FUN MUSIC IDEAS, October, 1997
thomasr
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for the month of October, 1997. =20
This newsletter is a compilation of enjoyable musical activities which are
applicable for anyone working with children in a musical capacity, whether
formal or informal.=20
We welcome contributions from parents, music teachers, classroom teachers,
youth directors, church directors and volunteers, or anyone else who has
any ideas to contribute.
All past issues are archived at:
http://www.jumpoint.com/bluesman/newsletter.html
REQUESTS FOR HELP
Leneda Laing <cla...@conc.tds.net> is interested in teaching middle school
aged children to recite the lyrics of popular songs, holiday songs, or=20
other types of songs in sign language. Where can she find the resources?
Heather Demere <hde...@loki.berry.edu> wrote to the Kidsongs mailing list
<kids...@stairway.org> asking for songs which would be appropriate in a
kindergarten or primary classroom during transition times, such as coming
to the carpet or lining up. Can anyone help her?
Sandy <spo...@aol.com> has been given the assignment of presenting a
program entitled "Holidays and Festivals Around the World." She needs=20
songs, dances, and singing games from India, Jewish tradition, Ireland,
and England, and they have to be simple enough for children ages preschool
through second grade. Sandy has been a generous contributor to FUN MUSIC
IDEAS, so maybe we can return the favor.
Cheri <r...@cyberhighway.net> welcomes any body percussion exercises, or
any comments on the subject.
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Todd and Theresa <to...@csd.uwm.edu> wrote to the Orff mailing list, asking=
=20
how they can accommodate two particular children into a recorder ensemble
performance. They said that the two children were mentally handicapped
and would have a hard time even learning to play an ostinato.
There were several solutions suggested. There was THE UNTUNED PERCUSSION
SOLUTION. This was suggested by Diane <sabo...@slic.com> and
several other contributors.
There was also THE SOUND EFFECTS SOLUTION. Zelle Windham suggests
removing the mouthpiece and making bird calls. If you have recorders of
two different ranges, blow both mouthpieces simultaneously and imitate a
train. If you're preparing a Halloween performance, then you might try
the suggestion from Janette Poulton <gar...@pa.ausom.net.au>.
She suggests making eerie noises with the recorder mouthpiece. She tells
us that with a little experimentation, you can find other sound effects
with the recorder mouthpiece also, such as night critter sounds.
There was also THE COOPERATIVE SOUND SOLUTION. Zelle Windham=20
<ofi...@u.washington.edu> suggests taking the middle section of a three-pi=
ece=20
recorder, twisting it, and then do the fingering while the student
does the exhaling.
(I used to work in a day care center where I would sing and finger the
guitar chords while the children plucked the strings. But
somehow I never thought of applying the same principle to wind
instruments!)
If Paul Rolland, the well-known violin pedagogue at the University of
Illinois, were on the mailing list, he might suggest THE BICHORDAL SONG
solution. Rolland takes advantage of the fact that root notes of
bichordal songs are a fifth apart while the open strings of the violin are
a fifth apart. He has his more advanced students play the melodies while
the less advanced students play the open strings. This idea should be
applicable to the recorder.
Easier yet is THE MONOTONE SOLUTION. Gregg A. Collins=20
<gcol...@MARSHALL.EDU> suggested teaching a bichordal song and giving
those children the note which is common to both chords.
Tossi Aaron <to...@juno.com> knows of some student/teacher recorder duets
which are monotone in the student's part. She says that "Recorder Routes"
by Carol King, as well as a series by Birthe Kuliche, published by Empire
Music, begin with duets written on this principle.
Or how about involving those children in monotone passages in already
existing songs? Tossi Aaron calls attention to the monotone passages in
"Jingle Bells."
Or how about delegating each child with responsibility for one or a few
notes? I call this THE ENGLISH HANDBELL SOLUTION. Remember that there
are two children in the scenario, so we can imagine the two children being
pointed to at appropriate times for an ostinato, germ motif, or ritornello
containing only two notes. =20
This is NOT to say that the idea can NOT be applied to students who are
NOT handicapped. Suzuki teachers sometimes have their students play the
Mendelssohn concerto this way. It usually ends up in giggle fits. =20
Some of you may say, "But it's going to be obvious to the audience that
those children are only playing a few notes!" Maybe, but I rather doubt
it. Until I took brass methods class last year, I never noticed that the
trumpet and horn parts in the Eighteenth Century orchestra were confined
to a few notes.
If you're interested in more ideas for incorporating handicapped children
into instrumental ensembles, Zelle Windham <ofi...@u.washington.edu>
recommends "Orff Music Therapy" by Gertrud Orff. I recommend "They Can
Make Music" by Philip Bailey.
QUODLIBETS
Someone wrote to k12.ed.music, asking for PARTNER SONGS, or songs which
fit together simultaneously. Heather <jac...@pld.com> replied that =20
"This Train" and "When the Saints Go Marching In" are contrapuntalized in
the 5th Grade Silver Burdett book, while "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and
"Now Let Me Fly" are contrapuntalized in the 6th Grade book. Heather has
also heard that, between "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," "This
Train," and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," it is possible to contrapuntalize
any two or all three.
A few more which I could add are Dvorak's "Humoresque" with "Old Folks at
Home," "Dixie" with "Yankee Doodle," and any two or all three of "Row, Row,=
=20
Row Your Boat," "Frere Jacques," and "Three Blind Mice."=20
At a time when I had considerably more free time than I do now, I
catalogued my collection of pentatonic songs according to how they
would be harmonized. Any songs in the same category I declared as partner
songs. Here's what I came up with:
The version of "Little Sally Waters" in "Folksongs of Alabama" fits with
almost any sol-mi song in common meter. Likewise for "Windy Weather" in
"All In! All In!" "Goodby, Old Paint" fits with almost any sol-mi song
in 3/4.
"Long-Legged Sailor" fits with "Mother, Mother, I Am Sick" as recorded in
the Holy Names College collection:
q q q q q q h=20
G E G E G E G=20
Mother, Mother, I am sick.
q e e q q q q h=09
G E E G E G G C =20
Send for the doctor, quick, quick, quick.
