Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Singing Time: Songs,
Stories, Books, & Apps to Celebrate the
Chinese New Year
Hello everyone! Ms. Brigid here, from Merit School of Music in Chicago, IL. Happy Year of the Horse! This week we’re exploring resources for the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. Over a billion people observe Chinese New Year – in fact during the two weeks it’s celebrated, from the new moon to the full moon, the largest human migration on earth takes place as family members travel to be with each other for New Years Eve on January 30th.
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| ©2014 Brigid Finucane. Irresistible Good Luck Candy! |
Chinese New Year, as with
other holidays celebrated this time of year, centers on Family, Feasts, Light
(fireworks, lanterns), and Community (parties, parades, visiting). Specific songs are associated with the holiday and similar preparations take place – cleaning and decorating the home, shopping, preparing symbolic food, wearing special (new) clothes, and making arrangements to host or travel. My students, families and teachers explore these similarities in class, and talk about the differences - like Lion Dancers and Dancing Dragons! Happy memories of holiday gatherings are still fresh in the kiddos’ minds, and connections are easily made!
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| ©2014 Brigid Finucane. Oranges and flowers and lanterns, oh my! |
SONGS
My favorite Chinese New Song is
Gung Hay Fat Choy by
Nancy Stewart, a Children’s Music
Network (CMN) member living in Seattle. Sheet music, an mp3 and an instrumental version are
available.
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| Nancy Stewart's Song of the Month, January 2003 |
“The new moon tells us exactly when
We celebrate with family and friends.”
The hauntingly beautiful chorus is one that all, even the
youngest, can sing:
“Gung Hay Fat Choy! Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Sing Happy New Year! Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Feng Yang Hua Gu or Flower Drum Song is a popular traditional song associated with the New Year. The end of the song mimics the sound of the drum. There are many YouTube versions, ranging from dance troupes to instrumental ensembles.
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| Video by Red Taurus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8blxd_sQBnI |
STORIES
Storynory is
an online storytelling site. Stories can be listened to or read.
Chinese
Years of the Animals. “In
Chinese astrology, each year is named after an animal, and if you are born in
that year, you take some of that animal’s characteristics. This is the story of
how each year go its name,…”
Chinese
Year of the Horse – The Horse That Ran Away. This story "...shows that you can never tell if an event will turn out to be good or bad luck in the long term. The idea is part of Taoist philosophy, which teaches that you must live in harmony with nature and what it brings you, good or bad."
Fun With Mandarin’s vibrantly
illustrated Story of Nian is suitable for younger viewers, and tells
the origination of New Year traditions. YouTube.
BOOKS
In the not so distant past,
information was harder to unearth about Chinese New Year. The internet has
changed that, and numerous books written specifically for young children have
added greatly to understanding the holiday. First, the internet!
-Chinese New Year Traditions,
created by Chinese Childbook, is a short
family-friendly video created for Year of the Tiger (2010).
-Chinese New Year – the
Brooklyn
Children’s Museum’s remarkable repository of information about Chinese New Year
includes worksheets and visuals of objects associated with the holiday, ranging
from ornaments to kumquat trees to Fu symbols!
Now the books!
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| ©2014 Brigid Finucane. Music Masters I kiddos - who aren't afraid of dragons! |
-The Dancing Dragon perfectly captures the excitement of the New Year parade. The book’s unique accordion format unfolds to reveal the dragon!
-This Next New Year is a book about the promise of the new year and a Chinese-Korean boy who has big dreams. It captures the heart completely. Unfortunately, it is hard to purchase – but available in many libraries.
Margaret: Brigid:
Turnips
are so sweet, La,
la, la, la, la.
And they’re good to eat! La, la, la, la, la.
On a cold winter day Sharing with friends
And they’re good to eat! La, la, la, la, la.
On a cold winter day Sharing with friends
Turnips
are a treat! Is
a gift from the heart.
Listen below, in the Chinese New Year Card video greeting! We've "piggybacked" our lyrics onto the first four measures of
APPS
The apps below are all free versions – which mean there are ads, alas. Even so, they’re worthwhile, and if you’re so inclined, an “In-App” purchase will take care of the annoyances!
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| Brigid's song. http://get-puppet.com/s/G90n1LSRnOk?autoplay |
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| Margaret's song. http://get-puppet.com/s/5PicxJZLl-o?autoplay |
2. Learn about and listen to traditional Chinese Instruments, created by The United Academy of Music in Wanchi Hong Kong – a truly impressive and generous app. Wish List: A pronunciation guide and more clearly written song and instrument information.
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| ©2014 Brigid Finucane. Year of the Metal Horse. |
3. No New Year festival is complete without
fireworks! Make your own fireworks
with Fireworks Arcade.
AROUND THE WEB - JUST FOR
FUN
If you’re wondering about the installation
photos, they were inspired by Liz Hannan from CMN who contributed a hilarious story to the CMN
list-serve about toy dinosaurs in the home environment. I thought, “Why not
substitute a toy horse for the dinosaurs?” Join me, and get creative in your classroom over the 15 days
of the festival! Your kiddos will love it. Please share pictures!
©2014 Brigid Finucane. Lucky horses!
Thank
you so much for joining me! It’s wonderful to be part of this new community.
Please feel free to contact me with any
questions you have. I’m here to help!
I
hope you’ll visit me next month, when I’ll be sharing more apps and musical
ideas.
I am continually inspired by the Children’s Music Network
(CMN) community. an international group of socially conscious musicians,
educators, librarians, families, songwriters and good people, who “celebrate
the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs,
exchanging ideas, and creating community.” Please visit CMN, and find a
gathering in your region.
Wow. This is fabulously well-researched and executed work. Thanks, Ms. Brigid. Can't wait to read your next post. YOU are a gift to this website.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading - then writing! Its easy to get swept up in the web's treasure trove - one click leads to another and then 10 more, then on and on. If I hadn't had a deadline, I'd still be looking at YouTubes of the Flower Drum Song! Brigid
ReplyDeleteWonderful summary Brigid!. thank you so much for having put this resource all in one easy blog.
ReplyDeleteJoanie
You're welcome, Joanie. I hope there is something here you can use in your classes.
ReplyDeleteRabbit's Gift might be a great addition to your amazing repertoire of Books to Sing!