This is a good song to use to explain rests. Have students step the beat. Tell how many sounds are on each beat. Is there a beat with no sound? Explain that a silent beat is a rest. Write the rhythm on the board and ask the students to read
the rhythm.

The song "I Like You" uses the same melody and game formation as “Ho Ho Ho.” Ask the students if they can remember what song it is. Explain that they are going to use the same melody but change the words for Valentine's Day.

Have them read the rhythms for the song. Teach the new words and play the game.

If you have students who don't celebrate Valentine's Day, substitute the words, "Will you be a friend of mine?" for "Will you be my valentine?" These options are available under the song in the song list.

The game for “I Like You” is played in a single circle. Each student faces a partner. On the first measure, they point fingers at their partner. On the second measure, they point a finger with the other hand. On the third measure, they join hands and change places with their partner. On the last measure, they each jump half a turn to face a new partner, and the game repeats.

Create an ostinato with ideas from the song.

For example: Will you be my friend. (ta ta ti-ti ta)
-or-
Will you be my valentine? (ti-ti, ti-ti, ti-ti, ta)

Decide how to perform the ostinato. You could use body percussion, found sounds or instruments.

Have the students perform the ostinato while singing on instruments or body percussion.

Have the students improvise or create melodies on CDE G A as an interlude between repetitions of the song.

Discuss families of unpitched instruments.
Use it as an opportunity to review the families of unpitched instruments.

Artie Almeida likes to have a "tub" for instruments of each family.
Label the tub with the instrument name. Put the tub inside a hula hoop.
Divide the children into 4 groups and have each group sit around one instrument family.

Make up a poem about instruments, giving each group an opportunity to improvise. For Example:
1. I like to play the woods, the woods, the woods.
I like to play the woods so I play them every day. Woods improvise 16 beats.

2. I like to play the metals, the metals, the metals.
I like to play the metals so I play them every day. Woods improvise 16 beats.

3. I like to play the drums...
4. I like to shake and scrape....

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Teach song by rote. Add unpitched instruments as suggested in the lyrics of the song.

Denise Tip: When I teach this song, I have all the students who are playing one instrument sit in a line together. At the end of the song, I have all the students set their instruments down on the floor in front of them, step over their instruments and sit down in front of a new instrument. The front line steps over their instrument and walks to an instrument in the back row. This way, the students get experience playing more of a variety of instruments.

Create actions to go with the other verses of the song.

Invite the children to make new verses.
For example: His toes were made of ice-cream...
His knees were made of chocolate...
His arms were made of ribs...

Have the class make a Big Book of the Aikendrum song by having each child illustrate one page.

If the students have created their own verses, have them illustrate their own verses.

The Big Book template can be found in Supporting Resources above.

Teach song by rote. When the students know the song, teach one of the games.

The students in the class form a circle (or two circles). The class sings the verse softly while the first student walks slowly around the circle looking for a partner. The first student chooses a partner after the words “a friend of mine I chanced to meet.” The singing becomes louder as the two students skip around the outside of the circle. At the next verse, they both walk alone and both choose new partners. Continue until all students in the class are chosen.

Another way to play the game is to have the students move freely looking for a partner as they sing the first two phrases. On the words “I chanced to meet”, they shake hands with their partner and snap four times on "Hi ho! Hi ho! Hi ho!"

Begin a clapping pattern:
Rig a jig jig (pat pat pat pat)
away we go (clap own hands, clap partner’s hands 3x)
Hi ho! Hi ho! Hi ho! (snap snap snap)

Sing "The Music Time is Over."