(The song is in 4/4 meter. q stands for quarter, h stands for half, and e
stands for eighth. The range is a perfect fifth from C to G.)
You can fit the version of "Down, Down, Baby" from "Shimmy Shimmy
Coke-Ca-Pop!" with the version of "Weevily Wheat" from "Folk Songs and
Singing Games of the Illinois Ozarks":
q q q q q q h
E D C D E E E =20
Left hand round the weev'ly wheat,
q q q q h h
C C C A C G
Left hand round the barley,
q q q q q q q
E D C D E E E
Left hand round the weev'ly wheat
q q q q q h h=20
D C A C A C C=20
And bake a cake for Charlie.
(The song is in 4/4 meter. The range is a major sixth from G to E.)
In order to make this combination, you must sing three stanzas of "Weevily
Wheat" while you augment "Down, Down, Baby" into whole notes and half
notes.
At the library at Holy Names College, I found a version of "Sally
Go Round the Sun," which John and Alan Lomax heard from a group
of girls in Washington, DC. In 3/4 meter, one part is monotone E and the
other is monotone C:
Sally go round the sunshine,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney pot
Ev'ry afternoon.
I fit that with "See Saw, Margery Daw." Of course, it could fit with any
other sol-mi song in 3/4.
If you want a high concentration of potential partner songs in one place,
you can't do better than "The Book of Rounds" by M. C. Taylor and C. Dyk.
The book contains several rounds using only do, mi, so, and high do. Most
of the rounds are 2, 4, 8, or 16 measures long, which means that any of
them fit together, but you might have to augment or repeat. =20
Partner songs could serve as a novelty in a program. First, have MILES
play one partner song, then have FLORA play the other partner song as
the next number. Then the following dialogue takes place:
MILES: I want to play "Long-Legged Sailor" again!
FLORA: But I want to play "Mother, Mother, I Am Sick" again!
MILES: Well, I ought to play again, because I can play better than YOU
can!
FLORA: Oh, yeah?
MILES: Oh, yeah!
FLORA: Oh, yeah?
MILES: Oh, yeah! (bantering continues until YOU intervene.)
YOU: Children, children, CHILDREN! We don't have time to hear both songs
again, but I tell you what: We can hear them both at the same time.
MILES and FLORA: Awwwwwwww!
If you want to interject some music history, you can tell your class about
the Bach family reunions in Thuringia. The Bach family was fond of seeing
how many partner songs they could fit together, only they referred to an
aggregate of partner songs as a "quodlibet." If a neighbor knocked on the
doorto complain about the noise, they would invite the neighbor in and
ask the neighbor to add still another song to the quodlibet. =20
ALLITERATIONS AND TONGUE TWISTERS
The Cox & Rickard recorder manual, reviewed elsewhere in this issue,
contains monotone songs with lyrics using words beginning with the
appropriate letter. For example, "Bach played bagpipes in the brass
band" is written all on B. This is a clever idea which you can extend in
several directions.
You can COLLECT OR INVENT ALLITERATIONS OR TONGUE TWISTERS. For instance,=
=20
If the note being practiced is A, ask your students to help you think up
alliterations on A. Look down the roll to make sure that you are not
slighting any student whose name begins with A. =20
Here are some suggested alliterations or tongue twisters for A:
=09
=09Aaron the aardvark is awfully alert.
=09
=09Always avoid awful alliterations.
for B:
=09Betty bought some bitter butter
=09and it made her batter bitter,
=09so Betty bought some better butter
=09to make her bitter batter better.
=09The big black bug's blood ran blue.
=09rubber baby buggy bumpers
=09Betty Boop
=09Bugs Bunny
for C:
=09Charlie Chan
=09critical cricket critics
=09Cuthbert's custard
=09Chilly chipper children cheerfully chant.
=09Comet cuddles cute Christmas kittens carefully.
=09(last two by Jennifer Robinson, from
=09<http://www.spots.ab.ca/~ice/jennifer/xmas>)
for D:
=09When a doctor doctors a doctor,
=09does the doctor doing the doctoring
=09doctor as the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored or
=09does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as he wants to doctor?
=09Daffy Duck
=09Donald Duck
=09Daniel Defoe
for E:
=09eager beaver
=09Edgar the elf eagerly eats enough electric eels to energize the
=09=09earth.
=09(written in 1995 by 4th-grader Dallas, from
=09<http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/~stonymtn/candy.html>)
for F:
=09French fries
=09Five fat friars frying flat fish
=09A flea and a fly in a flue
=09Were trapped, so what could they do?
=09=09Said the fly, "Let us flee."
=09=09Said the flea, "Let us fly."
=09So they flew through a flaw in the flue.=09
and for G:
=09Gandy Goose
=09Greek grapes
=09great gray goats
If anyone wishes to suggest any other alliterations or tongue twisters for
letters A through G, feel free to write back. =20
Also, I read somewhere that the Peter Piper alliteration was from a book
in which every letter in the alphabet was similarly treated. In this
source, all 26 alliterations were given. Can someone point me back in the
right direction?
You can also go the ABC BOOK route. For variety, you can alternate books
with only one word for every letter ("Charlie's ABC" by Nona Hatay, "Teddy
Bears ABC" by Susanna Gretz) with books with an alliteration for every
letter ("Dr. Seuss's ABC," Animalia" by Graeme Base).
If your students are patient enough, you can go the ALLITERATIVE
PICTURE BOOK route. "B Book" and "C is for Clown" by Stan and Jan
Berenstain and "My 'd' Sound Box" and "My 'g' Sound Box" by Jane Belk
Moncure are alliterative from beginning to end. It may be tiresome for=20
you to hear the same note repeated from cover to cover, but it might be
anything but tiresome for children who are finding delight in learning a
new note.
ENJOYABLE SONGS
=09PERSONALIZED SONGS
Last month, I offered a song in which the teacher sings the letter
names spelling the name of each child in the class, but I got stuck on the
rhymes for some of the letters. Suzy Gazlay <smga...@fresno.edu> offers
some help:=20
=09M-A-T-T-H-E-W,
=09Matthew, Matthew, he's super, too!
=09T-A-T-U-M,
=09Tatum, Tatum, he's a gem!
