Acka Backa

In recent years, this singing game has become an all-time favorite of my students.  They ask to sing and play it ALL the time.  The game comes from this book:

It's published by the National Youth Choir of Scotland.  There's also a version of the book for younger students and a version with singing games for older students.  I am the proud owner of all three books.  They are GEMS!  While they contain a lot of the singing material I already own, they have different activities for them and the kids eat them up.  They are WELL worth you money!

Here's the song:

And here's the game from the Singing Games book:

Game 1:

In a standing circle, the class sings the song while passing a playground ball to the beat.  The student that gets the ball on the word “you” is out and sits down where they are.  Play continues until on student is left.  ** Note, students sit down in their spot which means as students are eliminated they must toss the ball over the seated students heads.  In order for this to be successful you must carefully and proactively prepare your students for this activity.  It’s tricky, but they LOVE it!!!

And here's another way to play it:

Game 2::

In a seated circle, class sings song while teacher walks around inside of circle pointing to one student per beat.  The student pointed to on the word “you” moves to an instrument to play the chord bordon.  Game repeats, and next student chosen moves to the first instrument as the first student rotates to a new instrument.

Here's a PowerPoint that I created to prepare and practice the rhythmic and melodic concepts of the song.  If you haven't noticed (and I think I've said this before) I structure my PowerPoints the same each time.  Generally, rhythm is first (not always the case, my sequence dictates this, but generally the rhythm is accessible) then melody.  But before these are the title, lyric and beat slides.

Title slide:

 Lyric slide:

 Beat slide:

 Rhythmic preparation slide:

 Ta & ti-ti practice slide, rest preparation slide:

 Full rhythm practice slide (stick only, this is also written out in stick notation with note heads):

Then, there are the melodic slides.  These samples of the preparation slides for do:

 Visual representation of iconic notation with text:

 Iconic notation with solfa:

 Iconic notation on the staff with text:

 Iconic notation on the staff with solfa:

 These next two slides highlight the critical attribute of do: it's lower than la, so & mi and it's a skip below mi.

 Then, all of the preparation slides are gone through AGAIN but this time do is labeled:

 And then we move from iconic to symbolic representation (or as the students call it, the "real" notes):

 And then onto absolute pitch names (I generally start teaching these in third grade and I start with mi-re-do on B-A-G):

This PowerPoint can be found in PDF form on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  

I hope you all have a GREAT week!

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Harvest Time

It's hard to believe that I will only see my 1st and 2nd graders 2 more times before Thanksgiving!! (We have the whole week off, I'm looking forward to some quality family time)  It always seems like there's so much to do and so little time to do it!!

Here's a little seasonal song (I don't remember where I learned this one).  I like that it's prepping so-mi (I have my 1st graders sing the first phrase with body signs for early prep. . . we'll present it in the late-winter/early-spring) but it's also working on that so-mi-la-so-mi turn for 2nd grade.

Here's the song:

Now with first grade, we'll add a simple bourdon on the bass xylophone.  Today my kiddos, who were not on xylos, added the rhythm on rhythm sticks.  Here's what that looks like:

With my second graders, we add a broken bourdon on the alto xylophone.  They can also perform the rhythm on non-pitched percussion:

My school has their "Parent-Engagement Nights" this week.  I hope I can get another post in this week but if I don't it's because I'll be at school from 7:00 am- 8:00 pm on Wednesday and Thursday!!!  Have a great week everyone!

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Witch Witch

I'm sad to report that this is another one of those songs that "I just don't remember where I learned it."  I know a lot of people sing "Old Mother Witch".  That one goes like this: 

But the version I know (and prefer) goes like this:

The main reason I prefer this version is that it includes solo singing.  It's a great way for me to assess their solo singing in a non-threatening way (anytime you use a game to assess singing, the kids feel safer and to be honest, most of the time they don't even realized they're being assessed!)

Here's the game:
Formation:  circle (standing or seated. . . side note: I've found that standing circles tend to "migrate" so I usually do this sitting) with one character, the "witch," standing in the middle
Action:  The "witch" in the middle acts out "falling in a ditch" and picking up a penny.  I used to use a real penny but then I printed out big penny via clip art that I found online.  The witch then sings four times "Are you my children?"  The class, the first three times, responds "Yes, we're your children" and the third time respond, "no you crazy old witch."

Now, I'll be the first to tell you that if you do this with your kiddos and you have your classroom door open you sometimes get some puzzled looks.  Articulation is key my friends, lol! ;)

My second graders had music every 4th day last year (and last year our school opened so last year was my first year with them).  This year, they again have music on a 4-day rotation.  Because of this we just got to so-mi a few weeks ago.  When I present so-mi we immediately put it on the five line staff.  (We use our hand staves, we practice numbering the lines and spaces starting at the bottom, and we have a heart-to-heart talk about note heads.  An idea that I got from Kurt Cereske is to have them place one hand horizontal on the top of their head and one hand horizontal on the bottom of their chin, thus making their own head a "space note".  Then, putting their hands, horizontally, on each side of their head by their ears makes their own head a "line note")

When my husband and I started dating some 11+ years ago my mother-in-law gave me these really cute little witch heads made out of wood.  I don't know where she got them and they have sat in my closet for years (remember I'm a manipulative freak and I get things and figure out how to use them later).  That was until this year when I decided to put magnets on the back of them.  See how the witchs' heads fit perfectly in the spaces of my staff!! :

Here's one of my cuties adding a note to the first phrase.  Notice how he's carefully looking it over. . .he knows some thing's not correct:

And he found it and fixed it:

Here's my next cutie adding the final note:

And there you have it, a little "Witch Witch" to start your weekend.  Remember, watch that articulation as people pass your door, lol!

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