Feeling 2 beats in 6/8 time, changing rhythms to match syllables in each verse, and learning the days of the week.

 

Description

• Grade: First
• Origin: Traditional English Game Song
• Key: F Major
• Time: 6/8
• Form: ABAC
• Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ta ti |syncopation,
  | ta ti ta/ | syncopation, | ta ti ta ti | ta/ ta/ |
• Pitches: intermediate: So La Ti Do Re Mi So
• Intervals: intermediate: Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio (I, F), So\Mi\Do descending tonic arpeggio (I, F), Re\Ti\So descending dominate arpeggio (V, C), So/Do, Re\So
• Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; common ending: 5-6-7-1, So-La-Ti-Do, vocal slur
• Key Words: sacred, days of the week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, play song, mulberry bush, daily chores, washing clothes, ironing clothes, mending clothes, sweep, scrub, bake bread, church

“The Mulberry Bush” 

		1.	Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush So early in the morning.
		2.	This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes. This is the way we wash our clothes, So early Monday morning.
		3.	This is the way we iron our clothes, iron our clothes, iron our clothes. This is the way we iron our clothes, So early Tuesday morning.
		4.	This is the way we mend our clothes, mend our clothes, mend our clothes. This is the way we mend our clothes, So early Wednesday morning.
		5.	This is the way we sweep the floor, sweep the floor, sweep the floor. This is the way we sweep the floor, So early Thursday morning.
		6.	This is the way we scrub the floor, scrub the floor, scrub the floor. This is the way we scrub the floor, So early Friday morning.
		7.	This is the way we bake our bread, bake our bread, bake our bread. This is the way we bake our bread, So early Saturday morning.
		8.	This is the way we go to church, go to church, go to church. This is the way we go to church, So early Sunday morning.

Additional Formats (click to enlarge)

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names

“Songs of a Little Child’s Day”
At the Farm

Extending the vocal range with advanced intervals.

 

Description

• Grade: First
• Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
• Key: D Major
• Time: 2/4
• Form: AB
• Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ti | ta/ ti | ti/ ri ti ti |
  | ti (ti ti) ti |
• Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Re
• Intervals: advanced: Fa\Re, So\Mi, Ti\So, So/Do, Do\La, La/Re, Re\So, Do\Mi, Mi/So, So\Re, Re/So, So\Do
• Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; rest: eighth; tempo: allegro moderato/moderately fast (97-110 BPM); fermata, pickup beat, repeat signs, 1st and 2nd endings, dynamics: mezzo forte/medium loud; syncopation
• Key Words: farm animals, cat, kitten, chicken, quickly, obedient, cluck, mewed, character education

“Minding Their Mother” 

		1.	When Mother Kitty mewed “Come here!” Her kitten quickly went. How very small that kitten was, But how obedient!
		2.	“Come here,” cluck-clucked the Mother Hen; At once her chickens went. What tiny little things they were! But how obedient!

Additional Formats (click to enlarge)

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names

“Songs of a Little Child’s Day”
At the Farm

Singing up from Do to La.

 

Description

• Grade: First
• Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
• Key: E Flat Major
• Time: 2/4
• Form: rhythm: ABAB pitches: AaBC
• Rhythm: beginners: | ti ti ti ti | ti ti ta |
• Pitches: beginners: Do Re Mi Fa So La
• Intervals: intermediate: So\Mi, Mi\Do, La\Fa, Do/Mi, Mi/So, Re\Ti
• Musical Elements: notes: quarter, eighth; tempo: allegretto/moderately fast (98-109 BPM); dynamics: mezzo forte/ medium loud
• Key Words: farm life, milking a cow, supper, spread, bowl, pictures, loaf, bread, sweet, cowbells, pasture

“Milk for Supper” 

	1.	Where’s the milk for Baby’s supper? Here’s the little table spread; Here’s his bowl with pictures on it, Here’s a loaf of bread sweet bread,
	2.	Oh, the milk will soon be ready, Down the road the cowbells ring. Cows are coming from the pasture, Milk for Baby’s bowl they bring.

Additional Formats (click to enlarge)

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names

Excellent for reviewing notes and their values, alone or tied.
Introducing a Calypso syncopated rhythm.

 

Description

• Grade: First
• Origin: West Indian Calypso
• Key: F Major
• Time: 4/4
• Form: ABab
• Rhythm: intermediate: | ta/a ta/a | ta/a ta ta |
  | ta ti ti-a/a | ta/a/a/a | – syncopation
• Pitches: beginners: Ti Do Re Mi Fa So
• Intervals: intermediate: Mi/So, So\Do, Re/Fa, Fa\Ti, Ti/Re, Do/Mi
• Musical Elements: notes: whole, half, quarter, eighth; tied notes, calypso rhythms, syncopation
• Key Words: geography, tongue twister, calypso, Caribbean, seashore, shifting, children, band, sand

“Mary Ann” 

All day, all night, Miss Mary Ann, Down by the seashore shifting sand. Even little children join in the band. Down by the seashore shifting sand.

Additional Formats (click to enlarge)

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names

Introducing the horizontal accent with a perfect fifth.

