1st Graders have been so successful with working with echo songs! These song fragments help students to listen to a model singing voice (teacher, recording, other student) and copy the same words and tune in the same style.
Because of their success with echo songs, it is time to move on to more complex song fragments - call and response songs. A call and response song is similar to an echo song in that students listen to a model singer and respond in the same style, but where in an echo song students sing the same thing right back, in a call and response song, they must sing something different. This challenges students to listen carefully and use their singing voices, but maintain their own independence in singing.
The first call and response song we have worked on is called John the Rabbit. Students learned that no matter what Miss Dagenais sang, they needed to respond "Oh yes!" It was difficult to remember to always use our singing voices, but after some practice, we could all do it easily! Once we were comfortable singing the response as a class, students even sang it all by themselves!
Sing it with your children using the lyrics below. Maybe they can sing the call and you can sing the response!
Oh John the Rabbit (Oh yes!)
Oh John the Rabbit (Oh yes!)
Had a mighty fine habit (Oh yes!)
Of jumping in my garden (Oh yes!)
And eating up my spinach. (Oh yes!)
He ate potatoes (Oh yes!)
And sweet tomatoes (Oh yes!)
And if I live (Oh yes!)
To see next fall (Oh yes!)
I won't plant (Oh yes!)
A garden at all. (Oh yes!)
Hear Miss Carroll's class perform this song with Miss Dagenais in the video below.
