Tiny Tots: Diverse Colorado Learning Resources
SHOJOJI
Margaret Ozaki Graves from Central City Opera sang and played Taiko for a song called Shojoji, which means Hungry Raccoon Dog! Here are some facts about this animal:
The Japanese raccoon dog: is a member of the dog family (canidae). is native to east Asia.
can grow approximately two feet long and weigh about 15 pounds. is nocturnal, meaning it is most active at night. is an omnivore, meaning that it eats both plants and other animals.
is the only member of the dog family that hibernates (sleeps all winter long).
DIY INSTRUMENT: Mini Taiko
Taiko means drum in Japanese, and you can make a do-it-yourself version at home!
Materials needed:
scissors
1 balloon
1 cup or empty can, top removed
1 rubber band
2 unsharpened pencils or sticks.
Instructions:
Cut off the narrow part of the balloon and discard. Stretch the rest of the balloon over the opening of your cup/can.
Secure the balloon with a rubber band.
Grab your pencils or sticks and play along with this mini-playlist of Japanese folk music by following the QR link below!
Remember, Meg played her Taiko by playing the middle of the drum head and the edge!
LA VÍBORA DE LA MAR
La Víbora de la Mar (The Sea Snake) is a traditional Mexican song game. You can play it in your home or classroom!
To play, everyone holds the hand of the person in front of them to create a “víbora” (snake).
Two children stand with their arms in an arch. One of these is called the “Melón” (Melon) and the other is called the “Sandía” (Watermelon).
The “víbora” walks in between them, circling around to do it again and again until the Melón and Sandía lower their arms to “capture” someone!
The captured person is then asked to choose one fruit, Melón or Sandía. The captured child lines up next to the "fruit" of the child’s choice, forming another arch through which the snake will pass.
The game ends when all the children are divided into the two “fruit” lines.
Spanish vocabulary:
Melón - melon (cantaloupe or honeydew)
Sandía - watermelon
Víbora - snake
Mar - Sea
Listen and play along here
DRAWING MUSICAL EMOTIONS
Music can express many diferent emotions. Blues music, like you heard Lionel Young play and sing on Early in the Morning, is music all about feeling sad. Follow the QR link to a mini-playlist of orchestra music with all sorts of different emotions. How do you feel when you listen to each piece? Draw the emotion you hear. You may choose to draw the eyes and outh differently on each one. There is one empty face for each piece on the playlist.
COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: GEORGE MORRISON
George Morrison Sr. (1891-1972), the composer of Lullaby, which you heard at Tiny Tots, lived right here in Denver! He studied classical violin as a young man, but at that time there were no symphonies who would hire a Black man. Instead, he pursued jazz and was a wellknown band leader, touring all over the world and even playing for the King and Queen of England. He also volunteered in Denver schools, teaching music lessons to those who couldn’t afford them. He was the Black artist signed to the iconic Columbia Records label and is known as “Denver’s Godfather of Jazz.” Incredibly, this important figure of Denver’s musical history was only inducted in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2023.
Listen to a mini-playlist of George Morrison Sr.’s music here.
KEEP LISTENING
Follow the QR code to listen to music from Tiny Tots: Diverse Colorado