I forgot about:
=09S-T-E-P-H-E-N,
=09Stephen, Stephen's one to win!
Suzy suggests "Let's cheer him again!"
That still leaves rhymes for H and X, as well as rhymes for I and Y
if the child is a girl. For these last two letters, the only rhyme I can
think of is "He's our guy!" and girls aren't guys--except maybe in the
Northeastern part of the US.
We never outgrow ego appeals. Last semester, I was having trouble making
a decrescendo at the end of each phrase in the Mozart G major violin
concerto. My teacher asked me to think of the word "Thomas" if the phrase
ended on a trochee, or "Robertson" if the phrase ended on a dactyl.
=09HELLO AND GOODBY IN STYLIZED SPOKEN INTONATION
I don't know if Cindy Teresi <mar...@ns.net> would like my calling her
preschool music classes "generic kindermusik classes," but I
can't think of a better name for them. She wrote a letter to one of the
mailing lists, outlining her regular procedure for each class. =20
My favorite idea in the letter is the one involving her puppet snake named
Seymore. In the toddler class, Seymore greets each class member by
saying:
G E
Hello.
=20
If the child doesn't respond in kind, the parent does. Then Seymore makes
another round, greeting each child's puppet. For some reason, the puppets
are less inhibited in responding to Seymore.
Seymore reappears at the end of the class period and sings goodby,
likewise on sol-mi. =20
If you saw Cindy's letter, and remember something else which I might
not have appreciated as I should, please write back.
=09INTERDISCIPLINARY SONG
If you are interested in songs which are good for an interdisciplinary
approach, here's a song which you can adapt to any subject in which you
wish for the children to make any kind of associations.
You can sing these words to the tune of "Mary Wore Her Red Dress," "Mary
Had a Little Lamb," or "Buffalo Boy":
What goes with Michigan, Michigan, Michigan,
What goes with Michigan, I would like to know?
Lansing goes with Michigan, Michigan, Michigan,
Lansing goes with Michigan, now you know.
You can also use the song to reinforce learning capitals of foreign
countries:
=09What goes with Italy, etc.
=09Rome goes with Italy, etc.
learning mathematical equations:
=09What goes with three times two, etc.
=09Six goes with three times two, etc.
learning about solid, liquid, and gas:
=09What goes with rubber, etc.
=09Solid goes with rubber, etc.
=09What goes with orange juice, etc.
=09Liquid goes with orange juice, etc.
learning about animal classes:
=09What goes with elephant, etc.
=09Mammal goes with elephant, etc.
=09What goes with horsefly, etc.
=09Insect goes with horsefly, etc.
or learning about music history:
=09What goes with Mozart, etc.
=09Classical goes with Mozart, etc.
=09What goes with Bach, etc.
=09Baroque goes with Bach, etc.
SEASONAL IDEAS
David Saphra <ga...@concentric.net> presented these items at a workshop
for parents at his school. If you want MIDI files for these Halloween
items, and others, write to him. =20
=09SKIN AND BONES
q q q q q q q h q h.=20
D F F D F F D F G D=20
There was an old woman all skin and bones
h. h q h._h
A G F D
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo
She lived down by the old graveyard
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo
She thought one night she^=D2d take a walk
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo
She walked down by the old graveyard
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo
She saw the bones a-layin' around
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo
She thought she'd sweep up the old graveyard
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo
She went to the closet to get a broom and BOO!
(The song is in 3/4 meter with an upbeat. q stands for quarter, h, stands
for half, h. stands for dotted half, and h._h stands for dotted half tied
to half.)=20
The singing game is played in a circle with the teacher in the center.
The first time, speak the words. At the end of each line, pause while the
children lower both hands from above their head, wiggling their extended
fingers and softly wailing "ooooo" in a very high voice. After they have
done this they should next push their hands forward and whisper the words
"skin and bones" before you resume telling the story each time. Suddenly
shouting "boo" at the end can give everybody a fun scare but has been
known to make some kindergarteners cry.
The next time, try singing the song but first have everyone sit in a
circle with legs extended, arms folded, and leaning back as if
lying in coffins. Every time you finish singing a line, they sit up while
wiggling their fingers and wailing as before. Right after the last line,
they help out with a nice, short, loud "BOO!" The children can then move
on to singing the song while doing their "sit-ups" and love to give=20
their own classroom teacher a scare.
=09OLD WITCH
h h
G E
Old witch,=20
e e e e h
G G G G E=20
Couldn't sew a stitch,
q e e e e q
G G G E E E=20
Picked up a penny and
q e e h
G G G E=20
Thought she was rich
The leader asks, "Are you my children?"
Everyone else answers, softly, "Yes, ma'am."
The leader asks, "Are you my children?"
Everyone else shouts, "No, you old witch!"
Chidren sit in a circle surrounding one standing child and act out the
words of the song. At the end of each round the leader spins around with
eyes closed to pick the next leader.=20
=09JUAN LINTERNA/JACKIE LANTERN
To the tune of "Frere Jacques":
Jackie Lantern, Jackie Lantern
Who are you, who are you?
I am but a pumpkin
I am but a pumpkin
BOO, BOO, BOO! BOO, BOO, BOO!=20
Juan Linterna, Juan Linterna
Quien eres t=FA, quien eres t=FA?
Una calabaza
Una calabaza
BOO, BOO, BOO! BOO, BOO, BOO!
=09SOMOS LOS ESQUELETOS
The words mean, "We are the skeletons. We are here. We are getting ready
to frighten you!"
q e e q q h h=20
C C C D D E C=20
Somos los esqueletos
q e e q q h q q
C C C D D E C E
Somos los esqueletos E-
h q q q (two beats rest) q
D E F G E
stamos a-qui =09 E-
h q q q (two beats rests) q
D E F G G
stamos a-qui Ve -
q q q q h q q =20
A F F A G E G=20
nimos preparados pa-
q q q q h (one beat rest) q
F E F D C G
ra asustar te a ti Ve-
q q q q h q q
A F F A G E G
nimos preparados pa-
q q q q h q
F E F D C X
ra asustarte a ti. BU!=20
HAVE YOU SEEN THE GHOST OF JOHN?
