For Hanukkah

We think that you will really like the song, "For Hanukkah," because it is very upbeat and has a lot of energy. And, you not only get to sing it, but you can also add ukuleles. It's a perfect blend of holiday cheer and warmth for the lighthearted, festive season of Hanukkah. The melody is very simple and most students should be able to sing it, even your youngest. And because it's unison and repetitious, it probably won't take long to learn it. You could even add a little bit of movement if you'd like. At measure 19, you have the option of adding claps on beats 2 and 4. That happens again on the D.S. and then continues into the coda and to the end.

For the ukulele, you'll only need three chords: C, G, and F. If you choose to use ukes on this song, note that they enter in bar 1. To help your players to come in on time, there is a 2-bar drum set-up to help establish the tempo. You'll see that on the score there is a simple, written rhythmic pattern for the ukuleles to play. However, on the performance track, we had our ukulele player freely strum along to the beat. Either way, or a combination of the two, would work well. Also, for your convenience, there is an extracted ukulele part available on our web site.