 |
| Call and Response - gets their attention! |
Start with a song that
your child or class REALLY likes, and would like to sing over and over. Teach the “original” version first. This is my personal choice, as I’d like kids
to know a song the way it was written unless the original lyrics were unacceptable. I ran into that for my newest cd, Season Sings! when recording the classic “You
Are My Sunshine” – great chorus, questionable verses about love lost, despair,
etc. Yes, I got permission to write a
new, more child-friendly verse. But
that’s not what RECYCLING
SONGS is about. But I digress!
Here’s an example
of recycling a song that my classes really enjoy singing in the Summertime – “Going on a Picnic” by Lynn Freeman Olson. The
original, which I recorded on my HUM – Highly Usable Music cd goes like this:
Going on a
picnic, leaving right away
If it doesn’t
rain we can stay all day.
Did you
bring the ___________?
Yes, I
brought the __________!
Going on a
picnic, here we go!
This song is beloved because it is call and response, inviting the child to
suggest food you might bring on a picnic, then we all sing that item in the
song. Great for creativity, logical thinking, taking turns and call/response singing.
Let’s RECYCLE and RE-USE! As mid-October rolls in, I re-introduce the song
thus:
Going
trick-or-treating, gonna have a fright
If it doesn’t
rain, we’ll stay out at night!
Will we get
some (favorite candy or item)?
Yes, we’ll
get some (Snickers – that’s MY favorite!)
Going
trick-or-treating, Boo! Boo! Boo!
I’ve also done it just AFTER October 31st,
and made the call/response:
Did you get
some _____________?
Yes, I got
some ______________!
Now we roll around to late November, and the song
becomes:
Thanksgiving
Dinner, wasn’t it a feast?
Family ‘round
the table, what did we eat?
Did we have
some ___________?
Yes, we had
some ___________!
Thanksgiving
Dinner, yum yum yum!
Children need and love repetition, and when it comes to
their favorite songs, it may take them waaay longer for them to tire of a song
than it does for you! Sometimes I say to
teachers, sorry – you just have to keep singing that “StickyBubble Gum” song (or whatever the kids are currently stuck on!) They need it and love it. I’ve read research that said children under 3
years old need to hear something 7 – 11 times before it is theirs and they can repeat
it with joy and abandon. For
preschoolers, it’s 4 – 6 times! That’s
just when it gets to be fun for the child!
Don’t roll your eyes and tear your
hair out – play it again, please!
Let’s recycle a great partner dance – “Jump Jim Joe!” If you don’t know it, you can find it on my “DancingFeet” cd, or on the Song of the Month page on my website for March 2009.
The original:
Jump, jump,
jump Jim Joe!
Nod your
head and shake your head
And tap your
toe!
‘Round and ‘round
and ‘round you’ll go
Now you find
another partner
And you jump
Jim Joe!
Recycle
and re-use for Winter:
Jump, jump,
jump in the snow!
Nod your
head and shake your head
And tap your
toe!
‘Round and ‘round
and ‘round you’ll go
Now you find
another partner
And you jump
in the snow!
.JPG)
Now we’re
talking! Some other songs I’ve had great
fun with:
B-I-N-G-O (the circle dance) becomes
S-A-N-T-A:
A jolly man
is coming soon
And Santa is
his name-o
S-A-N-T-A, S-A-N-T-A,
S-A-N-T-A,
And Santa is
his name-o!
“Singing in the Rain” becomes “Singing in the Snow”
I’m singing
in the snow
Just singing
in the snow
What a
glorious feeling,
I’m happy,
you know!
Ok – got the
idea? And as far as the REDUCE part of
the phrase, quite the contrary – you RECYCLE, RE-USE and INCREASE the fun!
Yours for a Song – New or Used!
“Miss
Carole” Stephens
Very fun and what an opportunity for the children! Very nice. You made this easy for others to use this great idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carolyn. I may re-title this post - I think some may thing it's about how to chuck your trash! Glad you got it!
ReplyDelete