Hello!

I hope this note finds you warm and in good health!

Are you suffering from “winteritis”?  I don’t normally have a problem with winter weather, snow, ice, below freezing temperatures, etc, etc, etc!  But this year has already been pretty bad in my area.  Currently, I am on my 5th day of the weekend, because school was off for MLK Day and cancelled the last 2 days for snow!  The week before, we had an early dismissal and delay for -25 degree wind chills.  And the first week back after Christmas, we had 2 more snow days.  I love my job, and I just wish I could actually get out of the house to do it!

All of this cold has made me think and look forward to the upcoming Winter Olympics.  When I was a kid, I absolutely loved watching both the Summer and Winter Olympics with my family.  Well, not much has changed – I still get together with my brothers, sisters, and parents and have an Opening Ceremony viewing party.  To see the athletes march in, to hear the Olympic theme, and to watch the torch light up –  it’s such an amazing feeling!

I wanted to share some of those feelings with my students this year.  After all, the Winter Olympics only come around every four years.  In a lot of my spare time from weather cancellations/delays, I’ve been working on some Olympic-themed rhythmic and melodic games, as well as some rhythmic play-alongs.

The Olympic Fanfare and Theme was arranged by the famous American composer, John Williams.  His music is heard on a large variety of movies, including Harry Potter, Home Alone, and Jurassic Park.  I’m sure your students, even elementary age, would recognize his music if they heard it.  The Olympic theme was actually borrowed from a piece by Leo Arnaud called “Bugler’s March,” written in 1958.  Then in 1984, Williams used the opening theme by Arnaud, adding his own lovely melodies and captivating rhythms.

Because I teach Kindergarten through 3rd grade, I decided to create 2 different rhythmic arrangements to accompany this work.  For my Kindergarten and 1st grade classes, I made a very simple version, with one instrument playing the steady beat during each of the sections.  Then for the older grades (could be used with 2nd through 5th grade), I wrote a more difficult arrangement, using several different instruments with specific rhythms to perform.

I absolutely can’t wait to use it in my classroom – if we can get rid of this snow and get back to school one of these days!  If you would like to try it out with your students, you can find both versions here in my TpT store.

I’d love to hear from you – about your favorite products, what kind of things you need, etc.  Click on the picture below to complete a short survey, and you will receive the simplified version of the Olympic Fanfare for free.  Don’t forget to include your e-mail address so that I can send it to you.

Thanks so much for your time and support!

Keep warm and stay positive!

~Beth