Music for Children Volumes Pieces

What am I going to use to teach __________ concept?  This is the second question I find myself asking when lesson planning.  I have songs, games, instrumental pieces, movement ideas, and the more years I teach the more ideas I have.  How I am going to streamline what I do to a finely honed craft?  This summer I took level 3 of Orff at UMSL.  It was wonderful.  Now I am even more motivated to use the volumes to help me teach a concept.  This post will become a list of all the volumes pieces that I use and what I use it for.

Music for Children Volume One: Pentatonic

Part 1: Nursery Rhymes and Songs

3. Tinker Tailor (2-3 grade)

             1. spoken piece with student improvised body percussion accompaniment

             2. Sung like the volume but end on do with student improvised xylophone accompaniment

4. Bobby Shaftoe (1st and 2nd grade)

            1. sung with different bordune accompaniments

            2. using part b sop xylophone ostinato

6. Wee Willie Winkie

           1. In Kindergarten we use this song to help teach 4 voices

                         -upstairs glissando up, downstairs glissando down, ect

                         -triangle 8 times after 8 o'clock

31. Ding Dong diggiggidong

          1. I teach this in 3rd grade with sixteenth notes and cannon

          2. I use simple bordune acc.

41. Boomfallera

        I haven't used this one in recent years, and I don't know why because I like it.

Part 2: Rhythmic and Melodic exercises

I use most of this in conjunction with other songs.  I use these ideas as jumping off points.

Rhythmic Rondos

1. I use Mary Beth Hepburn's take on this song from her workshop.  You can search for her stuff on Music is Elementary's website.  I think it is a free download either as a lesson plan or workshop handout.

Part 3: Instrumental Pieces

3. Walk running walk walk, running running running walk (3rd grade)

     -Learned this in my level 1.  We first moved the rhythm of the words by the Teacher playing it on a hand drum.  We started just by walking then the teacher added in random spots of running.  Eventually, the teacher led us to the rhythm of the song. 

7. Dynamics!  Love teaching the students how to play their instruments with dynamics.  You mean we can play the xylophone softly?  Who knew!?

38.  Teach the High Low pattern of the Sop. xylo (first 8 beats) then have the students improvise/ compose the second 8 beats in the style of the piece.  Add in the woodblock part but I put on a drum. 

Create a body percussion or movement B section.  

40. Brian Burnet Level 2 taught this to us with words.  I use this piece when reviewing canon in 4th grade. 

Coming soon Volume 2!

How do you use the volumes?

    

Books in the Music Room

While walking through our school's library, I have stumbled upon some new books.  Here are a few that we have used in the music room this year.

Little Goblins Ten is sung to the same melody as Over in the Meadow.

 Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear? is used the same as I do with Brown Bear but with new exotic animals. 

 Mary Wore Her Red Dress has the melody written in the back and is another great use of So Mi singing.  I got this idea from http://www.kodalyinspiredclassroom.com/ 

 Second graders are exploring train songs.  We partnered the reading of this book with Little Train of Caipira. Students then reviewed Engine Engine while moving in train lines.  Then we learned a call and response song "Chicka hanka."  After students could sing the response, we went to the xylophone to improvise.  At first students could only use E to create rhythmic variety.  Then I slowly gave them more notes until the were able to improvise in G pentatonic starting on la (E.) We kept playing with the recording and my students loved having the chance to share their improvisations.