IT'S A BIRD, IT'S ME

 I did not place my song sparrow melody directly into an activity book.  I first composed a band piece, Symphony for the Birds.  It included three movements using the melodies of the chickadee and song sparrow and the rhythm of the ruffed grouse.   The second year of retirement I used my three already composed pieces and added three more and "voila" a children's activity book.


The activity book, IT'S A BIRD, IT'S ME, teaches the bird songs and rhythms by hearing the original bird song and singing a melody or saying a rhythm similar to the  bird's.  It has a few paragraphs about each bird and a description of the bird.  The description can be used to color the bird.  A coloring guide and vocabulary pages are also included.  A CD comes with the book with the actual bird song and the composed song sung by my Bird Ensemble.  The CD also includes just the piano accompaniment for possible performance.

This book would be great for an elementary teacher needing to teach music. It could also include a lesson in birds, following directions, and could easily be made into an informative performance.