David Saphra offers this one also. This is a round, with entrances on
every other measure:
q q q q q q q (rest)
A G A C' A G A
Have you seen the ghost of John?
q q q e e q q e e e e=20
C' B C' E' D' C' B A B C' D'=20
Long white bones with the rest all gone
h q q q q q
E' A G A E' D' E
Oooh ooh ooh
e e e e e e q q q q=20
E' E' D' D' C' C' B A G A
Wouldn't it be chilly with no skin on?
=09SHOO TURKEY
David Saphra <ga...@concentric.net> is sharing this singing game with=20
us. It is also found in "Step It Down" by Bessie Jones and Bess Lomax
Hawes:
Form a standing circle with everyone, including the leader facing the
center.
The leader sings the odd-numbered lines and the others sing the
even-numbered lines ("Yes, Ma'am").
When the leader asks which way did the turkeys go, everybody raises
their hands above their heads and splays their fingers out like turkey
feathers, rocking the hands together from side to side.
When the leader shouts, "Get ready let's go!" everybody pivots a quarter
turn facing left to start jumping in a clockwise direction. Hands can be
placed with the backs of the wrists on hips, fingers spread out.=20
Lastly, hunker down with legs bowed out and start jumping forward in
time to the shout, "Shoo turkeys, shoo, shoo!" =20
The whole circle moves together in a clockwise direction until the end.
e e q e e q q
G, G, C C C E C
Lit-tle girl lit-tle boy
h h (anticipated)
E C
Yes, ma'am!
e e q e e q q
G G A G A E C=20
Did you go to the barn?
h h (anticipated)
E C
Yes, ma'am!
e e q e e q=20
G, G, C C C E
Did you get any eggs?
h h (anticipated)=20
E C
Yes, ma'am!
e e e e e e q q
G, G, C C C C A, C=20
Did you give them to your mama?
Yes, ma'am!
e e e e e e e e=20
G, G, C C C C E G
Did she put them in the bread?
Yes, ma'am!
e e q e e q
G G A G A E
Did it taste very good?
Yes ma'am!
e e q q q q
G, G, C C E G
Did you feed my turkeys?
Yes ma'am!
e e q q e e
G, G, C C #D E
Did my turkeys go?
Yes, ma'am!
q q e e e e
G A G A E C
Which way did they go?
h h (anticipated)
E C
So, so. (meaning "south, south.")=20
q q e e e e=20
G, E D D A, C
Which way did they go?
So, so.
e e q q q q
G, G, C C E G
Can you help me find them?
h h (anticipated)
E C
Yes, ma'am!
q e e q q
C' A G E C
Get ready, let's go!
q h q h h (anticipated)
E C A, C E
Shoo, turkeys, shoo, shoo,
q h q h h (anticipated)
E C A, C A,
Shoo, turkeys, shoo, shoo,
q h q h q q
E C A, C #D E
Shoo, turkeys, shoo, shoo
q h q h h (anticipated)
E C A, C A,
Shoo, turkeys, shoo, shoo.
(The song is in 4/4 with the leader's lines beginning on an up-beat. =20
G, means G below middle C, C means middle C, G means G above middle C, and
C' means C above middle C.)
David Saphra comments, "It's a chant so you can really sing it however you
want once you get the hang of it." =20
HALLOWEEN STORY: THE WALKING CASKET
Deborah Jeeter <blue...@earthlink.net> got this idea from Karen Stafford
<kst...@mail.usmo> who in turn got this idea several years ago from Grace
French. Thanks to all three sources.
Karen Stafford tells us that the story is a good listening activity which
is repeatable for a few times before the novelty wears off. The children
are to recite word-sounds when they hear certain words in the story.
Karen Stafford sometimes writes the word-sounds on posterboard strips
which she uses to provide cues. You can eliminate this prop, however, if
you think that your group is capable of acting more independently.
Karen Stafford further comments, "There are many other things that could
be added to this story, such as instruments with the recited words or
instruments instead of the recited words, or you might want the class to
demonstrate a movement that represents the character's sound or action.
Experiment with this fun activity and let me hear from you if you use it
in a different way than how it's presented here. Have Fun!!=20
CASKET: EEK! EEK! EEK!
MONSTER: THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
VICTIM: HELP! HELP! HELP!
CANDLE: Flicker, Flicker
MUMMIES: OO-AH, OO-AH, OO-AH!
MIDNIGHT: BONG, BONG, etc. (12 times)
LEPRECHAUN: Ho-Ha-Hee! Ho-Ha-Hee!
EVERYONE: Yes, Yes, Yes
Once upon a time, there was a walking casket. It was at least a trillion
years old! The casket walked by day and the casket walked by night.
Whenever it came upon an unsuspecting victim, the door sprang open and out
popped a Frankenstein-like monster. The monster was horrible. So horrible,
the monster spread goose-bumps up and down and all over his victims. And=20
you know how that feels. This monster was a towering creature, at least a
hundred feet tall. AND, he always carried a flickering candle, that burned
on and on and on.=20
Upon spotting a likely victim, this monster would wail and shriek
something awful, paralyzing his victim with fright! Everyone was
horrified. The monster actually turned his victims into mummies, big papa
and mommy mummies. This terror went on for years and years. Would it ever
stop? It seemed doubtful.=20
Then one night a strange thing happened. The casket was making it's
regular rounds through the cemetery at the stroke of midnight, when the
casket came upon still another innocent victim and it was a leprechaun, of
all things! "Well," thought the monster, peering from his casket, "Here's
a leprechaun that I can take care of in a jiffy!"=20
All of a sudden, the monster popped out of his casket and he began
making a BIG commotion! Do you think the tricky little leprechaun was
frightened? You bet your boots, he was! However, the determined little
leprechaun wasn't about to be scared off by this ghastly monster. No,
Siree! The leprechaun was going to out-smart the monster. The leprechaun
raised himself to his full two foot, 7 inch height, (the leprechaun was a
real shorty!), and with one mighty blow, (What did he do?) Did the
leprechaun strike the monster in the stomach? NO! Did the leprechaun
kick the monster in the shins? NO! Did the leprechaun clobber the monster
over the head? Nope. The brave little leprechaun, with one mighty blow,
blew out the monster's candle! That did it! The monster was finished! The
monster vanished in a puff of smoke! From that midnight on, no one ever
heard from the walking casket again.
Everyone was happy!=20
SINGING GAMES
=09STONE GAMES=09
If you're interested in comparative anthropology, then Terry Kluytmans,=20
hostess of <kids...@stairway.org>, really has something for you: she has
three singing games, borrowed from "Sharon, Lois & Bram Elephant Jam:
Songs to Play and Games to Sing," that are from three unrelated
cultures but with almost identical instructions for the actions.
For all of these games, sit in a circle, cross-legged, and put two
stones on the floor in front of you. Terry Kluytmans suggests first=20
rehearsing the song while patting your knees on each beat. Next, she
suggests rehearsing the song with these motions:
beat 1--pat your own knees
beat 2--pat your left neighbor's knee with your left hand and your own
left knee with your right hand
beat 3--pat your own knees again
The following symbols are given for the motions:
o: pick up your right-hand neighbor's stone with the right hand and pick
up your own stone with your left hand
x: give the stone in your left hand to your left-hand neighbor and
place the other stone in front of you with your right hand
tap: tap both stones on the floor
cross: cross hands and tap both stones on the floor
=09AL CITRON=20
This game is from Latin America.
o x o x o x o x
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e q
G G C D E D C C G G C C G G C=20
Al citron de un fandango sango sango sabare,
o x o x o tap cross tap
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e q
G G C D E D C C G G C G C E C=20
Sabare de la randela con su triki triki tron.
(The song is in 4/4 meter with an up-beat.)
I tried to translate the lyrics, but I can't find all the words in the
Spanish dictionary. If anyone can understand the words, please write
back.
=09OBWISANA=20
This game is from Ghana. The words mean, "Oh, Grandma, I just hurt my
finger on a rock."
x o x o
e e e e e e q e e e e h
E G G G A G F E G D D E
Ob-wi-sa-na sa-na-na, Ob-wi-sa-na sa.
x o x o
e e e e e e q e e e e h
E G G E A G F E G D G C
Ob-wi-sa-na sa-na-na, Ob-wi-sa-na sa.
=09ME STONE=20
This game is from Trinidad and Tobago.
x o x o
(rest) q q e e q q q q
(rest) B D B D E E C E
Me stone is me stone, Miss Mary.
x o x o
(rest) q q e e q q q q=20
(rest) A C B A G G E G
Me stone is me stone, Miss Mary.
x o x o
(rest) q q e e q q q q=20
(rest) E G F E D D B D
Me stone is me stone, Miss Mary.
x o x o
q q q e e q q q q
G G G G F E E D C
Pass 'em down is me stone, Miss Mary.
=09ANOTHER SINGING GAME FROM GHANA
I'm supplying this one myself. The song is from Ghana, but the words are
nonsense syllables.
The leader in the center of the circle puts hands on head and sings:
q q q q=20
E E D E
Kye kye ko-le.
The group repeats.
The leader puts hands on shoulders and sings:
e q e q q
E E C E D
Kye kye ko-fi-sa.
The group repeats.
The leader puts hands on waist and sings:
e q e q q
A, C A, C C
Ko-fi-sa-lan-ga.
The group repeats.
The leader puts hands on knees and sings:
e q e q q
C C E C C
Ca-ca-shi-lan-ga.
The group repeats.
(You'd better change this line if there are any Hispanic children in your
class!)
The leader puts hands on ankles and sings:
q. e q q
C A, G, A
Kum-ma-dye-day.
The group repeats.
In some versions, there is an exclamatory "Hey!" at the end.
The leader lies down, whereupon the group does likewise. The group
members cannot get up until after the leader does. The leader gets up
without warning, chases the group members, and the group member who is
tagged becomes the next leader.
(The song is in 4/4, and the range is a major sixth from C to A.)
=09FREDDY OKA
Andrew Farnham <afar...@elk-grove.k12.il.us> learned this singing game
from a workshop under Betty Berteuax in Chicago, who in turn learned it
from a group of junior high girls in Kentucky.=20
Form a circle facing inwards. Each player puts the left hand palm up.
("Dad, can I have a dollar?") Each player puts the right hand palm up on
top of the right-hand neighbor's left hand. From a starting person,
practice passing a clap around the circle keeping a steady beat until it
gets back to the start. (No hard hitting, no holding hands.) Next, do it
while singing the song:=20
=20
=09e e e e e e q=20
=09F F F C D D C=20
=09Fredd-y Ok-a quack, quack, quack.
=20
=09e e e e s s e q
=09F F F C D D D C
=09Ee-ko tee-ko tick-et-y tack.=20
=09e e e e q q
=09C C E G F C
=09Ee-ko tee-ko oh, no!
(The song is in 4/4.)=20
On the word "no" the person clapping holds the clap, making a three-hand
sandwich. This marks the starting point of the next phase of the game.
According to Mr. Farnham, this is only the practice run, with the actual
game being more complicated. But I'm afraid that's about all I can
handle, right there!
EDUCATIONAL GAMES
=09NOTE IDENTIFICATION
Tim Shields <SHI...@mail.firn.edu> has some ideas which have worked with
his elementary recorder class, so he shared them with the Kennedy
Center mailing list. =20
He made a velcro board board with the staff on it and I also made notes
with the letter names on them. He coded the notes blue for the lines and
red for the spaces. He times the students on placing the notes correctly. =
=20
=09GAME WITH CARPET SQUARES
If you prefer non-competitive games, you might like Tim Shields' activity
using carpet squares. On each carpet square, paint a staff with one note=
=20
and the appropriate pitch name. After a few carpet squares are placed on
the floor, one student steps from one note to another while the others
play each note which is stepped on. The child stepping on the squares
could improvise, dictate a song which he/she knows by memory, or follow a
sheet provided by the teacher. =20
=09COMPOSITION GAME
Have you ever played the game in which one person begins a story, the next
person continues the story, and so on? Tim Shields asks his students to
create musical compositions on the same principle, using the afore-
mentioned carpet squares.
