MUSIC ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS FOR PRESCHOOL THROUGH KINDERGARTEN

MUSIC 'N' MOTION is Tracey's flagship program and the perfect choice for kids' concerts and festivals, libraries, mall and outdoor shopping center performances, daycare fun days, school shows for preschool through first grade, and kids' parties and picnics.  First created and performed in 1993 and pure FUN for the children, by its design MUSIC 'N' MOTION sparks imaginations, inspires creative self-expression, enhances self-esteem, and fosters a sense of community.   Highly interactive and forever evolving, MUSIC 'N' MOTION includes singing and sing-alongs, "live" musical accompaniment, creative movement and dancing, puppetry, introduction to interesting instruments from around the world, body percussion and percussion instrument play (a sanitized shaker is provided for each child), riddles and rhyming, mathematical songs, stories in song, dramatic play and (where space and the number of children allow) parachute play (it's a great tool for social distancing, too)!  Tracey never keeps the children sitting for more than a handful of minutes at a time.  With something new and unexpected around each corner, the kids are invariably enrapt.  Performed in solo or duo format, MUSIC 'N' MOTION  can be done either with no particular theme or with emphasis on a theme of MUSIC 'N' MOTION as well as all theme programs can be performed "VIRTUALLY"  VIA  ZOOM.   It's a new adventure!

Tracey has created dozens of music programs to complement early childhood curriculum, welcoming every opportunity to build programs on new themes.  She would be happy to create a program to answer your curricular needs.  Her current catalog of THEME PROGRAM OFFERINGS includes:

Imagination is the limit!  Tracey enchants young audiences with her special blend of songs and musical stories, the assortment of musical instruments she plays "live", her percussion jam (with a freshly sanitized instrument for each child), finger plays, props, creative movement, dancing, and dramatic play, puppetry, riddles and rhyming, and (where possible) parachute play.  The power in teamwork, the joy in self-expression, the beauty in diversity, and the importance of caring for the environment are among the messages Tracey puts forth in her high-spirited, energetic, and sometimes zany way.  Tracey's joyful exuberance motivates children to participate without self-consciousness, and the kids experience EXPRESS YOURSELF:  SING, SAY, STOMP, AND PLAY as 100% unadulterated fun.  No less than the kids, grownups enjoy the variety of musical style in Tracey's repertoire:  rock'n'roll, blues, bluegrass, swing, folk, reggae, calypso, Dixieland jazz, boogie woogie, rockabilly, and zydeco.  Performed solo, in duo, or in trio format.   (The more Friends, the merrier)!

With lots of singing (several of the songs with finger plays), rhyming, plenty of dancing and creative movement, percussion play with newly sanitized instruments for each child, and parachute play (if space and the number of children allow), SPLASH! celebrates the wondrous world of water.  Tracey takes children on a journey through the aquatic realm, traveling variously by rowboat, canoe, sailboat, ocean liner, and submarine.  Voyagers are met by a parade of water-dwelling creatures all of whom depend upon humans--you and me--to keep their habitats clean. Destinations include the pond, the lake, the stream, the river, the swamp, the ocean, the tropical island, and the Chesapeake Bay.  Kids delight in songs that feature ducks, frogs, seagulls, fish, sharks, crabs, seals, whales, dolphins, octopi, crocodiles, and even mermaids.  They learn to distinguish saltwater from freshwater bodies and fish from amphibians and sea mammals.   They're encouraged to make a SPLASH! as they row, paddle, swim, waddle, chomp, quack, and dive, expressing themselves through movement, play, and imitation of the sounds in nature.   Performed solo or in duo format.

A CELEBRATION OF THE GARDEN AND ITS INHABITANTS

Tracey's BUGS DON'T BUG ME! is an interactive program featuring singing and movement to "live" accompaniment, puppetry, stories and "make believe" play, creative self-expression, rhyming, riddles, and (where space and the number of children allow) parachute play.  This program fosters respect for living creatures, no matter how tiny they may be.  Children are encouraged to sing along to a swarm of "bug" songs ("Itsy Bitsy Spider", "The Ants Go Marching", "Buzz Buzz Buzz", "Grasshopper Hop", "Bugs Don't Bug Me", and others.)  The kids perform "their special part" in a call-and-response number, play a musical rhyming game, answer riddles, and respond to a musical story performed with puppets ("Hey, Little Ant.")  They're inspired to march ("Ants Go Marching,") to hop ("Grasshopper Hop,") to crawl ("Caterpillar,") to fly ("Butterfly,") and to express themselves through improvisational movement.   Performed in solo or duo format.

