It is February, and it is Black History Month! Today we’re sharing music we love by black artists of the 20th century.

Hello, by Ella Jenkins

Hello hello hello and how are you

I’m fine I’m fine and I hope that you are too

Sing this song with any variation you can think of, soft, loud, humming, whistling, la la la-ing!

Ella Jenkins has been dubbed the “The First Lady of the Children's Folk Song.” Here is a playlist of some of our favorites, but be sure to check her out with your kids, we think you’ll love her music as much as we do.

To watch a mini class where Ms. Elizabeth and her 5 kids share 3 Ella Jenkins songs click here: https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/ellajenkins

This Little Light of Mine

This little light of mine (tap knees),

I’m gonna let it shine, (arms: up down up down)

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. (dance in a circle)

This iconic American gospel song has been energizing and uniting diverse groups of people for nearly a century. It’s impossible to sing this song without moving your body and feeling a spark of excitement and purpose. It is a great song to sing with kids because the words are so repetitive, and the message is so positive! We’ve added some simple actions to each verse, and suggested a flashlight activity for the second time through -- kids and flashlights always seem to be drawn to each other, right?

Don’t miss these incredible renditions of this song by these famous black artists.

Aretha Franklin

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Fannie Lou Hamer

Maple Leaf Rag Scott Joplin Performed by Stefano Ligoratti. Recording used with permission. https://musopen.org/music/43164-maple-leaf-rag/#recordings

You don’t want to miss this recording of Scott Joplin performing this piece himself!

Join our All Access Membership for access to activities like the ones found on this podcast.

The membership includes:

• Over 250 engaging and educational music lesson videos.
• Comprehensive music courses organized by theme, for example:
  • "Carnival of the Animals",
  • "Peter and the Wolf,"
  • "Rhymes and Games," etc.
• Printable resources, including lesson plan ideas, parent programs, instrument and animal puppet printables, coloring pages, and more!
• Extensive "Notes to the Grown-ups" for each lesson, so that you can see exactly what your child is learning, with ideas on how to adapt and extend the lessons.
• Downloadable audio tracks of the classical music as well as the activities, so that you can listen off screen.

Get signed up at: www.clapforclassics.com/join

Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

Help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review wherever you listen.

To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics.  We love to feature our listeners on the podcast! 

Classical music tracks are licensed for our use by Classical.com

This is an episode with love songs for our little ones. We include one folk song, one Clap for Classics! original song, and the beautiful Waltz from Tchaikovsky's ballet, Sleeping Beauty.

Love Somebody

This is an Appalachian folk song, originally a fiddle tune.

Love somebody yes I do,

Love somebody yes I do,

Love somebody yes I do,

Love somebody but I won’t say who.

Love my mommy yes I do,

Love my mommy yes I do,

Love my mommy yes I do,

Love my mommy and she loves me too!

This song is a fun and easy one to adapt for multiple ages.

• For babies: rock your baby and make eye contact with them as you sing this song.
• Insert the names of your family members and loved ones.
• Look at a map and find the Appalachian Mountains

What your child is learning:

• Steady beat
• Movement to music
• The repetition in the words, and simple melody makes this a great song for little ones to develop verbal skills

The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66- Valse Allegro, Tchaikovsky.

Watch a video of Elizabeth and Charlotte teaching and dancing to the sleeping beauty waltz: https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/sleeping-beauty-waltz

If you’d like to purchase our Fairy Tale Course where we tell even more of the story of Sleeping Beauty as well as incorporate other fairy tales and wonderful music, you can find it in our Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes bundle, or inside our All Access Membership.

Will you waltz with me,

Will you be my partner please?

If you will, I’ll spin you around

And round, then give you a squeeze

Pretty please will you waltz with me

Will you be my partner please?

Waltzing is my favorite thing in the world!

Many thanks to Classical.com for licensing the classical music for us to use in the podcast and in our courses.

Let’s Sing a Song About Hugs. Written by Kathryn Lieppman, it is a Clap for Classics! original and features Kathryn Lieppman and Elizabeth Nixon on ukulele and vocals, and Imogene Lieppman (age 4) on vocals and desk bells.

You can watch this video on our youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmKolRJchIg

Let’s sing a song about hugs!

Chorus: Some are tight

And some are gentle

Some are short

And some are long and sentimental

A hug can help you feel okay

If you get a little boo boo

Or you’re having a rough tough day

Try and hug it all away

Chorus

A hug can help you share some love

With a very special grownup

Taking care of you

So hug ‘em all day through

Chorus

A hug can help you cheer a friend

When she seems a little sad

You can bend her frown back to a smile

Just hug her for a while

Chorus

A hug can help you feel so great

But sometimes we just need some personal space (And that’s ok, too!)

To join the membership for all the musical content we’ve ever created, and start making music with us today, go to www.clapforclassics.com/join.

Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

Help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review wherever you listen.

To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics. We love to feature our listeners on the podcast!

Classical music tracks are licensed for our use by Classical.com

Grab our free printable arctic animal cards to extend the learning and fun of this episode at www.clapforclassics.com/episode64

For more winter content from our Four Seasons Course check out episode 38 and episode 39.

Clear some space to move for the first activity!

This is a song/activity that just needs to be experienced again and again. Your child will love pretending to hibernate, and waking you up when spring returns. Learn the song so that you can sing it away from the screen.

Feel free to expand the story as you repeat the song for the 5th, 10th or 20th time. (What is the bear eating? Where is the bear running? What is the den like? What does the bear say when s/he wakes up for spring time?)

In Spring and Summer I’m a bundle of fun!

I play and growl and run run run! (run run run! Run run run!)

In fall I’m busy eating food.

I eat and eat and eat and eat (and eat and eat and eat and eat)

‘Til winter chills my mood

Now it’s time to hibernate

I slow down and take a break

I curl up in my cozy den

And rest ‘til spring returns again…

The second activity is a song and a game!

Play hide and seek! The polar bear is ‘it’ and the seal/s hide while the polar bear sings the song. When the polar bear gets to the word LUNCH, s/he goes to find the seals. The seal/s can give clues to their location by playing a rhythm instrument like a shaker.

You can optionally use our printable arctic animals, and hide the seal card instead of having someone “be” the seal.

Learn more about polar bears and seals. Start with our printable Arctic Animal Cards (pictures on the front, and facts on the back) - then dive deeper by checking out books from the library or doing your own online research.

My blubber keeps me nice and warm

My fur’s as white as snow

I smell a seal from miles away,

And then I’ve got to go

I’ve got to go find that seal, cuz I’m hungry!

I’ve got to go find that seal for my lunch!

To get ALL of our Four Seasons Content that includes art, poetry and STEM units for each season in addition to the music content that you know and love- go to www.clapforclassics.com/fourseasons.

To join the membership for all the musical content we’ve ever created, and start making music with us today, go to www.clapforclassics.com/join. Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

Help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review wherever you listen.

To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics. We love to feature our listeners on the podcast!

Classical music tracks are licensed for our use by Classical.com

Music credit: Kathryn Lieppman wrote both of the songs that we share in the episode today.