=09QUESTION FOR THE DAY
Evelyn Beem <eb...@usd343.k12.ks.us> puts a daily question on the screen
saver on her computer. The first student who answers the question wins a
prize. In order to give everyone a chance, recent winners are
disqualified. Evelyn Beem only uses items already covered in class, but
if you are interested in sharpening your students' research skills, you mig=
ht=20
prefer to use items NOT already covered in class.
=09WAR=09
I bet some of your students already know how to play War, using standard
playing cards. It should be easy, then, to teach them to play the same
game using a deck consisting of 4 cards of each note value.
Deal out all the cards to 2 or more players. Each player turns the cards
face down. All players lay out the topmost card. The player laying out
the note with the longest value gets all of the cards which were just laid
out. In the case of a tie, a "war" takes place. This means that the tying
players lay three cards face down and one card face up, while saying "I
declare war," with one card to a syllable. The player laying the face-up
card with the greater value gets all of the cards which were just laid
out.
If a war results in another tie, another war takes place.. If a player is
thus left with fewer than four cards for a war, that player forfeits those
cards and loses the game. =20
To be authentic, you must continue the game until one player wins all of
the cards in the deck. You can allow this in an informal situation with
no strict time allotments. But in a regular classroom situation, you
might prefer to continue the game only until the players run through the
cards which were dealt out.
=09BINGO
Frannie Goldstein <fra...@renaissance.co.il> sent this game in to
the Orff list. This version of bingo is designed to teach four-beat
melodic or rhythmic patterns, and is played without ready-made boards.
Here's how it goes:
1) On the chalk board make four color-coded columns with 8 to 10 items=20
in each column.
2) Have children dictate improvised four-beat patterns, and write them on=
=20
the board in the appropriate columns.
3) Give out bingo boards each with four color columns in random order.=20
(RYGB, BRGY, GBYR, etc.)
4) Have the children select patterns from each column and write them in
the columns on their boards. Meanwhile, copy the patterns so that you=20
can transfer them to the calling cards, which are also color-coded.
From=20here on, all is fairly self-explanatory. You can do it the easy way
by identifying the pitches or rhythmic values, or you can do it the hard
way by performing the patterns without identifying the pitches or rhythmic
values.
In case a substitute teacher has to be called, Ms. Goldstein suggests
leaving a note telling the substitute about this game. A savvy substitute
would promise the class that they would play this game ONLY if they
behave. This seems like a fun game! A motivator like this ought to get
any class to behave--even for a substitute!
=09RHYTHM CHARADES
Karen Stafford <kst...@mail.usmo.com> got this game from a workshop with=20
Jeff Kriske and Randy DeLelles. This is a slightly edited version of the
game as she described it: =20
For every 4 or 5 children in the class, you need these materials:
1 sheet of construction paper or poster board, 3"x12", hitherto
called a "measuring strip"
a supply of 3"x3" 1-beat cards (4 quarter notes, 4 quarter
rests, 4 pairs of eighth-note couplets, and 4 sets of sixteenth-note=20
quadruplets)
a supply of 3"x6" 2-beat cards (2 half note and 2
eighth-quarter-eighth syncopations)
Divide the class into groups of 4-5. Each group gets one of the
above packets. Each group creates a rhythm by choosing 1-beat and 2-beat
cards and laying them on the measuring strip so that they fit exactly.
Next, they need to decide on a body movement for each pattern they use.
For instance, the half notes could be a rainbow arc with their arms over
their heads, or the syncopation could be done with a hip movement. Give
the groups 10-15 minutes to decide on their phrase and practice their
movements. When time is up, each group goes up in front of the rest of
the class and acts out their "rhythm charade". The class has to guess, in
the right order, the rhythm patterns used. =20
Ms. Stafford comments, "My kids have a blast with this, but it does take a
whole class period. This is best for Grades 5-6."
Of course, you can simplify this game. I tried a simplified version using =
a=20
deck of cards consisting of all 16 possible 4/4 rhythms using quarter
notes and eighth-note couplets. I gave each child one of those cards and
asking that child to clap the rhythm for the rest of the class. =20
To make this a competitive game, you could have the child who just
clapped give the card to the successful guesser. At the end of the game,
you can declare the winner as the player as the player who accumulates the
most cards. Or, you could have the successful guesser clap the next
rhythm. However, I found that the game went just fine by giving each child
a turn and letting the children reward themselves with self-satisfaction.=
=20
=09DETECTIVE
This game comes from the same primary source and the same secondary
source. It's good for an end-of-class filler. The class forms a circle,
except for the "detective," who stands in the center with eyes closed. The
teacher quietly selects someone to be the leader. The leader starts some
type of movement that everyone else imitates. The detective opens the
eyes after everyone starts imitating the leader's movement. The
leader changes movement, and everyone else follows suit. It is the
detective's job to find out who the leader is. They get three guesses.
Ms. Stafford uses this game with Grades 1-6.=20
=09ARMY ROLL CALL
Karen Stafford sends in this one, too. It's good for Grades 4 through 6.
She made up rhythming phrases to the Army marching cadence song. She uses
a different stanza each month. The kids echo each line. Here's the
stanza for September:=20
We like Fifth Street, it's the best.=20
(We like Fifth Street, it's the best.)
But please don't give us any tests.
(But please don't give us any tests.)
Then she gives each student a starting line, and the student has to
answer in rhyme:
Joe, Joe, answer me.
(Teacher, teacher, got stung by a bee.)
"You're the best" and "way to go" are other starting lines which she
uses. The first couple of tries can be very slow, so she puts up rhyming-=
=20
word posters. This activity not only serves the purposes of calling roll=
=20
and learning to rhyme, but matching pitches.
=09INTERDISCIPLINARY GAME
This is my idea. Test the class with a sample of items which fit into two
categories. For each item, the class will sing or play "so" if it fits
into one category or "mi" if it fits into the other category.
For example, tell the class to respond to "so" for every noun or "mi" for
every verb. Other possibilities include odd or even numbers, or African
or European countries. If you're not afraid of confusing the children,=20
tell them to respond "so" to every true statement and "mi" to every false
statement.
=09A STRATEGY FOR ELICITING SCALE PRACTICE
You have probably heard people say something like "All this fun
stuff is all well and good, but sooner or later the student will have to
do something that's not so fun!"
