Echo every rhythm but the poison rhythm.

If this is a review, substitute instruments for the body percussion. The body percussion transfers well to bucket drumming.

This song is used to teach or review tempo terms. Play one verse or sing the song to the students. Teach them the actions for the song. Tell the students you’re going to try singing "Chester" at several different tempos. The actions get more and more challenging as the tempo increases. Repeat the song four times, getting faster each time. When you teach or review a musical term, add that term to your musical word wall.

Chester - left hand to chest
have you - point
heard about - cup ear
Harry - pull hair
just got back from the - slap back over left shoulder, then right shoulder
ar- - touch arm
-my - thumb to chest
I hear - cup ear
he knows - touch nose
how to wear a rose - with your left finger, circle an imaginary corsage pinned to your shirt
hip hip - hit left hip with left hand, then right hip with right hand
hooray - thrust fist into the air
for the ar- - touch arm
-my - thumb to chest

Teach the Orff arrangement for the song. Invite students to create 8-16 beat drumming patterns with rhythm sticks on the floor (or on beat boards) between repetitions of the song. If you don't have Orff instruments, you could choose a different unpitched instrument for each action (or pair of actions) in the song and perform the song using instruments instead of singing. This should be a challenging exercise at the faster tempos.

This is a nonsense song used to teach and reinforce dynamics. Choose a country to sing about. If the country is close to where you live, sing loud. If the country is far away from you, sing softer. If students are learning the states or provinces, you could sing about them in the same way.

Try playing some of the song patterns using rhythm or lummi sticks instead of hands. It will create some interesting rhythmic accompaniments. Have students create new hand patterns to go with the song.

In the camp version, the kids sit in a circle and make up clap patterns with everyone in the circle. Create a solo desk drum pattern to the song. The first pattern in the demo is the kind of pattern you can make up.

Teach your pattern to the class. Try out as many patterns as you have time for.

Playing SING-O is fun!

Stamp or color in a box for every activity you complete.

How many squares can you fill in? You get the middle one for free!

You win when you get a line of 5 in a row.