Musical Geography Trip
for Grades K-3   References

Hear MP3's of Don  here! -- This Land Is Your Land ~ Anchors Away

The Musical Geography Trip takes your students on a 45-60 minute journey from New England to Florida and will increase students' knowledge of our eastern coastal states with colorful maps and through association with familiar songs. 

The stage is set with a large 7' x 5' US map, a large 4' x 5' "white board" map of the East Coast, 12 individual state 2' x 2' "flash" cards, a stage car and the 20-foot "auto" train. I choose a car driver and navigator who will write the abbreviations on the "white board" map for each state we go through. Depending on the ages (the show is tailored for those assembled) the children are quizzed on the eastern states, capitols (Grades 2&3), oceans and north-south directions.
Twenty five students are chosen to role-play, sing, play rhythm instruments, dance, exercise and march. The first song for Grads K-1 is "New York New York" with three volunteers picked to dance with top hats and canes. For Grades 2-3 the first song is "This Land Is Your Land" with 2 chosen volunteers to sing into the microphone. The song is prefaced by geography questions such as "Where are the redwood forests and gulf stream waters?" The show is a combination of education and entertainment cleverly intertwined. . Other songs performed are "On The Road Again", "Dixie", "Yankee Doodle", "Anchors Away", "Morning Town Ride", "The Swanee River", "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Small World", "When I See An Elephant Fly" (optional) and "The Mickey Mouse March" (optional). Most of the show is spent getting to Florida, and the payoff is Disney World. In the song "When I See An Elephant Fly", I ask the older kids to keep track of the ten images in the song that have double meanings. Then we review them. A one page study guide for teachers' use is available in advance of the show. 
I sing, play guitar and harmonica and use prerecorded bass, drums and keyboard sounds I make in my studio, Rainbow Music. I have performed this show hundreds of times and have 24 years of full-time performing experience (18 years with children). I also teach guitar, songwriting and voice and in 1979, founded the Connecticut Songwriters Association  

The fee for one show is $325 and for two shows, same day same location $500. Travel fees may apply. Block booking will reduce the cost per show
References in CT, MA and RI for the Musical Geography Trip 

" An excellent, well done show for our school" Karen Telesca, Moser School in Rocky Hill, CT "Your Musical Geography Trip was a wonderful addition to Catholic Schools Week! You did a great job of keeping the children interested by having them participate" - Sr. Annette, St. Peter School in Torrington, CT
"I've never seen the kids so wildly excited about a performance as I did with your Musical Geography Show.. I have gotton excellent feedback from students, teachers and administrators." - Karen Adam, Cultural Arts, Doolittle School in Cheshire, CT
"I am thrilled with the curricular content and entertainment value of your Musical Geography Program" - Sue Teece, Cultural Arts at Norris School in Southampton, MA

References

Bellingham, MA------South Elementary School, Sandy Rushton (508) 883-6186
Bethel, CT - - Bethel Library. Joanne Grumman 203-794-8756

Bethel, CT ------- St. Mary's School (203) 744-2922
Cheshire, CT-------Doolittle School, Karen Adams (203) 250-8712
Chestnut Hill, MA----Mt. Alvernia Academy, Prin. Mrs. Sullivan 617-527-7540
Coventry, RI-------Tiogue School, Susan Wagner (401) 826-1023
Danbury, CT ------ St. Joseph's School, Prin. Sharon Quish 203-748-6615
Melrose, MA ---------Hoover Elementary, Tammy Desimone (781) 662-6908
New Haven, CT -------New Haven Library, Rachael Sherwood (203) 946-8129
Rocky Hill, CT ------ Moser School K-2, Karen Telesca (860) 258-7771
Shelton, CT ------Plumb Library, Susan Sherman (203) 925-9019

Simsbury, CT ---- Simsbury Library, Shelley Spoering 860-658-7663
Vernon, Ct ----- Maple St. School, Annette Pezzetti,PTO, 860-872-7268
Wallingford, CT ---- Pond Hill School, Glenda Spivey (203) 269-3521
Warwick,RI-------Park School, Kristen Marcks (401) 736-0754

Study Guide for the Musical Geography Trip Show
States discussed and their capitals and nick names
A navigator is chosen to write in the state abbreviations for each state we go through.
(nick names and capitols are usually omitted for younger audiences)

• MA = Boston "The Bay State"
• RI = Providence "The Ocean State"
• CT = Hartford " The Constitution State"
• NY = Albany " The Empire State"
• NJ = Trenton " The Garden State"
• DE = Dover "The First State"
• MD = Annapolis " The Old Line State"
• VA = Richmond " The Old Dominion State"
• NC = Raleigh " The Tar Heel State"
• SC = Columbia "The Palmetto State"
• GA = Atlanta "The Peach State"
• FL = Tallahassee "The Sunshine State"
  

Other Geography Topics and Areas covered:
(Please note that the amount of detail is tailored to the age / grade level of the audience)

North, South, East, West and south/west etc.
Oceans - Atlantic, Pacific
The six New England states
New York Island, Gulf of Mexico, Redwood Forests (song, "This Land Is Your Land")
U.S. Navel Academy at Annapolis, MD (song, "Anchors Away")
Washington, D.C. - President, Vice President, # of Senators and Representatives
The Swanee River from Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico defines the Panhandle of Florida
Creative writing example = lyric imagery -(song "When I See An Elephant Fly")
Encouragement of volunteers who come up to sing solos into the microphone on the song "This Land Is Your Land"
For details call Don Donegan at 860-659-8992 or e-mail ddcsa@aol.com