This song provides the opportunity to teach or reinforce the 3/4 time signature. The game is unique and a lot of fun for students to play. Introduce the song by having a discussion on what an “old maid” was. This is a derogatory term used years ago to describe an unmarried woman. It really wasn’t nice to call someone an “old maid”. The term has fallen out of use in recent times as many women and men make the choice to remain single. The card game “Old Maid” is similar to the singing game in some ways

The students form a single circle with pairs of students standing together, preferably with elbows linked. There needs to be space in between each pair. One student without a partner, or the teacher, is needed to begin the game. The student without a partner steals someone else’s partner. The person whose partner was stolen then goes to another pair and steals a partner. This continues until the song concludes with “old maid”. The student without a partner at that time has “lost” the game and is the “old maid”. To speed the game up, call out “old maid” at the number thirty instead of the number ninety.

This round is easy to read and has an excellent message. The lyrics are a famous proverb written by Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack. The students should read the rhythms and sight-sing the note names for this song.

This round is based on a proverb. A proverb is a short saying that reflects a commonly held belief or superstition of a culture. Have the students define what a proverb is and brainstorm for a list of as many proverbs as they can think of. Have the students try to write their own modern day proverbs. Some examples of proverbs follow:
- Blood is thicker than water.
- All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
- Actions speak louder than words.
- Beggars can’t be choosers.
- Too many cooks spoil the broth.
- Many hands make light work.
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Creative Ideas: Divide the students into three groups. Have each group create movement for one part of the round. Put together the ideas from all three groups and perform the movement with the song. Since this is a canon, perform it as a movement canon while you sing.

This is an expressive two-part choral arrangement written by Craig Cassils and Cheryl Heuser. Although the song could be taught by rote, it is better training for the students if they can follow the music as you teach the parts. The song makes use of a variety of musical markings and is good reading practice for the students to find, identify, and learn to interpret them.

Have students listen to the song and write down their first impressions. Teachers can ask the students guiding questions if the initial responses are limited.
- What is your first impression of this song?
- What does this song make you think of?
- Is there anything in the song that you can relate to?

Have the students brainstorm a list of the musical elements they heard when they listened to the song (e.g., pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, form).

Discuss how the composer of the song used the elements of music in this work:
- Were harmonies used in the song? (yes) If so, how many vocal parts were there?
- What do you think the composer was trying to convey in this song?
- Where do you think it might be performed?
- How did the composer use dynamics to help convey meaning in the song?
- What do you think is the message of the song?