On Her Broomstick

We all have those songs where we can't quite remember their source ("Wait, which book was this in?") and for me, this is totally one of those songs (feel free to comment if you know where it is from).  I've taught this song every year, usually with younger grades when we learn "Witch, Witch" although this year I'm going to try it with my older students as well.

Here's the tune:

The range is pretty large for younger kiddos but is still accessible.  I enjoy hearing  pretty "ooohs" from them.  We even discuss that this song is minor (when music is centered around "la" and sounds spooky, sad, or serious).  Older students can work on their 6/8 rhythms.

We use this slide to add instrumentation (please note that the glocks play E-B, E-B to match the pitch of the song).  It is important to have a lot of kiddos on instruments so that the movement (see instructions below) doesn't get too crazy.

I am currently learning the guitar - I mean, really, how have I not done this already?!  I'm nothing amazing AT ALL but I can play a few chords.  I am enjoying the freedom of moving the guitar wherever I need it (to our circle, on the floor, next to the rest of the instruments, etc) instead of being behind a piano.  Kiddos love singing with the guitar - there is something very "campfire sing-a-long" about it.  Here are the chords that I play.  If you have older students or just want to challenge some of your younger kiddos - they can play the chord root only (notice the circles around them match boomwhacker colors - hint hint ;) ).  You can discuss chords and accompaniment with older kiddos at this point as well.

Once we've established the song and the instrument accompaniment, it is time to add in the game.  My students are divided into four groups of about six kiddos, so this is usually how it goes:
Group 1: playing chord roots on Alto/Bass xylophones
Group 2: playing the metals (triangle, gong, glock)
Group 3: playing non-metals (quiro and hand drum)
Group 4: acting out the movement
When it comes time to switch, I just re-assign the groups to another job.  Easy!

Movement: The students are in scattered formation (they are the ghosts).  One student is the witch (complete with a hat and mini broomstick).   The witch flies around the ghosts for the first half of the song (the witch is on her broomstick flying very fast) the the ghosts join her in flying around on the second half of the song (ooo-oh, ooo-oh, Halloween is nigh).
No, this is not really a game, however, students usually understand that drama and music go hand in hand ("How strange would a movie be without music?" or "Doesn't music make you want to get up and move?").

Options (extend this song for another lesson - whoot!)
Add in a B section with the metals (Orff instruments tremolo on E, gong and triangle play freely but slowly) in which the witch chases and tries to tag the ghosts (this adds a game element - so fun).

Performance option: Older students can totally play the melody (you'd have to take the first B up the octave) on soprano xylo/metallophones (you only need a few that can play the melody - there are enough other parts for everyone else).  You could structure a form like this:
Introduction: Metal/Orff section instruments play (same as described above with optional B section) while ghosts and witch take their spots
A: Sing song with instrumentation and act out motions
B: Play song without singing or motions
A: Sing song with instrumentation and act out motions
Coda: same as intro, although tremolos slow and ghosts/witch fly out of performance space one by one

Mi So La Tic-Tac-Toe

I love using tic-tac-toe and bingo format games with the kiddos.  They don't even mind that I never give out prizes for winners, haha (so cheap).

They are a really great opportunity for students to practice ear-training and for me to assess who can read the patterns and who can't.

I usually follow these steps when I use such activities (I'm huge into getting the most I can out of anything we do, especially if it takes me forever to create and/or assemble):

Prep: Students sing each pattern on solfa as a whole class.  I make sure the students know where each solfa is living.  Students sometimes play individually and sometimes with a partner.

Level 1: I sing a pattern on solfa three times.  After the third repeat, I announce the correct number so students can check their work (while I'm singing, I'm walking around and watch the students to see who quickly covers the correct answer, who covers the correct answer after subsequent repeats of the patterns, and who doesn't cover a pattern or covers the wrong pattern).  Sometimes we get a tic-tac-toe or bingo at the same time, but it doesn't matter to the kiddos.  After about three or four repeats of this level, we move on.

Level 2: This level is the same as level one, only I sing the solfa on a neutral syllable.  The students will have to label the solfa themselves using their ears, and then find the correct pattern.

Level 3: For this level, I only play the pattern (usually on the piano or recorder).

Extensions: Students love to volunteer to sing a pattern for the class.  This can be a bit nerve-wracking for some of them, so I usually only take volunteers.  If they mess up or fail to sing on the correct pitch, often the class isn't sure what pattern to pick, so the students (especially the performers) realize how important musical accuracy is.  Depending on the solfa we're using, students also enjoy playing patterns on the instruments.  They can do this with a partner, with one student playing the pattern and the other trying to find it on the game-board.  If the bingo board has a "free space" the students can take turns creating the "free space" pattern (which I write on the board for all to see).  Only if and when I sing that pattern can the students now cover the "free space".

Try these steps out for yourself.  You'll find my "Mi So La Tic-Tac-Toe" game on my TPT store as my latest freebie (click the picture below).  Enjoy!

