We welcomed Ednie from Side by Side Arts into our Music lesson today.
Ednie said the children were going to learn and sing songs about Christmas. She first asked the children what a carol is? Some comments included:
‘Choirs sing them’
‘Is it a song that tells a story?’
Ednie then told the children that a carol means ‘if you went a’carolling, this meant you went dancing.’
Ednie then said she would show the children how she can play the Northumbrian pipes. She played the song ‘Gloria’.
She then handed out some song sheets with a range of different Christmas themed songs and carols on them. We practiced singing the songs, “While shepherds watched their flocks by night”, “The Holly and the Ivy” and “The High Spen Mummers Song”. We then sang a different tune version of “Away in a Manger”.
Ednie then spoke about her family background. She explained that she is from Yorkshire, however, a lot of her family are in fact Swedish. She said at this time of year, because it is so dark in Sweden, the people who live there are asking for light. So, they celebrate ‘Saint Lucy’s Festival Day’ on 13th December, where they sing a song called ‘Sankta Lucia’ which means ‘Saint Lucy’, singing about the sun departing from Earth and shadows brooding. Saint Lucy is welcomed in by everyone wearing a Christmas wreath, where she brings hot cinnamon buns, candles, friendship, good will and light.
