Singing
Submitted by: Kristin C. Hare & Angie Harris
Activity 1: The Name Game (back to top)
Age Range: 5-7 years
Activity: This activity plays around with sounds and patterns by using children's names in a song called the name game. The song goes (using the name Sue as an example) "Sue, Sue, bo-Bue, banana fana fo Fue, me, my, mo, Mue, Sue!
Materials: No materials are required for this activity
Special preparations: none
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 2: Pass the song along (back to top)
Age Range: 5-7 years
Activity: The entire class stands in a circle. The teacher begins singing a song that the entire class has already learned. When she has completed a short line, she points to a student. They pick up from where she left off, and sing a line. They point to another student. The song gets passed along, giving everyone a chance to sing.
Materials: none
Special preparation: Get the class in to a circle.
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.1 The student sings songs within a five-to-seven note range alone and maintains the tonal center.
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 3: Stand up, Sit down, Sing! (back to top)
Age Range: 4-7 years
Activity: Choose a song like "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean", where a word or phrase is repeated. Let children know that while you sing the song, they are to stand up the first time they hear the repeated word/phrase, and sit down the next time, then stand up the next, and so forth. Sing the song as a class, with every body listening and responding to the word/phrase.
Materials: none
Special preparation: Make sure the children have enough room that they are not running in to each other.
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 4: Three Bears Singing (back to top)
Age Range: 4-6 years
Activity: Read the story of the three bears. Choose a song the children are familiar with, and have them sing it in regular voices. Then have them sing it like Papa Bear would (large, low voices). Have them sing it like Mama Bear would (middle range), and like Baby Bear (high voices).
Materials: Book, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Special preparation: Talk about the ways the different bears would talk before doing this activity.
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 5: Echo Singing (back to top)
Age Range: 3-7 years (difficulty can be adjusted)
Activity: Choose a song the children are not familiar with. Tell them you are going to echo sing. You will sing one line, and they will echo you. Let the children try to imitate your voice as you sing different phrases in different tones or pitches.
Materials: none
Special preparation: none
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 6: Who's on the Bus? (back to top)
Age Range: 6-7 years
Activity: Have children learn and sing the song "The Wheels on the Bus". Invite children to add their own verses, with different people (for example: the baker on the bus says "eat my bread"). The child creating the verse sings the first line, and the other children can chime in after they learn the line.
Materials: none
Special preparation: Make sure children know the song "The Wheels on the Bus". Have children do brainstorming activities about different people, and things they could say or do that would apply to them.
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
MU.B.1.1 The student improvises melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 7: One turn around now (back to top)
Age range: 5-7 years
Activity: Have children stand in a circle, with their hands joined. Start with the child to the teachers right, and sing "I like name. I like name, one turn around now". On the line "one turn around now", the child turns around, faces outside the circle, and re-joins hands with their neighbors. Continue through all the children. When everybody, including the teacher, is inside out, the teacher should break hands with the last child, making that child the anchor (they don't move). The teacher then walks around, leading the children with her, and re-joining hands with the last child. The children end up facing inwards again, on the opposite side of the circle they started on.
Materials: none
Special preparation: Get the children in to a circle
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 8: Where is baby? (back to top)
Age Range: Infants, 0-6 mos.
Activity: To the tune of "Where is Thumbkin", sing the following song with infants. "Where is (baby's name), Where is (baby's name), Here I am, here I am (pat baby on belly while saying this). How are you today (baby's name)? Very fine I thank you. Clap your hands. Clap your hands (help baby clap his hands)."
Materials: none
Special preparation: none
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 9: Ten in the Bed (back to top)
Age Range: 5-6 years
Activity: Line ten children up, with the child on the far right being the "little one". Sing the song "Ten in the Bed" - "There were ten in the bed and the little one said 'roll over. Roll over'. So they all rolled over and the one fell off. There were nine in the bed . . .". When the line "so they all rolled over" is sang, every child turns in a circle in their place, and the one on the far left turns away, and sits back down.
Materials: none
Special preparation: Select and line up ten children. Assign the part of the "little one".
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 10: Willie the Worm (back to top)
Age Range: 4-7 years
Activity: Sing the song "Willie the Worm" - "I was sitting on my fence post, chewing some bubble gum, watching the train roll in (toot, toot), when along came Willie the worm. And he was THIS big (indicate with hands). And I said 'Willie! What happened!' and he said "I ate (call on a student to fill in the blank)". Repeat, calling on different children.
Materials: none
Special preparation: none
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 11: Animal Singing (back to top)
Age Range: 5-6 years
Activity: Choose a simple song the children are familiar with, such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", or "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". Instead of singing the words, have children pick animals, and sing like the animals. For example, as a cat, in all meows. Encourage children to vary pitches based on the animal (a dog's bark is lower than a cat's meow).
Materials: none
Special preparation: none
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 12: Who is Hiding? (back to top)
Age Range: 4-5 years
Activity: Have all children sit in a large circle. In the middle, there is a blanket. One at a time, children "hide" under the blanket. The class sings, to the tune of "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians", "Who is hiding under the blanket, who is hiding under the blanket, who is hiding under the blanket? Come and tell us your name". The hiding child uncovers himself, and says his name.
Materials: Lightweight blanket
Special preparation: Arrange the children in a circle. Place the blanket in the middle.
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 13: Sing it up, sing it down! (back to top)
Age Range: 4-7 years
Activity: This activity works on children's vocal ranges by having them sing scales using silly sounds. Tell they you are going to start singing low, and get higher, singing the same silly word over and over. Start with something, anything (loo, ti, da), and let the children pick the sounds after that. Go both up and down the scales with different silly sounds.
Materials: none
Special preparation: none
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 14: Sing it, Feel it (back to top)
Age Range: 5-7 years
Activity: Choose a song that the children are familiar with. Tell them you are going to change the way you sing it, and sing with different feelings. Have children suggest how to sing the song (sing it like you're sad, angry, happy, scared). Play around with the pitches and the voice intonation of singing each emotion.
Materials: none
Special preparation: Make sure to remind children that we are only singing the emotions right now. We're not really acting like we are (mad, sad, etc . . .).
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
MU.D.1.1.4 The student understands how music can communicate ideas suggesting events, feelings, moods, or images
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation
Activity 15: Singing in the Round (back to top)
Age Range: 6-7 years
Activity: This is an introduction to the concept of singing a two-part round. Use a song that is good for this, like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", or "Make New Friends". First make sure every student is confident with the song. Divide the class in half, and have one half start singing with a parent or a volunteer. At the beginning of the second verse, you lead the other half of the class to start back at the beginning. See how long you can do this without switching parts!
Material: none
Special preparation: Arrange for a parent or a volunteer to be in the classroom that day.
Standards met:
MU.A.1.1.2 The student sings simple songs (e.g. folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
National Standard 1b. The students sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation