Bill Grogan's Goat

Preschoolers and Kindergarteners have learned a new echo song called Bill Grogan's Goat.  Echo songs help children to practice singing in tune with the correct vocal tone.  Students only need to remember a short piece of the song at a time to perform an echo song.

After hearing this song for the first time, students were asked many questions about the song to help them understand new vocabulary and think about how the characters in the story were feeling. We talked about how the naughty goat ate the man's clothes and wondered how that would make the man feel.  Even though the man was feeling mad, he was not very nice either.  When the goat got tied to the railroad track, we decided he was very scared.  Don't worry though, the goat was fine in the end!

Ask your child to sing this song for you.  Maybe they can sing and you can echo them!  Here are the lyrics:

There was a man (There was a man)
Now please take note (Now please take note)
There was a man (There was a man)
Who had a goat (Who had a goat)
He loved that goat (He loved that goat)
Indeed he did (Indeed he did)
He loved that goat (He loved that goat)
Just like a kid! (Just like a kid!)

One day that goat (One day that goat)
Felt frisk and fine (Felt frisk and fine)
Ate three red shirts (Ate three red shirts)
Right off the line (Right off the line)
The man he grabbed (The man he grabbed)
Him by the back (Him by the back)
And tied him to (And tied him to)
The railroad track (The railroad track)

Now when that train (Now when that train)
Came into sight (Came into sight)
That goat grew pale (That goat grew pale)
And green with fright (And green with fright)
He heaved a sigh (He heaved a sigh)
As if in pain (As if in pain)
Coughed up those shirts (Coughed up those shirts)
And flagged the train! (And flagged the train!)

Hear Mrs. Barlow's kindergarten class sing this song in the following video.

Kye Kye Kule

As we return to school from Winter Break, 2nd Graders have gone back to work on an echo song to help them start off the new year with their best singing voices.

This echo song is from Ghana and it is called Kye Kye Kule.  Though many students were able to learn this song quickly and wanted to sing along with the leader, we discussed how this is an echo song and it is always meant to be echoed, even when we know it really well.  To demonstrate this point, students watched a video of children in Ghana singing this song on the playground.  Even though they knew the song really well, the group always echoed the leader.  You can watch this video here:

Then, we talked about how the children in the video are using more of a shouting voice than a singing voice.  The singing style is different in Ghana, but in music class, students are still expected to use their best and most gentle sound.

Kye kye, Kule. (Kye kye, Kule.)
Kye kye, Kofinsa. (Kye kye, Kofinsa.)
Kofinsa langa. (Kofinsa langa.)
Kaka shi langa. (Kaka shi langa.)
Kum adende. (Kum adende.)
Kum adende. Hey!

Hear Mrs. Baker's 2nd Grade class perform the song with Miss Dagenais below:

Treble Clef

Fifth graders have kicked off our new year by learning how to read notes in the treble clef.  This musical notation is the way that musicians are able to translate sheet music into a song.

First, students learned some strategies to read the notes.  They learned that the treble clef is also called the G-clef, because it wraps around the G line.  From the G, we can use the musical alphabet to find any other note.

They also learned some fun acronyms to remember the lines and spaces.  Some favorites for the spaces were "FACE" and "Fat Albert Causes Earthquakes."  Some favorites for the lines were "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge," "Even George Bush Drives Fast," "Elephants Go Bouncing Down Freeways," and "Every Good Boy Drives Ferraris."  Many students came up with their own acronyms.

After learning the strategies, students worked in teams to play several games to practice, including Cupcake Wars and Treble Clef is Out of This World.

Next, students will be reading music themselves to figure out the names of some mystery songs which they will play on the Boomwhackers.

Two Tall Telephone Poles

1st Graders are learning a new fingerplay called Two Tall Telephone poles.  Fingerplays are songs or chants that help children practice singing or speaking in rhythm and help them discover the form of a song.

Though it is a short one, this fingerplay proved to be very tricky.  We had to practice the way our fingers would move ahead of time so we could be successful.  With a little bit of practice, we had it perfect!

Ask your child to perform this fingerplay for you.

Two tall telephone poles,
Between them a wire is strung.
Two little birds hopped onto the wire
And they swung, swung, swung.

Hear Mrs. Tibbett's class perform this fingerplay in the video below:

Grandma's Glasses

Preschoolers and Kindergarteners have learned a new fingerplay called Grandma's Glasses.  Fingerplays help teach children to sing or speak in rhythm and teach about the form of a song or chant.

Grandma's Glasses is a silly chant because grandma has very small glasses and a very small hat...

 

And grandpa has very big glasses and a very big hat!

 

Have your child recite this chant for you with the appropriate motions.

These are grandma's glasses,
And this is grandma's hat,
And this is the way she folds her hands
And puts them in her lap.

These are grandpa's glasses,
And this is grandpa's hat,
And this is the way he folds his arms
Just like that.

Here Miss Randell's kindergarten class recite this poem below:

Johnny Had One Friend

Preschoolers and Kindergarteners have been working on a new simple song called Johnny Had One Friend.  Students listen to these songs many times before they try to sing them.  Through careful listening, students can sing them correctly on their first try.

As students listen to this song, they tap their fingers on their knee to show how many friends Johnny has.  This is a great song because it helps students work on singing tunefully and keep the beat at the same time.  It is also a great counting review.

Students listened carefully for several weeks and now they are ready to sing the song as a whole group.  Next, some brave friends will volunteer to come up and sing the song all by themselves!!

Ask your child to sing this song for you:

Johnny had one friend, one friend, one friend,
Johnny had one friend, Johnny had two.

Johnny had two friends, two friends, two friends,
Johnny had two friends, Johnny had three.

Johnny had three friends, three friends, three friends,
Johnny had three friends, Johnny had four.

Johnny had four friends, four friends, four friends,
Johnny had four friends, Johnny had five...

Hear Mrs. Armington's kindergarten class sing the song in the following video.  This class begged to count all the way to 10!

Freedom Train

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, 3rd Graders have been working on the song Freedom Train.  We briefly talked about the historical significance of this song (everyone deserves to freedom, but not everyone always had freedom).

Students started out by singing the ostinato (repeating pattern) while Miss Dagenais sang the melody.  The ostinato was meant to sound like a train going down the track.  Then, students learned the melody and were able to divide into groups to sing both parts.  Singing ostinatos helps us to begin singing in parts.

Ask your child to sing this song for you:

This old freedom train is such a long time in a'comin'
Ain't nobody can't afford it, so you better climb aboard it.
Gimme that freedom, gimme that freedom,
Gimme that freedom, freedom, freedom, ch, ch,
Freedom, freedom, freedom, ch, ch.

Hear Mrs. Adler's 3rd Grade class perform this song in the following video.