If there is anyone who has an answer to this statement, it's Marshall
Hutchinson, in his message to the American String Teachers Association
mailing list <AST...@CMSUVMB.CMSU.EDU>. He tells us that the local violin=
=20
teacher has fussed at his 9-year-old son for neglecting his scale
practice, so Mr. Hutchinson wrote down all the scales, both major and
minor, on little cards. The child picks a few each day, then he throws a
die which determines how many times he has to repeat each scale. The child
is so fond of the game that he even requests it.
Furthermore, Hutchinson is bassist in the Detroit Symphony, so he must
know the meaning of diligence.
GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITY
After Jan Wright <fam...@hsonline.net> plays a small piece on the
keyboard, she challenges her children to act out what they think is going
on in the music. She comments, "There are many different guesses as to
what the song means. One child may think of running when a chromatic
scale is played, while another may think of twirling. I do this to get
them thinking about the music that they hear." =20
=20
She further comments, "This exercise is a prequisite to playing songs
in major, then minor keys. They must figure out which song is the happier
of the two. I do make them turn their back so they hear the difference,
not by looking at black or white keys."
PENTATONIC RECORDER MANUALS
Here are two more recorder books which I recently discovered:=20
Cox & Rickard (1981) begin the series with BAG. A clever innovation in
this book is its monotone songs on new notes with appropriate alliterative
text. For instance, "Bach played bagpipes in a brass band" is played on
B. As in the John Thompson course, cartoon figures offer reminder tips,
except that the cartoon characters are student peers rather than elves.
After low D and E are added, Orff instruments are introduced. Third-space
C, the first pying, appears on page 28.
King (1994) also starts with BAG and also involves Orff instruments. Each
song is appended with instructions to the teacher. Many of the songs in
the book are written by King, so they haven't undergone the simplification
which traditional songs undergo through being transferred from one
generation to another. The Orff accompaniments in the front of the book
seem too difficult for an inexperienced class. =20
Cox, H. & Rickard, G. 1981. Sing, clap and play the recorder: Book 1.
London: Macmillan.
King, C. 1994. Recorder routes I: Revised edition. Lakeland, TN:
Memphis Misicraft Publications.
STYLIZED SPOKEN INTONATION
For my sociolinguistics term paper assignment, I investigated whether or
not spoken intonation is pentatonic. I found that stylized speech
intonation, at least here in the United States, uses do, mi, so, and la,
but not re. I am now suggesting that stylized speech intonation be
incorporated into music education. =20
(I thought that I was the first to suggest such an application, but if
you've seen the section entitled HELLO AND GOODBY IN STYLIZED SPOKEN
INTONATION, you see that Cindy Teresi <mar...@ns.net> beat me to it.)
Here are some examples:
G E
Yoo-hoo? =20
This is "the calling contour." I know that this specific pattern is
universal.
G E
Foul ball.
The so-mi contour has many other uses. Routine calls, including routine
calls on the athletic field, are often ditonic. The descending minor
third also applies to routine courtesies ("thank you," "sorry"),=20
epithets ("oh, darn it"), reassurances ("take it easy," "there, there"),
expressions of boredom ("yeah, yeah"), resignation ("I'm coming"), and
other fixed utterances ("uh-oh").
E G E
Ex-cuse me.
If a routine call or courtesy begins with an unaccented sylabble, that
unaccented syllable might be on the lower pitch.
E G
Am I right?
A simple question contour. =20
E G
Hell-o.
This is how we answer the phone in the United States. On any other
occasion, we say "Hello" on G E instead. This could be because we are
implying the question "Who are you?" when we answer the phone.
Most routine courtesies which imply some questioning are in the ascending
minor third. "Yes" spoken mi-so indicates a wish fo the speaker to
continue, whereas "yes" spoken so-mi indicates agreement.
E G E
Don't forget your car keys.
Warnings are often mi-so-mi.
E G E
See you lat-er, alligator.
In the United States, no matter whether a person says, "Goodby," "See
you later," "Nice talking to you," or "See you in the funny paper," it
will always come out mi so mi. I know that this isn't universal, because
a Japanese person told me that "sayonara" is spoken in a monotone.
G A
Won't you come in?
The ascending major second, like the ascending minor third, serves for
routine courtesies.
G A E E G
Doctor Liv-ing-stone, I pre-sume.
Casual greetings can also be tritonic. Likewise entreaties ("But I do
love you, Sally!"), courtesies ("No, thank you"), or expressions of
non-commitment ("I don't know").
G A E G =20
For in-stance. . .
Connective adverbs are usually tritonic. Other examples are "by the way,"
"therefore," "on the other hand," "In my opinion," "well," "in the first
place," and "furthermore."
G E A G E
Johnn-y is a siss-y.
No discussion of either the pentatonic sequence is complete without
mention of the tritonic jeer. I have heard that the tritonic jeer is sung
by children everywhere, not just here in the United States, so I put up a
post in the newsgroups to find if this is true.
Ann Limor <za...@netmedia.net.il> has heard the taunt in Isreal, but
John Mills <jmj...@ms3.hinet.net> says he's from Australia but lives in
Taiwan, and has never heard the taunt in either country. =20
In French class, Sherri <ANACR...@aol.com> learned that French children
sing:
G E A G E
La la-a le-ere
Sally J Wituszynski <switus...@juno.com> has heard children in New
Hampshire singing, "Naa, naa, na boo-boo." Kate Ferris
<kfe...@shore.net> has heard, "nanny-nanny-boo-boo, you can't
get me." When I was a child, we sang, "Can't catch a flea on a Christmas
tree." In North Carolina, I've heard, "[person's name] can't catch a
flea, 'cause he's/she's only ninety-three." When Jackie Silberg=20
<jsil...@interserv.com> was a child, "You're a dirty robber" was the
vogue.
This ditty seems to be known by several technical terms. Paul Jennings
<p...@prpmk8.com> has heard this taunt referred to as "the natural call of=20
childhood." Sherri has heard it called "the natural children's chant."
Jacki Silberg has heard it called the "ur song," which is short for
"universal song."
Any comments for the next issue?
A E G=20
Why are you always picking on me? =20
This is another question contour, applicable at least for the United
States. British questions sound to me like G A E G. Any British readers,
please tell me whether I'm right or wrong.
