Teach “Cobbler, Cobbler”

This is a reading song. Have the students read and clap the rhythms in the song. Sing the note names using letters or solfa. Sing the melody, and finally sing the melody with words. Teach and play the game.

Play the game “Cobbler, Cobbler”

Have the class sit in a circle. One student hides their eyes in the middle of the circle. While you sing the song, pass a shoe quietly from around the circle. On the word "found," everyone hides their hands behind their backs and the student in the middle has to guess who has the shoe. If the students are passing on the beat, it can become too predictable for the guesser. If this happens, reverse the direction. If you want to give everyone a turn and need to speed the game up, have more than one guesser in the middle.

Create a word rhythm composition with shoes

Create a rondo using this short song as the theme. The variations in the rondo could be rhythmic or melodic. One method of creating rhythmic patterns is to use speech. Brainstorm a list of kinds of shoes. Use the names of the shoes to create a rhythmic pattern (e.g., sandals, flip flops, tennis shoes, boots). Choose body percussion, unpitched percussion, or found sounds to play the ostinato on.

Option 1: Complete the solfa challenge for “Cobbler, Cobbler”

Option 2: Complete the note name challenge for “Cobbler, Cobbler”

Option 1: Play “Cobbler, Cobbler” on Ukuleles or Guitars

If you're playing the chords on Boomwhackers play a C chord instead of a C7 chord.
F = F A C
C = C E G

Option 2: Teach the Orff arrrangement for “Cobbler, Cobbler”

Create a rhythm ostinato using shoes. Look around the classroom and brainstorm a list of the kinds of shoes that the children are wearing: sandals, running shoes, sneakers, high tops, flip flops, boots, etc. Use the names of the shoes to create a rhythm ostinato. For example: sneaker, sneaker, sneaker boot. When children create rhythm ostinatos encourage them to use sounds more than once, just as composers do. Have the children choose unpitched percussion instruments to use to play the ostinato.

If your students enjoy this activity, extend it to having small groups of students create B, C and D sections. Sing measures 1-4 of the song as the A section and have student groups perform their “shoe” compositions as the variations in a rondo. It would be fun to play the rhythms created on shoes or with shoes instead of on rhythm instruments.

Teach “Five Four Groove”

This is an excellent jazz composition for fifth grade. It is a canon written in
5/4 meter, so it introduces students to asymmetric meter or irregular time signatures. The song also gives students the opportunity to improvise using scat syllables or unpitched instruments. Teach the song by rote, or have the students sing the notes in the melody, and learn to sing it in unison. When students successfully sing the song in unison, try it as a canon. When you sing it as a canon, the chorus must be repeated.

Play an ostinato during the chorus

Learn about Time Signatures

Optional: Complete the time signature worksheet

Play along with the animated play along for “Five Four Groove”