As part of our Conversational Solfege rhythm unit, 2nd and 3rd graders have been playing "Closet Key." This song is made up of our duple rhythm patterns and was already familiar to 2nd graders as a game we played last year.
See the lyrics below:
I have lost my closet key,
In my lady's garden.
I have lost my closet key,
In my lady's garden.
Help me find my closet key,
In my lady's garden.
Help me find my closet key,
In my lady's garden.
I have found my closet key,
In my lady's garden.
I have found my closet key,
In my lady's garden.
As we sing the song, one student holds a key, hidden from a student who is going to guess. Students sing the song louder when the guesser gets close to the student with the key and sing softer when the guesser is further away. At the end of the song, the guesser gets three tries to decide who is holding the key.
Hear Mrs. Lowkes's third grade class sing this song in the video below:
After we were comfortable with the song, students were able to decode the rhythm patterns themselves, singing the song using rhythm syllables instead of the words.