G E A E A G
I was just kid-ding.
G A E G
I didn't say that.
Defensiveness is usually expressed tritonically.
C A
Suz-ie. =20
This warning pattern is used when catching Suzie with her hand in the
cookie jar.
C E A G
I wouldn't try that. =20
Another warning pattern.
C A C A C A C
For Brut-us is an hon-our-a-ble man.
It seems to be commonly agreed that wide skips are used to denote sarcasm.
One source claims that the wide skips usually approximate a major sixth.
C A C
Then it's sett-led. =20
Do appears at the end of declarative sentences, just as it does at the end
of a melody. The declarative do isn't spoken as musically as the other thr=
ee=20
pitches.
There is just one personal observation which I would like to add: In a
sentence in which the first syllable is unaccented and the second
syllable is accented, the first syllable is often low G and the second
syllable is often C, assuming that we are in the key of C.
The next time you sing a strophic song in which the musical notation in
the song book starts on accented do, but one of the stanzas has to start
on an unaccented note because the words start on an unaccented syllable,
watch to see if the note which you add isn't low so. That's
probably because you do the same thing when you are speaking!
What can you do with all this information? A lot of things. You can
can go the OBSERVATION route. You can conclude each session with an
exhortation to listen for the stylized intonation which is all around us,
and begin each session by asking for a report. =20
If you're a laminating machine junkie like I am, you can go the
EDUCATIONAL CARD GAME route. You can make duplicate cards out of each of
these utterances and allow the children to play concentration, old maid,
and go fish.
You can go the VOCAL MUSIC route. The general class can sing stylized=20
intonation patterns while the teacher directs with Curwen hand signals.
With instrumental students, you can go the ENGLISH HANDBELL route. After=
=20
the instrumental class divides into as many equal groups as there are=20
notes, you can sing stylized intonation patters while pointing
to the right group at the right time. =20
You can go the PICTURE BOOK route, using picture books which
are written completely in stylized intonation. One is "Let's Give Kitty a
Bath" by Steve Lindblom. The only sentence in this book is:
G E
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty . . .
"Have You Seen My Cat?" by Eric Carle consists of these utterances:
G A E E G
Have you seen my cat?
A E E G
This is not my cat.
A E E G
Where is my cat?
A C
This is my cat.
The picture books by Margaret Miller, such as "Whose Hat?" and "Who Uses
This?" can also be read entirely in stylized intonation. At first glance,
"Oink" by Arthur Geisert may seem too easy, since it consists entirely of
one word which could be played or sung on one note. But it is good
exercise in one-to-one correspondence.
You can go the CREATIVE route. You can write entire conversations in
stylized intonation, or you can encourage your students to do so. Here's
a miniature opera of my own:
G E
Laur-a?
G E
Yes?
A E G=20
Why are you always trying to start an ar-gu-ment?
G A E G
I'm not always trying to start an ar-gu-ment.
E G C E A G=20
See? There you go a-gain!
Here's another:
A E G
How many kettledrum players does it take to put in a light bulb?
G A E G=20
I don't know.
C G C
One, five, five-five one.
If you want to do some heavy reading on the calling contour and the
tritonic jeer, James A. Alberty <James_A....@onf.com> suggests "The
Unanswered Question" by Leonard Bernstein, pp. 16-27. Jill Tindall
<Ji...@dakota.net> suggests "Concept and Design in Music" by Robert
William Sherman, pp. 152-162. =20
It seems that Edwin Gordon performed some research which might challenge
the claims of pentatonic advocates like me, but his writing is too dense
for me. If you are a deep enough reader, but are good enough at writing
in a folksy style, then please write an Edwin-Gordon-for-dummies manual.
You might get as much recognition as Flavell got for his=20
Piaget-for-dummies manual.
OSTINATO FUN
If you're a composer of pedagogic music, and are discouraged because of
the impossibility of predicting who is going to practice and perform your
music, let me suggest that the variations form offers vast untapped
potential in the area of pedagogic music. =20
A set of variations can be adapted for the student's level of advancement
more easily than a composition written in most other forms. If you delete
one or a few variations, you still have a set of variations. On the other
hand, if you delete a section of a sonata movement, then you've committed
a crime.
You could write a solo composition in the form, making certain to include
variations of differing levels of difficulty, and appending the
composition with a written paragraph exlaining possible cuts.
You could write a small ensemble composition in the form, with verbaitm
repetitions or minor differences in the less advanced parts. In a
recital program, such a composition will offer the teacher an alternative
to the standard fare, in which the audience is required to applaud at the
end of every 8-measure beginner-level solo.
You could write a band or orchestra composition in this form, including
variations which may be omitted because of unavailable instruments,
variations which may be repeated because of two or more potential
soloists, with an attached written paragraph explaining these permissible
adaptations.
SERVICES AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET
=09KIDSONGS
Terry Kluytmans has an index of lyrics for children's songs. You can look
it up at:
=09http://www.stairway.org/kidsongs/
Although she calls her Website "Kidsongs," her operation is not to
be confused with the TV and video production by that name.
=20
She also operates a mailing list for persons interested in collecting and
sharing children's songs. If you would like to subscribe, write to
<webm...@stairway.org> with the message:
=09subscribe kidsongs
=09XCHANGE
Creative and resourceful teachers: want to join XCHANGE? That's an e-mail
lesson exchange which Sandy <SPO...@aol.com> just started. All you have
to do is write up a list of your favorite lesson plans and send it to the
group. If you want a lesson plan on someone else's list, then send a
message directly to that person. As a general rule, one lesson plan on
your list is considered a fair price for one lesson plan on the other
person's list, but Sandy doesn't intend to enforce that rule rigidly. Her
main goal is "to encourage and motivate those clever and articulate
teachers to share and reap some benefit from their work at the same time." =
=20
FUN MUSIC IDEAS welcomes any relevant messages, whether commercial or
non-commercial. Acceptable topics include:
--ideas for playing easy harmony for bichordal songs
--recreational songs with easy-to-learn pattern lyrics
--ideas applicable with preschoolers
--ideas for entertaining audiences
--songs and compositions including easy-to-play ostinati
--responses to ideas already submitted =20
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