Mugs of hot chocolate, the smell of pine trees, and music around the piano. Have you ever dreamed of having a sing-along in the holiday season? YOU CAN PLAY THE PIANO so call up some friends or family for a sing-along… it’s Party Time!
If this is your first sing-along, pick three songs that seem easy to you… maybe Jingle Bells, Silent Night and The 12 days of Christmas. “Not the 12 days!”, you may say! Just hand out the lyrics (in big print of course), start playing and it’s a favourite every time! The BEST 12 Days of Christmas on Youtube - Straight No Chaser – Harmony, counterpoint and humour! Another favorite - Muppets 12 Days –
Check out the 5 gold rings with Miss Piggy and Rolf playing the piano on this Youtube.
For added fun, you can make up your own words. Magic School Bus Version –
On the first day of recycling my teacher gave to me… a whole mess of magazines!
On the second day of recycling my teacher gave to me… 2 plastic bags and a whole mess of magazines. etc.
Now that your into it here's a few suggestions before your sing-along:
1. Get a fake book version of the music... it saves page turns! 2. Record yourself playing the songs. It usually takes a few tries to get a nice one. Just think of it as practicing :0)
3. Sing along with your recording. Forget about the sound of your voice (it gets drowned out in the group at the sing-along), you want to see if your playing can be sung to before you gather the gang.
4. Find one person, a family member or trusted friend, and practice accompanying them while they sing. Now you're ready!
Download my FREE Christmas lyric book to hand out to your singers.
Here's where to get the music... Jingle Bells and Silent Night is found in Play Piano Chords Today Book 2 The Twelve Days of Christmas is here: Beginner Lead Sheet or Advanced Lead Sheet. Video for learning Twelve Days of Christmas is here. Or if you want a big sing-along, my favourite first Christmas Fake book with lyrics and lead sheets is Hal Leonard's Easy Christmas Songs Fake Book. Send out your invitations and create some Christmas memories!