 

Description

• Grade: First
• Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
• Key: E Major
• Time: 4/4
• Form: ABAC
• Rhythm: intermediate: | ta ti ti ta ti ti |
  | ti ti ta ta ti ti | ti ti ti ti ta/ ti | ti ti ta ta (ti) ti |
• Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La Do
• Intervals: intermediate: Do/So, So\Mi, Mi\Do, Do/Fa, La/Do, Do\So, Fa\Re, Re/So
• Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; rest: eighth; horizontal accent (play/sing the note louder), pickup beat, repeat signs, multiple endings
• Key Words: Easter, holiday songs, Spring songs, flowers, basket, posies, leaves, green, sugar-plum, May Day, secret, right well, seasons

  

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names

“Songs of a Little Child’s Day”
At the Farm

Short, fun, and quite challenging!
Singing octaves leaps and octaves that step down.

 

Description

• Grade: First
• Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
• Key: D Major
• Time: 4/4
• Form: AaBCD
• Rhythm: advanced: | ta ti/ ri ta ta | ti/ ri ta ta ta |
  | ta ti/ ri ta (ta) | ta ti ti ta ta | ti ti ti ti ta (ta) |
  | ti/ ri ti/ ri ti ti ti (ti) |
• Pitches: advanced: Do Re Mi Fa So La Te Ti Do Re
• Intervals: advanced: Do\Do descending tonic octave leap, Mi\Do, Do/Do ascending tonic octave leap, La\Fa, Fa/La, Do\La, La/Re, Do/Do descending tonic octave by steps, lowered 7th
• Musical Elements: notes: quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; rests: quarter, eighth; lowered 7th (Te), tempo: pomposo/grand dignified, dynamics: forte/loud, mezzo forte/medium loud, fortissimo/very loud, decrescendo; poco ritardando, ad libitum (make-up cockle)
• Key Words: barnyard, farming, strutting, struts, proud, to and fro, farmyard, farmer, chickens, chicken coop

“The Lordly Cock” 

Out in he farmyard Proud Cock-a-doo-dle Lifts his feet high and struts to and fro. Let the world listen! Proud Cock-a-doo-dle Flaps his big wings and gives a loud crow: Cock-a-doo-dle-doo!

Additional Formats (click to enlarge)

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names

Advanced syncopation with natural/lowered third (Me) and seventh (Te), and advanced intervals.

 

Description

• Grade: First
• Origin: USA – African Amreican Folk Song
• Key: D Major 
• Time: 2/4
• Form: ABC
• Rhythm: advanced: ta_|_ ti ti ti | syncopation,
  | ta/ ti_|_ ti ti ti | syncopation, | ti ti ti ti | ti ta/ | syncopation, | ta ta | ti ti (ta) |
• Pitches: advanced: La Do Re Me Mi So La Te So – extended range
• Intervals: advanced: Do\So, La\Mi, Mi/So, La/Te,
  Te\So, La\Do, Do/Me, Me/So\Me, Do\La/Do, Me\Do
• Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; pickup beat, tied notes, natural/lowered 3rd (Me), natural/lowered seventh (Te), syncopation, advanced intervals 
• Key Words: USA history, African American history, uncle, relatives, riding, through, horse and buggy, shake, jump rope song; abbreviations: ‘long (along); colloquialism: g’wan (go on)

“‘Long Come Uncle Jessie”

‘Long come Uncle Jessie
Riding through the fields,
With his horse and buggy,
And, I know just how he feels.

Oh, q’wan, girl, shake it,
G’wan, girl, shake it,
G’wan, girl, shake it.

Additional Formats (click to enlarge)

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names

Dancing around the 5th (So) and skipping home to 1 (Do).

 

Description

• Grade: First
• Origin: English Singing Game
• Key: F Major
• Time: 4/4
• Form: ABAC
• Rhythm: intermediate: | ti/ ri ti ti ti ti ta |
  | ti ti ta ti ti ta | ta ta ti \ta |
• Pitches: beginners: Do Re Mi Fa So La
• Intervals: intermediate: So\Re, Re/So, So\Mi, Mi\Do
• Musical Elements: notes: quarter, dotted eighth, eighth; tied notes, centered around the 5th (So) until the last note
• Key Words: geography, Great Britain, England, London, play song, play ground song, science, metals, iron, silver, gold, salutation: my fair lady, Tower of London, arch, arch bridge

Game instructions:

1. Two students join hands high to form an arch bridge.
2. The remaining students march under the bridge while singing the first verse.
3. At the last word, the arms of the bridge are lowered to capture the student passing under the bridge.
4. The captured students are kept in an area known as “Tower of London.”
5. When the last student is caught, the bridge chases all students to capture the students who will build the next bridge.

Also known as “My Fair Lady.”

“London Bridge” 

		1.	London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady
		2.	Build it up with iron bars, Iron bars, iron bars. Build it up with iron bars, My fair lady.
		3.	Iron bars will bend and break, Bend and break, bend and break. Iron bars will bend and break, My fair lady.
		4.	Build it up with silver and gold, Silver and gold, silver and gold, Build it up with silver and god, My fair lady.

Additional Formats (click to enlarge)

music

beats

rhythm

pitch numbers

solfeggio

letter names