The Mayflower

My 2nd graders are about ready to add in "do".  This will be one of the last strictly "mi-so-la" activities that I have them complete - so I packed with everything I could think of to enhance their learning.  (Note: Although I do frequently create songs for my students to use, the folk songs I use to teach them far outnumber anything I create - as it should be).

The song is called "The Mayflower".  I've included the music, feel free to use it.  At my Teachers Pay Teachers store (click on the picture below to check it out), you'll find a thorough lessons with visuals, printables, movement ideas, assessment ideas, instrumentation, and more.

I'm really excited to use a few printables I created.  This is a great way for me to assess the students in a way that is fun for them.

First, I'll give the students their Mayflower cards.  The students will:
1) chant the rhythm of each card
2) chant the solfa of each card in rhythm
3) sing the solfa of each card on pitch
4) locate a card I sing or play on a pitched instrument
5) locate a card their classmate sings or plays

Then, the students will match the Pilgrim cards to the Mayflower cards.  Once these are correctly matched, I'll collect the Mayflower cards.  Then, the students will:
1) chant the rhythm of each card
2) chant the solfa of each card in rhythm
3) sing the solfa of each card on pitch
4) locate a card I sing or play on a pitched instrument
5) locate a card their classmate sings or plays

To extend this, students can:
1) Create their own two to four beat measure phrases by arranging the cards in order
2) Play the cards on a pitched instrument
3) A moveable match game - students will be given either a pilgrim or a mayflower card and will have to search for a student that has their matching card
4) Memory matching game with a partner (put cards face down, if they draw a match, they keep the pair and play again, if not, their partner takes a turn, whoever has the most cards at the end is the winner)

My 2nd graders will also be busy with Turkey, Turkey (another mi-so-la activity).

The Night the Candy Corns Escaped

Don't get me wrong, I love those "Lady that Swallowed Everything" and I always use "Five Little Pumpkins", but this year I wanted a new little story to use with my 1st graders.  I also found some super cute candy-corn erasers (see previous post) at Target and I can't wait to use those.

So, I created a poem called, "The Night the Candy Corns Escaped."  I know the firsties will love to figure out what happens.  We can also pantomine and dramatize the words which will help them get ready for their Winter Program in December.  The 'refrain' of the poem also incorporates rhythms the first graders are working on, so we'll get music reading practice too.

Here's the slides (instructions and printables are included in my Fall into Music set, but you are more than welcome to use what you see here):

In a subsequent lesson, we'll extract the rhythmic content of the first refrain:

I also included some printables to use (a rhythm worksheet, cards for matching the iconic representation to the real rhythm symbols) including this jar dictation sheet (we will use our erasers on this):

Here are a few pictures of the printables/manipulatives in action.  I use sheet protectors and dry erase markers for student work all the time - I can easily assess the students without having to run off a bunch of worksheet copies.  Students enjoy working with dry erase markers as well, so it is a win-win.  For this activity, both pages are placed in the plastic sheet, as well as a marker, a piece of black felt for an eraser, and a bag of candy-corn erasers (again, those are from Target - $1 for 50 erasers).

Leaves

This is a song I created last year to review basic rhythms (quarter note/eighth note pair) with my 1st graders while also discussing melodic direction.  It was very successful and this year I've re-vamped it with some more fun visuals.  You can download it here (the instructions are included and they are very specific).

I love using fake fall leaves (available at Hobby Lobby - pretty much everywhere this time of year) as we sing and move to the song.  We do several vocal exploration exercises (I move my leaf up and down and the students mirror with theirs, while singing "ooo" - then I give students a turn) before I perform the melody of the song for the students.  As students learn the song, they are constantly moving to the melodic direction (using their leaves too).  There are motions for each pitch and the students love this, but our favorite parts are the glissandos at the end.

In later lessons, we review the lyrics, track icons for the steady beat, track icons for the rhythms, learn the rhythms, and track icons for the melody.  We also play the melody on boomwhackers (I change the color of the icons to match those of the boomwhackers).  Students also re-construct the melody as a class using printables.

Melodic Icons

Melodic Icons for Boomwhackers

For the wrap-up lesson, students create their own "fall leaves" song which they share with the class then take home.

I've added some extensions to this file.  Now, rhythmic icon and rhythm note cards are included.  There are several suggestions in the file for ways to use them.

I've also included instructions to an vocal improvisation game that I'll share (the kiddos loved it):

Use this game after the first mini-lesson.  You will need at least one fake fall leaf (I give each student one).
Seat the students in the circle.  Review the song.  Tell students we will use an AB Form with A - singing and B - playing the game.
Select a student to sit in the middle of the circle, place their leaf on their head, and shut their eyes.  While singing the song, choose one student to take the leaf off the head of the child in the middle and hide it somewhere in the room.
After the song, the student in the middle “wakes up” and begins to search around the room.  The rest of the students guide that student to their leaf by:
Shaking their leaf low and improvising on Do-Re (C major) by singing “ooh” - this indicates that the students is far away from their leaf.
Shaking their leaf in the middle and improvising on Fa-So (C major) by singing “ooh” - this indicates that the students is heading in the correct direction
Shaking their leaf up high and improvising on Ti-DO (C major) by singing “ooh” - this indicates that the student is very close to their leaf
Once the student has found their leaf, the game can begin again.  Extend this by having students improvise low, middle, and high sounds on C Major Pentatonic on a metallophone

Wee Willie Winkie

This song is one of those that just "keeps on giving."  I started using it as a piece to practice using our four voices, but eventually it evolved into teaching everything from adding instrumentation that connects to the text to solfa (mi so la).

In kindergarten, the students first learn the words as a speech piece.  I used to use a poster to illustrate the song, but this year I used PowerPoint instead.  I use the first few slides with the text and pictures to help students understand the lyrics of the song.

 After that, the students add four voices to the lyrics.  We talk about which parts match which voice (for example, "Crying at the locks" - we'd use our loud voice).

Next, we play a favorite little game.  Students love the movement, and they love trying to "sneak" opening their eyes when "Willie" comes to get them.  Usually, I reserve the role of "Willie" for myself, that way the students can't argue "But I had my eyes closed."  Sometimes, I'll give the role to another student, or ask for "helpers" and they'll play with me.  Either way, it is always a favorite.

For the next lesson, the kinder students add instrumentation based on connections to the text.  This prepares them for doing so later with longer stories and books.  It also exposes them to a variety of instruments that we'll use regularly in kinder.

We also discuss the steady beat of the song and keep it in a variety of ways while tracking the "door" icons:

This year, with my current first graders, we will extend the learning to include:

Rhythm Icons

Rhythm Symbols

Organizational Tools

The students will also add pitches to the song (which can be played on boomwhackers since it is in C major):

Melodic Icons - can use with younger students to prepare mi so la

Melodic Icons on the Staff

Melodic Icons with Solfa (off the staff is also included, along with slides for introducing la

correct rhythmic notation on the staff

All together now!

You can download the PowerPoint here.  I've included lots of tips and suggestions for teaching in the "notes" section of most of the slides.  I hope your kiddos enjoy this song too!

Let Us Chase the Squirrel

I love using this song for the Fall season.  The melodic content is a great review for my 3rd graders at the beginning of the year (before we add "La" back in and then move on to the extended Do pentatonic scale).  You can download it here for free: Let Us Chase the Squirrel.

The students can use the title slide as a pitch ladder and create patterns for their friends to sing by pointing to the pictures.

Here are the lyrics of the song.  Try having students create their own motions for the lyrics - they love this!








 Have the students keep the beat by tapping their fists lightly on their open palms.  Transfer this to a woodblock.  Talk about why a "wood block" might be a good instrument to use with this particular song.

My kiddos love to "predict" which rhythm will appear based on the iconic representation.  Have students track the pictures while they say the words.

Have the students clap the rhythm while chanting the words.  Then, have them clap the rhythm while saying rhythm syllables of your choice.  Last, have them clap the rhythm while saying the words "in their head" (audiate)

Since my student have already used all these pitches and we are simply reviewing, I don't include any iconic representation of the pitches in this lesson.  The students simply sign the pitches while tracking the song as I play it on the piano.  Then, the students sing on solfa and sign while I play the melody.  Third, the students sing and sign without me playing the melody.  Then, they sing on the correct lyrics (they continue to sign).


On this slide, I have students come up and identify: all the do's, all the re's, all the mi's, and all the so's.  We also identify where repeats, steps, skips, and leaps occur.  We also add in the 2nd verse.

Here's the orffestration of the song.  The woodblock is easy enough to add (have students clap the rhythm then transfer), as is the SG part (have students snap on the "rel" or highest pitch then transfer).  For the BX/BM part, have the students pat it on their legs, keeping their right hand in the same place but moving their left hand in and out to mirror the movement they'll use on the instrument.  Transfer.

Students love this game.  Those that aren't playing the orffestration will enjoy singing and playing this.







This year, I've added another activity to this song that I think hits so many topics in one - I know I need it!  The printable cards below can be used by students in a variety of ways:

labeled

unlabeled

Singing Practice: The students can practice singing the patterns on the cards. They could evaluate the singing of others.
Listening Activity: The teacher sings (on neutral syllable if using the cards with solfa on them, on a neutral syllable or using the solfa if using the cards without solfa) or plays a pattern and the students locate it.  The teacher can play more than one pattern to make the listening activity more difficult.  Students could also sing or play patterns for their peers to find.
Composition Activity: The students can compose their own melodies, using one squirrel card first (the squirrels have melodies that don't end on "do") and ending with one hickory card (melodies that end on "do").  You can label the squirrel cards as "question" phrases and the hickory cards as "answer" phrases.  Students can add lyrics and instrumentation to their composition.  Print the cards on regular paper and then have the students glue their own two-card creations to brown construction paper to create a bulletin board display.