“Het Dierenorkest” — Animal Orchestra Song in Dutch for Kids
In “Het Dierenorkest” (The Animal Orchestra), kids sing key Dutch words like het orkest, de olifant speelt trompet, de kat speelt viool and de kikker speelt trommel, going back and forth between English and Dutch, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a next-step (A2) song from Unit 30: Music & Instruments, 3:11 long, made for ages 2–8.
- 🇳🇱 Dutch
- Level: A2
- Unit 30 · Muziek Maken
- ⏱ 3:11
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“Het Dierenorkest” lyrics with English translation
Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. Dutch is shown in teal.
| Sung | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wise owl taps her little stick, | De wijze uil tikt met haar stokje, |
| “Ready?” — “Klaar?” — the beat comes quick! | |
| “One, two, three…” — “Eén, twee, drie…” | |
| “Play!” — “Spelen maar!” Come sing with me! | |
| “Orchestra!” — “Het orkest!” | |
| In the forest, our concert is the best. | In het bos is ons concert het best. |
| “The elephant plays trumpet!” — “De olifant speelt trompet!” | |
| Toot, toot, toot! Did you hear it yet? | Toet, toet, toet! Hoorde je het al? |
| “The cat plays violin!” — “De kat speelt viool!” | |
| Swaying strings make a lovely roll. | Wiegende snaren klinken zo mooi. |
| “Trumpet!” — “Trompet!” Say it once more! | |
| “Violin!” — “Viool!” Now play along! | |
| “All together!” — “Allemaal samen!” | |
| Clap your hands and call their names! | Klap in je handen en roep hun namen! |
| “Ready?” — “Klaar?” “Play!” — “Spelen maar!” | |
| Sing it near and sing it far! | Zing het dichtbij en zing het ver! |
| “Bravo!” — “Bravo!” Take a bow — | |
| “Een buiging!” Everybody now! | |
| “All together!” — “Allemaal samen!” | |
| Bravo, friends, you know the names! | Bravo, vrienden, jullie kennen de namen! |
| “The frog plays the drum!” — “De kikker speelt trommel!” | |
| Boom, tap, boom! A forest rumble. | Boem, tik, boem! Het bos rommelt. |
| “The bird plays the flute!” — “De vogel speelt fluit!” | |
| Tweeting notes go dancing through. | Fluitende noten dansen rond. |
| “The bear plays piano!” — “De beer speelt piano!” | |
| Plink and plonk, a tune we know. | Plink en plonk, een liedje dat we kennen. |
| “Drum!” — “Trommel!” “Flute!” — “Fluit!” | |
| “Piano!” — “Piano!” Sing it out! | |
| “All together!” — “Allemaal samen!” | |
| Clap your hands and call their names! | Klap in je handen en roep hun namen! |
| “Ready?” — “Klaar?” “Play!” — “Spelen maar!” | |
| Sing it near and sing it far! | Zing het dichtbij en zing het ver! |
| “Bravo!” — “Bravo!” Take a bow — | |
| “Een buiging!” Everybody now! | |
| “All together!” — “Allemaal samen!” | |
| Bravo, friends, you know the names! | Bravo, vrienden, jullie kennen de namen! |
| “Who is playing?” — “Wie speelt mee?” | |
| The owl points: “One, two, three!” | De uil wijst: “Eén, twee, drie!” |
| “Can you say it?” — “Ja, dat kan!” | |
| Dutch and English, hand in hand! | Nederlands en Engels, hand in hand! |
| “All together!” — “Allemaal samen!” | |
| Clap your hands and call their names! | Klap in je handen en roep hun namen! |
| “Ready?” — “Klaar?” “Play!” — “Spelen maar!” | |
| Sing it near and sing it far! | Zing het dichtbij en zing het ver! |
| “Bravo!” — “Bravo!” Take a bow — | |
| “Een buiging!” Everybody now! | |
| “All together!” — “Allemaal samen!” | |
| Bravo, friends, the forest’s famous! | Bravo, vrienden, het bos is beroemd! |
| The owl says, “Bravo!” — “Bravo!” | |
| The animals take a bow — “Een buiging!” | |
| “All together!” — “Allemaal samen!” | |
| What a wonderful orchestra — “Het orkest!” | |
Key Dutch words in this song
The 11 words and phrases this song is built around.
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| het orkest | orchestra |
| de olifant speelt trompet | the elephant plays the trumpet |
| de kat speelt viool | the cat plays the violin |
| de kikker speelt trommel | the frog plays the drum |
| de vogel speelt fluit | the bird plays the flute |
| de beer speelt piano | the bear plays the piano |
| klaar? | ready? |
| spelen maar! | play! |
| allemaal samen | all together |
| bravo | bravo |
| een buiging | a bow |
How to use this song with your child
- 1
Make “allemaal samen” the word of the day
This song repeats “allemaal samen” (all together) on 7 lines. Use it once or twice during the day outside the song, and let your child correct you if you get it wrong.
- 2
Split the parts
Once the song is familiar, you sing the English lines and your child sings the Dutch ones, then swap. It turns listening into speaking.
- 3
Make it a routine
At 3:11, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. Be the conductor: count to three in Dutch, then everyone plays.
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