Happy Birthday America!  Celebrate in song with jewels from the music box of America’s Patriotic Gems.  Sing and wave your red, white and blue streamers to George M. Cohan’s, “Your A Grand Old Flag”, or “Yankee Doodle Dandy”.  March your feet to the patriotic beat of Stars and Stripes Forever, or clap and tap to “This Land is Your Land” celebrating one of America’s great folk songs.  Enjoy the Fourth of July Fireworks and as the night time skies burst in rocket’s red glare, be sure to burst out in song for “America The Beautiful”.  Have a great holiday.  Ms. Maureen

As temps rise it’s time to cool off with a little jazz and a whole lot of scat singing.   See how many sylables you can sing to a song or try Ms. Maureen’s  version of “Old MacDonald” when Old MacDonald has sold the farm and put together a jazz band singing “Old MacDonald had a band, shoo-be-doo-be-doo-be-do-be-do.  And in that band he’d scat like this “oodly-doodly-scobby-dooby-do”.  With a moo-dly-oodly here, and a moo-dly-oodly there, here a moo-bly, there a moo-bly, every where a moobly woobly. Old MacDonald had a band skiddly-widdly-oodly-oby-do. Hope your summer is sizzling with fun.  Ms. Maureen

After a hectic move to Nevada I am adjusting to the cooler temperatures of the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Who’d have ever thought it would be snowing in May and June! I’m ready for summer and for some fun in the sun and I hope you are too.   So shake out the beach blanket, dust off the flip flops, lather up with lotion and get ready to sing and sway on a summer’s day to the tune of the traditional song “A-Tisket A Tasket.   “A tisket, a tasket, pack a picnic basket.  We’re  on our way on a summer’s day so don’t forget the lotion.  The lotion, the lotion, lather up with lotion.  Dad remembered to pick it up and put it in our basket.   A tisket, a tasket, pack a picnic basket.  We’re on our way on a summer’s day so don’t forget a swim suit, a swim suit, don’t forget a swim suit.  Mom remembered to pick it up and put it in our basket. “ How many other things can you put in the basket and who will remember to pick it up and put it in the basket.  Hopefully I won’t have to put snow shoes in the basket!!!!   Have a great Memorial Day Weekend and the start to a super summer and remember to sing and sway every day. Ms. Maureen

It’s a day to celebrate moms and all the wonderful things they do.   So strike up the band and play along to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy with these lyrics I’ve written to celebrate all the mom’s out there who do so many special and wonderful things.   “Picking up and cleaning up, always on the go, now it’s time to take a rest because I love you so. Mom your special, mom your great!  Today’s the day to celebrate.  I love you and want to say ‘Happy Mother’s Day’.”  To all the mom’s out there, take a rest, relax and enjoy your special Sunday.  Happy Mother’s Day!  Ms. Maureen

Everyday children transition from one activity to the next and music helps transitions go smoother with young children.  Ms. Maureen is in transition from Phoenix, Arizona to Genoa, Nevada in the next few weeks and there will be plenty of music along the way to help with the transition.  When moving from one activity to the next sing this little verse to the tune of “A Hunting We Will Go”.  A walking we will go, a walking we will go, we’ll move our feet and keep to the beat, a walking we will go.  We’re moving in a line, and listening all the time, moving feet will step to the beat, a walking we will go. Ms. Maureen

Maureen Conlin and Happy Notes Music is proud to announce the release of the newest children’s CD - Spanish Notes - bilingual songs for young children now available at CDbaby.com/maureenconlin.  Maureen has written and composed 10 songs for children to learn while they have fun. Give a listen and sing along to the alphabet, counting to ten with Unos, Dos, Tres in Spanish and English, get up and move to Paso a la Derecha - Step to the Right or Baile Conmigo and sing along to the days of the week -Los días de la Semana or explore opposites singing the song ‘El Contrario’.   Great for adults as well!  Enjoy,  Ms. Maureen

April showers bring May flowers so create the rhythm of the rain using body percussion.  Snapping fingers slow then fast creates the sound of raindrops.  Another way to create the sound of rain is by patting your hands on your thighs.  Start slowly as the rain begins then move into a faster tempo to create the storm.  When using this activity with a group of children have the children sit in a circle and begin with one child patting and then move around the circle until all the children are patting and the storm is in full swing.  Then reverse the order as the rain storm moves away.  Children can sing along using the body percussion sounds of the “rhythm of the rain” by singing to the tune of “Where is Thumbin” using the lyrics “Where is thunder, where is thunder, here it is, here it is,(feet stomping to create the sound of thunder) pitter, pitter, patter, pitter, pitter patter (fingers snapping or hands pat on thighs to create the sound of the rain), We’re all wet! We’re all wet! Looking forward to all those May flowers.  Ms. Maureen

Spring is here and the bees are buzzing.  Step outside your back door and listen to the sounds of
“Nature’s Music”.  There are sounds outside that sound just like musical instruments.  Thunder is a timpani,  snakes rattle like a maraca, the wind whistles, humming birds hum and birds are singing.  Can you name any others?  Buzz around the room to Ms. Maureen’s “Busy Bees Buzzing By”.  Enjoy dancing to “Waddle, Waddle, Quack, Quack” as ducks are on the move doing the duck dance. Or create the rhythm of the rain using two paper plates as they clatter together to “The Drip Drop Song”.    Spring is in the air and there is lots of music everywhere so enjoy singing songs and celebrating the outdoors.  Ms. Maureen

Children are on the move during the month of March when they dance under the limbo stick.  Decorate an old broom stick with bright colored electrical tape. Choose one of the children to hold the decorated  limbo stick with an adult holding the other end. Play a recording of the song “The Limbo Rock” or use the song “I like to Move It, Move It” from the movie Madagascar,  ”The Ants Go Marching One by One” or “When The Saints Go Marching In”.   As children move single file under the limbo stick they can waddle like a duck, wiggle like a worm, crawl like a crab, slither like a snake or just march or dance and enjoy being on the move to the music.  Ms. Maureen

Play this game with young children so that they can experience and explore beat and tempo using a wood block and mallet. Ask the children to form a circle then tap a slow and steady beat so the children can slowly move around the circle and  walk to the steady beat being played on the wood block.  Tap a faster beat and ask the children to run in place to the beat.  Continue with different movements creating a skipping sound, galloping sound, bouncing, jumping or tap a quiet beat for children to tip toe slowly around the circle.  Have one of the children play the conductor and have them tap different beats on the wooden block for the other children to move to.  Pass the wooden block and mallet around so each of the children have a chance to be the conductor.  A variation to this game is to play the “Freeze”. When the beat stops children have to stop and freeze in place.