Winter Games

Whenever the Olympic games roll around, a certain excitement fills the air, and the Vancouver Olympics (Feb. 12th - 28th, 2010) are no exception. This song celebrates those games and the principles of Olympism - things like the joy of effort, the spirit of friendship, and fair play. These are good cross curricular lessons (and good life lessons), so you may want to discuss the lyrics with your students. The song also lists 15 sporting events being held during the present era Winter Olympics. (See measures 25 - 34.) Did you know there were so many? Do you and your students know what each one is? More good discussion fodder.

The song style is high energy rock with synths, guitars and drums driving the sound on the recording. We've also added stadium crowd noise and the sounds of winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, and sledding to add to the excitement. Plus, you'll hear an ice skater coming to a hard stop at the end of the piece.

The vocal parts might be challenging for some singers, with syncopated rhythms and optional divisis coming and going. If your singers can handle it, they'll be rewarded with a cool sounding performance.

One performance idea would be having your singers dress up in winter gear - snowpants, ski jackets, goggles, winter hats, etc. If they happen to own skis or snowboards, those would also be good visuals.

*Special thanks to Diane Stebbe for her impromptu divisi idea for the end of the song. You totally rock, Diane!