Author: Mr. G.

Posted on

Little Sally Walker

Introduction

This is a circle game song.  The challenge is in the rhythm.  You’ve got to “swing” it.  That means to give the rhythm a sort of a sway that makes it move.  The swing is the quality of the rhythm that makes you want to get up and dance.  By “swinging” the rhythm, you’re sort of adding some syncopation to it.  Syncopation is when the sounds of the notes take a long-short pattern.

Video

The Lesson

At The Piano STRAIGHT

Full Speed

Slower

At The Piano SWUNG

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment

Posted on

Kumbaya

Introduction

Skip To Songwriting

This is a really important folk song.  Folk music is an important part of our history as humans.  It is a way for regular, ordinary people like you and me to have our voices heard and our stories told.

Folk music can be as simple or as complicated as you want or can make it.  The main purpose is the words and the story that they tell.

Kumbaya means “come by here” which has different meanings depending on what the other words are.  Sometimes it can mean “come and help me” and other times it can mean “come with me”.

Video

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed in F

Slower in F

Full Speed in C

Slower in C

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Songwriting

Folk songs provide a unique opportunity for students to experience the art of songwriting. The simple, repetitive nature of folk music makes it the perfect platform to explore.

Kumbaya is a song that originated in the Congo and the word ‘kumbaya‘ means ‘come by here‘ or ‘come over here‘. Think of it as what a friend might say when they are inviting you over for a play date. The rest of the song is different based on who is singing it and what they are singing about.

Some example lyrics are as follows:

Kumbaya, ya Kumbaya (3x)
Ah, ah, Kumbaya

We can play here, Kumbaya (3x)
Ah, ah, Kumbaya

We’ll have fun now, Kumbaya (3x)
Ah, ah, Kumbaya

Sing a song with me, Kumbaya (3x)
Ah, ah, Kumbaya

As you can see, there is a pattern to the verses. Simply follow it, and you can write your own version of this classic folk song. All you have to do is pick a topic, and think of some things to sing about that topic. In my example, my topic could have been Things To Do During A Playdate.

Write down some of your own words then use this player to sing along with!

Kumbaya Example

Enrichment

Posted on

Frère Jacques

Introduction

This is a beautiful song in French.  It is usually sung as a round, meaning that it is sung by more than 1 person starting at different times.  When sung that way, it is even more beautiful.

I’ve posted some videos down below to show how this works.  Make sure to check them out.

Video

Singing In A Round

Try singing Frère Jacques as a round by singing along with this video.  Sing along with the singer on the left in the pink sweatshirt each time.  She will start at a different time each time they sing the song.

Just watch and listen the first time.

Here are the words:

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques
Dormez vous, dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines,
Din din don! Din din don!

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment

Posted on

Eency Weency Spider

Introduction

This is a fun nursery rhyme.  Even though it seems like it might be a simple song, the rhythm can be tricky, but it’s one of the things that makes this song so enjoyable.

As you play, keep the melody in your mind.  It will help you understand and feel the rhythms more easily.

Have fun!

Video

The Lesson

Sheet Music

Piano
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment

Posted on

Whistle

Introduction

This is a fun song from a movie called Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  It’s a song about how much music helps make it more fun to do something, even something that can be boring, like cleaning your room!  Try it.  It helps to whistle while you work!   If you can’t whistle, that’s ok.  Singing, humming or just listening works too!

Just like the song before it, Ode to Joy, this song uses the fifth finger, your pinky, for the first time.  There is a new symbol in this song called a flat.

It looks like this and it does something to the note that it comes right after it.

When you see this symbol before a note, it means that instead of playing the key that you normally play for that note, you play the note that is halfway down to the note below it. That is the black key.

Video

The Lesson

Rhythm

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment