Low La Lessons, Games, and Activities

My older students (3rd and 4th) are working on (it varies per grade) low la, low so, and high do - really trying to get that extended Do pentatonic learned and practiced before the summer.

Low la and low so go really great with our recorder unit and a lot of the songs provide students the opportunity to add movement or well-loved folk dances, instrumentation, and explore their creativity and composition skills.  I, for one, and in love with anything La-based, so I'm excited we are here as well.

I included some of our favorite lessons in this set for teaching Low La:
Corn Grinding Song

Hosisipa

Canoe Song/Land of the Silver Birch

Old Mr. Rabbit

See the Rabbit Running

One Morning Soon

Who Has Seen the Wind

Along with teach aides, printable games, and worksheets:

Rabbit Race - solfa and recorder matching game

Grocery Store Recorder Folder Game

Game Activities for Low La Patterns

Low La Improvisation/Composition Activity

As the school-year draws to a close, I'm trying to incorporate a variety of skills that the students have learned through-out the course of the year.

I'm currently working on a large unit of improvisation lessons to use in late May.  I've taught a very successful jazz unit before (complete with student composer posters) and I think I'll be incorporating that this year (I usually do it during February for Black History Month, but haven't gotten to it yet, ack!).

If you have any good websites or blogs to read about improvisation, please list them in the comments.  I'm in the middle of "researching" - we'll see.

My 4th graders will be working on getting the be extending their do pentatonic scale learning before the end of the year (adding low la and low so).  This is only my second year at this school, so my older kiddos are a little behind where I'd like them to be, but we're trucking along nicely.

After my Rabbit-themed lessons, the students will progress through the "Corn Grinding Song" and Hosisipa lessons.  They are also working on syncopated rhythms, dotted quarter-eighth, and sixteenth note variations.

In keeping with the nature/native american theme, I'll be using "Canoe Song" and "Land of the Silver Birch" next.  Singing these as partner songs is a lot of fun and I love the tunes.  You can check them out here: Low La Improvisation and Composition Minilessons

Because the kiddos are working on recorder and a variety of other things, I'll be using 5 mini lessons (about 15 to 20 minutes).

For the first lesson, they'll learn, "Canoe Song" using our familiar format (lyrics-steady beat - rhythms - melody  - instrumentation/movement):

I like to have the students make small "canoes" of three or so kiddos.  They sit on the floor and row to the strong beats (great time to review that concept).  Sometimes, I'll give them boomwhackers which they hold horizontally as their "paddles".  A few students are assigned to keep the strong beat on the drum (we review how many row-boats use a similar method to get the people rowing at the same time).

For the second lesson, students learn the song, "Land of the Silver Birch".  We live in a desert, so we have to discuss the meaning of the song (with some visuals):

Kids love the "boom didee boom" part.  The students also progress through adding the steady beat, discussing rhythms (check these out):

And of course we'll need to add our melody.  Afterward, the students dramatize the words while others play drums and tambourines.

For the third mini-lesson, the students learn to sing these songs as partner songs. Be sure to tell students that, "partner songs are songs that can be sung together - they have a similar musical structures".  Then, students sing one song while I sing another.  Then we switch.  I repeat this with two groups of students.  Then, the two groups switch.  It gets really fun when we add back in the movements and instrumentation.

We'll also add some body percussion improvisation using these slides (first, the students have to match the correct lyrics to the correct rhythms):

We can clap these rhythms.  We can create our own form (pattern 1, pattern 2, pattern 1, ABA, etc).  Half the class can chant and clap one rhythms while the other half chants and stomps the other rhythm.  Lots of possibilities.

For mini-lesson four, we take the exploring and improvisation to the instruments:

The students need to create their own form using the patterns (AABB - pattern 1, pattern 1, pattern 2, pattern 2) and transfer it to a melody on the barred instruments.  I use pitches E-G-A-B because I want the students to be able to use their recorders as well, and those are the four pitches that all students are very comfortable with (many students know and play other pitches, but we've ALL got these down).  Further instructions are included in the download.

Last, for mini-lesson 5, the students create their own composition using this worksheet:

The students can only use pitches E, G, A or B.  They must begin and end on E.  They can put the rhythms into any order they want on the staff.  I grade the students using E, S, N, or U (that is how their report cards are printed - I don't really care for it, but tis life).  With as many SPED/ELL kiddos as I have, I know that they will need me to model completing the worksheet and that they may also need special assistance from me to complete the worksheet:

E (excellent): Worksheet is neat and complete.  The student followed instructions without teacher assistance.  90% or more of the  pitches are drawn correctly (note-head and stem) on the music staff.

S (satisfactory): Worksheet is neat and complete.  The student followed instructions (teacher assistance is ok).  75% of the pitches are drawn correctly (note-head and stem) on the music staff.

N (needs improvement): Worksheet is not neat and/or complete.  The student did not follow instructions (teacher assistance is ok).  Less than 75% of the pitches are drawn correctly (note-head and stem) on the music staff.

U (unacceptable): Worksheet is not neat and/or complete.  The student did not follow instructions.  All pitches are drawn incorrectly.

I can't wait to do these series of lessons in the next few weeks.  How do you incorporate creativity, improvisation, and composition opportunities for your students?

Shoo Fly Lesson Plan

"Shoo Fly" is one of my favorite songs to teach.  The students love it!  I typically use it with 2nd or 3rd grade to add some nice "orff-estration" and movement while teaching about Rondo form and partner songs. With enough practice with the  rondo format, movement, and instrumentation, this becomes a cute song to use in a program.

However, the pitch-content is more appropriate for 5th graders and they love this song as well.   Teaching this song could be part of the lesson, then you could use the cards Shoo Fly Treble Clef Practice as another part.  Advanced recorder players can play right along while the group sings.

Download the free Shoo Fly PowerPoint and tell me what you think!

Here is the lyrics slide.  2nd graders love to say - "These words repeat - they have a pattern!"  I'm not sure what math curriculum is going on in 2nd grade, but it must be full of patterns because they try to find them everywhere.

Here is the slide with the steady beat.  Try having the students stand and walk or march in place.  Adding movement is important.  I also add one or two students on the tubano to keep the beat while we do this.  Since my classes are so short (30 minutes), not everyone gets to play an instrument each time, so I try to incorporate them as much as I can.

Adding the structures of music are important.  Play "swat the screen".  Students can use fly-swatters to come up and "swat" the correct item (time signature for example) on the screen.  Be sure to count the measures and barlines.

The students can clap and say the rhythms on syllables.  Add rhythm sticks as well for more fun.

If you're teaching this to 2nd or 3rd graders, they probably aren't ready for either the rhythmic or melodic content, in which case you can teach that by rote.  However, older students are certainly ready for the rhythm content, if not the melody also.  Have the students audiate the song on solfa with hand-signs while you play the tune on the piano.  Then, have them sing and use hand-signs (support them on the piano and repeat this step if needed).  Last, have them sing the correct lyrics while still using hand-signs.  Students can also point out on which line or space each pitch is living.

I included this slide in case you're intending that the song be played on recorder by older students.  I know I have a few 5th grade boys that could tackle this piece, no problem!

The next slide teaches the orffestration.  I usually stop here for the first lesson.

On the next lesson, I review the orff slide with the students, then pick up on the "B" section slide.

Here's the song in Rondo form:

And with movement (so fun - keep the instruments going):

Adding all this can take a while, so therefore, I introduce the partner song on the third lesson.  The PowerPoint includes more instructions on how to teach the songs together.

Here's an additional resources to use with this lesson:

I love this cute dance from ASU.

Caterpillar Rhythm Set

Earlier in the year, I used a caterpillar rhythm activity with my older student to help review basic rhythms.  I still use the ones I've created as large rhythm cards for the younger students.

Building upon that idea, I created Caterpillar Rhythm Cards.

There are many ways to use these cards:
1. In PowerPoint, as cards to have students read or play projected on the screen.  I like to do this at the beginning of class (and not every class) to assess student learning.  Students like to read or play these rhythms alone as well.  If you have a SmartBoard, or if you've showed your students how to use the pens and hilighters in PowerPoint (I have and they are better at it than me), they can pinpoint and label specific rhythms in the pattern.

2. "Rhythm of the Day" card - this is great for older students.  Set a card on a music stand or display it somewhere in the room.  Have the students point out the time signature and label the rhythms the pattern is comprised of.  Then, have them count the rhythms using syllables of your choice.  Another fun thing to do is have them play the pattern on an instrument or add body percussion.  When adding body percussion, you create the movements or have the students do this.  You can have them use one movement (for example, clapping) for the whole pattern or assign each rhythm or beat a movement (for example, clap quarter notes but pat eighth notes).

3. Flashcards for drilling and practicing - Print out the cards on cardstock and laminate them.  Then, you can use them as large flashcards that the entire class can see.  They can also be used in stations.  My students are used to quizzing each other with flashcards so this works well for them.  They know that if they get it wrong, it goes in one pile to try again, and they keep working until all patterns are in the "I got this correct" pile.  One student could hold the flashcard while another plays it on an instrument.  I'll be using the patters from Level 1-3 with my recorder players to do this.

4. Composition activities: Students can put the patterns into groups to create their own piece (they'll have to ignore the double barline).  I've also put in blank caterpillars in both Word and PowerPoint so you or your students can create their own.  If you print out a blank caterpillar, students can create their own with marker.

Here is the activity the students did at the beginning of the year (look below for steps and suggestions):

These pair well with the flashcard set and are so easy to make.  Here's how I made them:
1. Start with a sentence strip of your choice of color.  To do this on the cheap side, by a white sentence strip and the students can decorate it.
2. I used circle cut-outs from our die-cut machine and construction paper.  When the students created them, I punched the circles on white paper so they could color their own.  After coloring (if applicable) glue them down like you see here.  For the "tail end", I simply drew that shape and added the repeat sign (you could use a bar line or double bar line).  When the students created their own, I gave them a page with the four body circles and a page with the head, time signature circle, antennae, and tail.  The students colored everything, cut it out, and pasted it on the caterpillar.
3. Draw the rhythms on the caterpillar.  You will need to decided which rhythms you'd like your students to use.
4. Glue on the eyes (so cute)
For younger grades: You may consider having everything at least cut out, if not pasted.  I would also use construction paper so the students don't have to color everything.



The students had to "present" (read) their rhythm to the class.  Then, the class read the rhythm back and then played the rhythm on rhythm sticks.  We strung more than one caterpillar together (see above) to create longer patterns to read and play.