SOUNDS AND SIGHTS THAT ABOUND IN THE NIGHT

Discover the sights, the lights, and the sounds of night!  Tracey ventures into the nocturnal domain, introducing through music and story a world that stirs only when human children are tucked safely into bed.  Songs, stories, and puppetry feature such dwellers of the night as raccoons, skunks, bears, owls, crickets, bats, kangaroos, tarantulas, and a host of others.  Kids listen actively and respond to riddles ("Who Am I?") filled with fascinating facts about nocturnal creatures.  Tracey explores with childlike wonder both the night sky and the lights that help us find our way after sunset.  Children gain awareness of the sun as both a source of energy and the provider of a darkness that promotes sleep and regeneration.  Song and dance inspired by Native American cultures highlight the respect of indigenous peoples for the fiery star on which all of life depends.  Children respond with voice, body, and handheld percussion (always freshly sanitized) to contemporary and familiar songs whose dynamic ranges extend from lullaby to rock'n'roll.  Audiences sing along, duplicate rhythm patterns, "keep the beat" at different tempos, and choose volumes appropriate to different styles of music.  Tracey emphasizes the beauty and power in teamwork, cooperation, and community, using as models the making of ensemble music and parachute play (this latter where it's possible).  Kids experience the learning as a "super fun playdate"**--education at its best!   Lots of interaction!  Performed solo.

**as spoken by a 3-year-old at the conclusion of this program 

A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION

LET'S GO! is a fantastic journey by train, plane, bus, boat, bicycle, car, truck, helicopter, rocket ship, and even time machine!  A whimsical vacation via the imagination whose destinations include the beach, the playground, the farm, the safari park, East and West Africa, Australia, and planet Mars, this program contains all of the interactive and educational elements of EXPRESS YOURSELF:  SING, SAY, STOMP, AND PLAY.  One of Tracey's favorite programs, LET'S GO! proves that the road trip can be a part of our destination instead of that which separates us from it.  LET'S GO! stimulates imaginations and inspires the kids to move without inhibition.  Kids have a blast!  Performed solo.

The Joy of Music:  IT'S NO MYSTERY!

Active listening and sound identification, singing and dancing with "live" accompaniment, experimentation with body percussion and musical instruments, self-expression through creative movement, puppetry, parachute play, and a heaping helping of silliness capture the attentions and engage the imaginations of young audiences.  As sidekick to her puppet Shirley Holmes, PI, Tracey guides students in an investigation of the senses, sounds, vibrations, and families of musical instruments.  The children use their "detective" skills--scientific observation and deductive reasoning--to determine how various musical instruments make sounds.  They identify and duplicate rhythmic patterns in music, both with their bodies and with instruments,  take turns at being leaders, and move to music of different styles.  Performed solo.  

NOTE:  THIS PROGRAM WAS CREATED TO GIVE THE KIDS A "TOUCH AND FEEL" EXPERIENCE BUT, GIVEN COVID-19, THE APPROACH HAS HAD TO CHANGE TEMPORARILY  (?) TO A VISUAL/AUDITORY ONE.  The kids WILL have a chance to play a couple of percussion instruments, freshly sanitized, of which Tracey has enough for 70 children.

INTERACTIVE, EDUCATIONAL, & MORE FUN THAN A BARREL OF MONKEYS!

As head pilot, skipper, and trail guide, Tracey takes young audiences on a rollicking worldwide safari to explore the animals, the habitats, and the music from each of 7 continents.  While traversing land and sea in planes, ships, and trucks of their own imagining, children gain awareness of planet Earth, its landmasses and bodies of water, its diversity, its amazing wildlife, and the importance of caring for the planet that sustains us all.  Tracey unleashes an arsenal of songs and dances, musical instruments, sound effects, activities for dramatic play and creative movement, rhyming games, percussion, and animal puppetry replete with silly humour to create an unforgettable learning experience.  The runway is clear for takeoff.  Fasten your seatbelts!  Performed solo or in duo format.

CELEBRATING FLIGHT OF IMAGINATION AND THE MAGIC IN DREAMS

Tracey guides audiences on a journey through the land of infinite possibility--the realm of human imagination!  With her unique mix of singing, dancing, "live" musical accompaniment, musical stories, rhyming, puppetry, creative  movement, percussion, and parachute play (where the number of children and space allow) Tracey celebrates the power of imagining, the magic in dreams, and the joy in moving, exploring, and creating.  Children participate in the shaping of this journey as they collaborate to create a story (always fantastical and amazing) that's all their own.  In our dreams we can fly...  are you ready?  Let's go!    Performed solo.

A GROUND-BREAKING MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA

An Interactive Musical Celebration of the Creatures Who Sleep Under Our Feet

Meet groundhogs, chipmunks, tortoises, armadillos, platypuses, moles, and other diggers of the animal kingdom.  Discover the special fossorial adaptations that enable them to burrow into the earth for food and shelter.  Celebrate the tiny creatures who live in the soil of our gardens including the ant, the snail, the millipede, and the worm.  And, finally, dig into the paleontologist's realm through interactive dinosaur songs, musical riddles, and puppetry.  Not unlike the programs that came before it, this recent addition to Tracey's interactive program series incorporates riddles, rhyming, creative movement and improvisation, puppetry, singing to "live" musical accompaniment, dancing, parachute (where space and numbers allow) and percussion play (on newly sanitized instruments).   DIGGERS!  stirs imaginations, promotes uninhibited self-expression, and creates a sense of fellowship with all living things.  Children are encouraged to contribute ideas and to express themselves through several different movement activities and dramatic play.  The kids really DIG it!   Performed solo.