Echo So-mi patterns in the key of C

Invite your students to improvise their own patterns on so-mi.

Have the students read the rhythms in the song. Have the students show with arm movements the high and low sounds. Read or teach the solfege. Tell them that in music the high sound is called so and the low sound is called mi. Show them on the chart how the high sound is in the third space on the staff and the low sound is in the second space of the staff. Tell them that whenever so is in a space, mi is in the space below. Sing the song in solfa using so and mi.

This is a confrontation game. Two teams are facing each other. One side asks the question and the other side responds. Line up the students in two rows. One row sings, “Here we come.” Row two asks, “Where from?” Row one sings, “B.C.” Row two asks, “What’s your trade?” Row one answers, “Lemonade.” Row two sings, “Give us some. Don’t be afraid.” One student from row one acts out some kind of trade or job: typing, bus driving, hockey playing, etc. Row two has three chances to guess what the trade is before the actor tells them. Denise Tips: Usually I let three students from the first team act, and then give the other team a turn.

Name the solfa notes in the song "Lemonade."

Note to teachers: Other solfa tools for the song include a tone ladder for showing where so and mi fit in the scale.

If you have Orff instruments, accompany "Lemonade" on barred instruments and create a B section.

B section Ideas: Have the students choose four of their favorite kinds of drinks and make this into a word rhythm pattern.
For example: Root beer, sprite, water, cola.
Play the word rhythm using body percussion or on non-pitched instruments.

Decide on a final form for your performance. For example:
A - sing the song
B - perform the word rhythm
A - sing the song

Teach the song by rote. Track the words and point to each floor as they sing. Ask the students to think of new things for floors that do not have words. Start at the bottom and continue up so the students follow the contour of the melody. Show the high/low movement of the melody with movement, the body scale, or arm motions, or play it on a melodic instrument or Boomwhackers®.

Start at the bottom of the body scale and continue up so the students follow the contour of the melody.

Teach the song by rote and play the game. This is a fun way to have your students create movement.

Form a single circle. Choose one student to be Punchinello. On the words, “Look who goes here ...,” Punchinello walks to the beat around the inside of the circle. On the words, “What can you do ...,” Punchinello makes up an action. On the words, “We can do it too ...,” all students do the action that Punchinello made up.

Teach the song by rote and play the game. In performance, it would be nice to give eight students flashlight candles to represent the eight days of Hanukkah. Each repetition of the song, light (turn on) one more candle. Teach the dance given below, or create a dance to perform to the music.

Sing "The Music Time is Over."