Dear Susan,
Will you be posting a version of Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater with notes on a staff? I would like to teach it to my daughter.
–Anxiously Waiting
Dear Anxious,
Oh my goodness, I totally forgot to post this, even though I have a student working on it! So wait no longer, here it is! Click on the link below the picture of the music, and be sure to print it in landscape orientation.
–Susan
If you are looking for beginning Autumn or Halloween music, here are some of the easy pieces I wrote for my students. They range in level from the first lesson to the first year. Many of you have downloaded these pieces over the years, but here they are in a convenient collection.
Students who have only had a few lessons are so excited to get a Halloween piece!
I wrote some of these in both pre-reading and on-the-staff notation so they are perfect for beginning students. They are not in middle C position, so they help with interval reading. The last one is 2 pages and a little more difficult.
Click on the links, not the pictures to download these. If you have trouble, try downloading the latest version of Adobe Reader.
What Will I Say On Halloween? (Finger numbers only. Very easy for the first week of lessons)
It’s October (Finger numbers only. Very easy for the first week of lessons. Does not mention Halloween)
Hey Mr. Mummy (On the staff with teacher duet)
See the Scarecrow (Very easy on staff piece for students just learning to read notes. This is a fall piece that does not mention Halloween.)
Halloween is Almost Here (pre-reading)
Halloween is Almost Here (on the staff)
Halloween, Halloween (pre-reading)
Halloween Halloween (on the staff)
Once A year On Halloween (pre-reading)
Once a Year On Halloween (on the staff)
Spooky Spiders (on the staff)
Five Little Pumpkins(pre-reading, but too long for a young beginner. This is the well-known folk song.)
Five Little Pumpkins (on the staff)
Sneaky Sneakers (Level 1. Two pages, does not mention Halloween)
Some of my students were begging me for another note story so I made one for them. Actually this is not a story, but 5 sentences with some interesting information about bats that children might not know.
When it comes to note stories, I’ve noticed that some students love them and some don’t care for them at all. Some students try to figure out the words by context instead of reading the notes. You are free to use this with students you think will enjoy it!
If you are having a group lesson this week, your students might enjoy working on it together. I’m going to put it in my student’s binder and let them work on it in their spare time.
Bats are actually very helpful animals, and I’ve always liked them — from a distance, of course!
My students have been enjoying this Halloween rhythm game lately and I thought your students might like it, too. It is fast, and can be played the last 5 minutes of a lesson. The cards span several ability levels, so it is appropriate for all elementary age students. It is helpful for students to recognize that a dotted quarter + eighth equals a half note, and I think this game helps that concept. Beginning students enjoy using the first page with the easy rhythms.
The object of Bats and Cats is to match the ‘bat” card with a corresponding note or rest on the game board. This game works with one student and teacher, or it can be modified for a group. It can also be used as a rhythm activity for one student.
Directions
It’s time for my yearly Halloween post, where I post a new a Halloween song as well as remind new readers of my old Halloween material.
I wrote See the Scarecrow last year for a beginning student who was just starting to read on the staff. The only thing that might be a little tricky is the RH thumb on D. This is a good piece to read something simple that is not in middle C position.
I had never drawn a scarecrow before and it took forever, but it was fun and my students were happy with the way it turned out. There are a lot of noisy crows around the house this time of year, and that’s what inspired me to jot down the song. It was interesting that some of my students did not know the purpose of a scarecrow!
If you are looking for more beginning Halloween music, check out some of the pieces I have posted over the years. Most of them are written in both pre-reading and on-the-staff notation, so they are perfect for beginning students. The last one is 2 pages and a little more difficult.
It’s October (finger numbers only for the first week of lessons)
Hey Mr. Mummy (on staff with teacher duet)
Halloween is Almost Here (pre-reading)
Halloween is Almost Here (on staff)
Halloween, Halloween (pre-reading)
(Halloween Halloween on the staff)
Once A year On Halloween (pre-reading)
Once a Year On Halloween (on staff)
Spooky Spiders (on the staff)
Five Little Pumpkins (pre-reading, but long for a young beginner)
Five Little Pumpkins (on the staff)
Sneaky Sneakers (Level 1)
I don’t know how these little ditties come in my head, but my students like them and I hope some of yours will, too. If so, let me know. All I have to go by are your emails and comments, and I really appreciate those! Some of you have sent pictures, and that is so much fun for me!
This one was especially challenging because I had never attempted to draw a mummy before. I’ve done frogs, ducks, pumpkins, turkeys, but never a mummy. Except for a few older things still on my website that I keep forgetting to update, I don’t use clip art because I want a consistent look, and also I’m not quite sure about the copyright issues.
I added a real simple teacher duet to this piece, so you will not have to improvise one.
Last year a student performed this, and we made it longer by repeating it an octave higher. If you are having a Halloween recital, you might want to try that with this one or some of the pieces I posted earlier.
Hey, Mr. Mummy