Echo every rhythm but the poison one!

"Song of the Frog" is a round. Teach the round as a unison song first, then try it in two parts when the students are successful.

The students may be able to read the rhythms of the song. If you have not yet taught separated eighth notes and rests, this song provides an excellent opportunity to teach this.

You can use your own rhythm names with your students. If you use ta and ti-ti, you could call the 8th note ti and the 8th rest s. (sh is the quarter rest). Use the rhythm names you like best.

Use whatever rhythm name you use for 8th note and 8th rest.

One option is to call the 8th note ti, and the 8th rest "s."

When you've introduced the 8th note and rest, go to the last slide and read the rhythms of the song.

Form a circle and choose one student to be the “frog” in the center. The frog stands with eyes shut and arms outstretched. While the students sing the song, the frog turns. At the end of the song, the two students closest to the frog’s hands step out of the circle and race in the same direction. The first back to tag one of the frog’s hands wins.

Echo Sing drm sl patterns in D

Teach the song "Playing in the House". This is a song to encourage students to improvise on instruments. It's a reading song, and students may be able to read the melody and the rhythms.

Option 1: teach this as a reading song. Read the rhythms. Read the notes using solfa notation.

Option 2: teach the song by rote. Sing or play a phrase and have students echo. Combine phrases. Sing or play the whole song and have students echo.

Divide the students into four groups, and give each group one farmily of unpitched (u/p) rhythm instruments. The following instruments families are suggested: Woods, Metals, Drums, Shakes/Scrapes. The last repetition all groups should play.

Discuss what improvisation means and demonstrate how to improvise. Show that the person improvising listens to the music and tries to make music that fits in. (It's not just banging as loud as you can.)

This song is written in rondo form. The song is the theme, and the improvisations are the variations. The form is ABACADAEAFA.

As an extension to the activity, you could have students write their compositions on paper or use the Rhythm Composition tool on MusicplayOnline.

Divide students into 4 groups and give instruments out. (woods, metals, shakes/scrapes and drums)

Teach the A section as a reading song. (Playing in the house...)
Have students read the rhythms.
The solfa notes used are ls drm, so if you teach solfa, have them read the solfa as well.

Invite the students to improvise during their section.

Virtual: Invite students to find things at home to use for instruments. Have them improvise during the B C D E sections.

Creative Ideas: Divide the students into four groups, and give each group one family of unpitched (u/p) rhythm instruments. The following instrument families are suggested: Woods, Metals, Drums, Shakes/Scrapes. The last repetition all groups should play.

Have the students read the rhythms. If you teach solfa, have them sing the song using solfa notes.

Play the game: Form a seated circle. When the song begins, the teacher pretends to drop a button into the hands of three or four students, and really drops the button into the hands of only one student. The rest of the students watch the whole process, and at the end, guess who has the button.

Create “money” ostinati to perform with the song. Create 8-beat rhythm patterns using the following coins: pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters. Each coin represents one beat.

For example:
penny penny nickle dime or
penny nickle dime dime

Choose body percussion, found sounds, or unpitched instruments to play the ostinato. Try the ostinato with words and instruments, words only, and instruments only. Decide which way they prefer it.

Extend this activity by having students create 8-beat melodies using the rhythms they’ve just created. Create new 8-beat melodies using the following coins: pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters. Allow the students to use just the pitches that were used in "Shiny Penny" in their melody: drm sl. Have them use their voices or barred instruments to create their
melody.

Playing and Creating: Create “money” ostinati to perform with the song. Create 8 beat rhythm patterns using the following coins: pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Each coin represents one beat.

For example:
penny penny nickel dime
penny nickel dime dime

Choose body percussion, found sounds or non-pitched instruments to play the ostinato. Try the ostinato with words and instruments, words only, and instruments only. Have the students decide which way they prefer it.