!

In the coming weeks, my plan is to create a password protected page to display digital pictures of student artwork or photos that families can send to me by email.  Once I create this page within my blog, I will email families individually to give you the password to access this page.  All parents in divisions 14 through 21 will be able to login to see the art or student photos.  However, no one will be able to access this page unless they have the password.  I will only share the password with families in divisions 14 through 21, for security reasons.

Stay well everyone and remember to… BREATHE…

Have a wonderful week ahead!

To My Dear Students and Families,

Wishing you ALL a very Happy Music Monday 2020!!!  Together with the Coalition For Music Education in Canada, all of the Music Teachers in the Burnaby School District (…even those not pictured here…) send you very warm wishes while we continue to learn and make music from home.  Stay safe everyone and remember to keep shining your light by keeping a song in your heart!

#TogetherInHarmony

MAYWOOD STARS… … … …keep shining BRIGHT, for all to see!  I miss you!!!

Welcome students and families in Divisions 14 through 21 and a big welcome to students in Divisions 10 and 11 this week as well!  To those students who are visiting my blog for the first time, please feel free to look at previous posts for more song and music learning ideas.

I have been thinking about what lessons to teach and what songs  (new and already known) that I would like to share with my students and this song is one that came to my mind right away, as we began our new learning journey from home.  In the videos below you can sing along with me to “This Little Light of Mine.”   I sing and play it in the first video.  In the second video, I teach the actions.  Remember that each one of you has your own light that shines within you.  So, be true to yourself.  Honour how you are feeling and know that you will ALWAYS be the one and only, UNIQUE and SPECIAL, YOU!!!!

“This Little Light of Mine,” is an African-American Spiritual or Gospel song, composed in the 1920’s.      Here are the lyrics:

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Everywhere I go… (follows the same pattern as in the verse above…)

Always in my heart… (as above)

All around the world… (as above)

This little light of mine… (as above)

Another song you might enjoy learning this week is one of my favourites too!               I remember learning it from a show that  I used to watch when I was your age, called: “The Muppet Show.”  Do you know Kermit The Frog?  Do you know how much Ralph likes to play the piano?  Do you know that Animal has superstar drum playing abilities?  Some of you might also recognize the lovely lady who introduces the song.  Her name is Julie Andrews and she is a singer and actor from many films that you may have seen including: The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and many more!  She is also one of my favourites!  Enjoy…

I am reposting the following links for these music websites that you may choose to explore.  There are so many music-making opportunities for you to have fun with!  Have a wonderful week everyone and feel free to comment in the box below or if you have any questions or concerns you can send me an email at:

Ravena.Berar@burnabyschools.ca

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/

https://musicplayonline.com/