More of Mrs. Daubney's Holiday Favorites from The Piano Guys

This video is beyond amazing.... "Angels We Have Heard On High" by The Piano Guys.  Pay close attention to all of the ways they have altered the piano.

Here is a funny rendition of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer":

And finally, one of all time favorites is the music from the Vince Guaraldi Trio and A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Here are The Piano Guys making a difference in the lives of some special people playing "Linus and Lucy":

The Nutcracker: Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy

Sixth Graders are just about finished with studying Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Nutcracker.  This piece features an instrument that was new and groundbreaking during the composer's lifetime: the celeste.  It looks like a tiny piano, with keys that are black and white and played in a similar fashion.  Inside the celeste are metal bars almost like a metallophone that are struck when the keys are pressed.  Here is an orchestra version of the song:

Below is the clip we watched in class of a ballerina dancing to the song.  We discussed that often times the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy goes to the most talented female ballerina in a dance company.

And here is an amazing clip of a couple playing the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on the Water Harp.  What a science connection - how much water does a glass need to be filled with in order to make a particular musical pitch?

Enjoy!

Some of Mrs. Daubney's Holiday Favorites

It's holiday time, and like me, I bet that you have many favorites when it comes to the festive music of the season.  Here are a few of my favorites:



 

Jimmy Fallon and The Roots with Mariah Carey, "All I Want for Christmas is You"

Brian Setzer Orchestra, "The Nutcracker Suite"

 

The Drifters, "White Christmas"

 

Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters, "Mele Kalikimaka"

 



Sleigh Ride

LeRoy Anderson's song "Sleigh Ride" was written during a heat wave in the summer of 1949.  It is also the most liscensed and copied holiday song of all time, which means that there are MANY different verisons of this song out there to enjoy.  4th graders study this song each December.  Here is the link to the entry I shared last year.  This link includes a video of the original song being played by The Boston Pops Orchestra.

This year, I'd like to share a video of one of the four different versions that students compare and contrast in class.  Students listen to a bluegrass version and recordings by The Ronettes, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Brian Setzer Orchestra.  Here is Brian Setzer's band playing with country musician Brad Paisley:

What is your favorite version of "Sleigh Ride?"