Sing and Play Along

Sing Along with Ms. Raftery

Ms. Raftery will be posting Echo Songs, Call and Response Songs, Canons, and more for you to sing, dance, and play along with here.

This Week's Songs:

Sing Along Project: Germantown Alma Mater

If you would like to be included in a chorus of elementary students singing the Alma Mater, send Ms. Raftery a video or audio file of you singing with this track by Wednesday, June 3rd. A few guidelines:

1.) Practice before you record. Make sure that you know all the words and can sing the song all the way through on your own before you record.

2.) Use a video or voice recording app or program when it is time to record. There are a few different ways to create a recording. The easiest way is probably to take a video on a phone or iPad. The Online Voice Recorder website, https://online-voice-recorder.com/ is also a great way to easily record an mp3 audio file that can be sent to me. An audio recording or voice memo app can work as well. I will only be using the sound from these recordings, so you don’t need to worry about visuals.

3.) Listen and watch the video while you are recording. This way, you can make sure that you are singing the right notes at the right time, so that Ms. Raftery can put your singing with everyone else's in editing.

4.) Clap with Ms. Raftery at the beginning when you are recording. This will make it much easier for Ms. Raftery to line up your voice with the other voices in editing.

5.) You must wear headphones while recording! This is so that Ms. Raftery has a recording of just your voice, without any other voices or instruments.

6.) Email your recording to ms.raftery.music@gmail.com once you are finished. (That email should work better for sending recordings than my school email.) Please make sure in your email to let me know who is singing, so that I can keep track of who I have heard from.

7.) Have fun! I am so excited to hear everyone's voices together, even while we are apart. If you have any questions while working on this project, feel free to email or message Ms. Raftery. Go Clippers!

Previous Week's Songs:

Bye Bye Butterfly

A fun animal echo song!

Cup Song Pattern

Challenge: Learn the cup song pattern and try it with one of your favorite songs!

Learn to Hand Jive

Dance Challenge: Try this dance with any song in duple meter, or two parts in each beat. See how many songs this dance works with, and send your results to Ms. Raftery!

I Love the Mountains

Happy Earth Day! Sing and move with this popular campfire song

Frog in the Meadow

An old favorite from music class! Sing along with Ms. Raftery's bullfrog

Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks

It's springtime, which means chicks are hatching! Use household objects to play along with this piece from "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky

Pitch Exploration:

String Shapes

Warm up your voice with this fun activity

William He Had Seven Sons

Listen and move to this song

In the Woods

Echo back what Ms. Raftery sings

Hot Cross Buns: Part 1

Featuring: Actual Hot Cross Buns!

Learn to play Hot Cross Buns on the recorder in this video

Hot Cross Buns: Part 2

Learn about how the woodwind instruments can play Hot Cross Buns, just like the recorder

Long Legged Sailor

Play along with this clapping game at home

The Moose Song

Sing along with this silly echo song

Musical Messages from Ms. Raftery

Be on the lookout for Ms. Raftery's song of the week on the Germantown Central School Facebook page!

"Hang On Little Tomato" by Pink Martini

Even though these times can be confusing and difficult, we are all still learning and growing and we will come through this together. Keep hanging onto the vine, Clippers!

"Here Comes a Thought"

by Rebecca Sugar

This song is from one of Ms. Raftery's favorite shows, Steven Universe. For this week's musical message, remember to take a moment to think of just flexibility, love, and trust.

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

This song originally composed by Harold Arlen for the movie "The Wizard of Oz." Ms. Raftery was inspired by a cover of this song by Hawaiian artist Israel Kamakawiwo'ole for this week's musical message.