Echo sing.

Keep the beat
Option 1 - invite the children to find ways to keep the beat with the music.
They could pat (lap, tummy, head, nose etc), clap or stomp

Option 2 - Play freeze dance with the music
Play the track and have the children move to the music.
Pause and the students freeze in place.
If you catch anyone moving they sit down and become "spotters"

Option 3 - choose instruments and play along with the music

Say the poem and demonstrate the actions for them. Ask the children if there were parts of the poem that you said in a quiet voice (hidden away where nobody sees). Discuss why you might say that part of the poem quietly. Invite the children to say the poem and do the actions with you.

Dramatize the poem. Choose five children to be the “bees” and have the other children make a circle around them to be the “hive” (or cover the five children with a large scarf). Say the poem, and when the bees come out of the hive the children “fly” out and around the room, buzzing like bees.

This song can be used to prepare or teach many concepts including steady beat, differentiating between beat and rhythm, preparing to read rhythms, and showing melodic contour. Teach the song by rote and play the game. Sing or play a phrase and have students echo. Combine phrases. Sing or play the whole song and have students echo.

Form a circle. I’ve tried having students pass a “bee” to the beat, but have had greater success choosing one student to walk around the inside of the circle, and point to the students in the circle, one at a time, on each beat. I call that student the “beat keeper.” In this game, the beat keeper holds a bumblebee (use a stuffed bee, a bee fly swatter, or picture of a bee) and points to the students in the circle, one at a time, as they sing the first six measures of the song. On the first beat of the seventh measure on the words “Take your wings and fly away,” the beat keeper gives the bumblebee to the child he is pointing at and that child flies around the circle and back to their place. Choose a new child to be beat keeper and continue the game. The game will go faster if you don’t choose the student who “flew” around the circle to be the new beat keeper. Students should get a turn to be bee or beat keeper, but may not get turns to do both.

Have the student that “flies away” make a buzzing sound as they fly. For students who haven’t been able to match pitch, this is one more way that you can help them develop in tune singing. Buzzing low to high and high to low sounds will help develop flexibility in their voices. Have your students “buzz” the melodic line of vocal exploration shape cards as a warmup or as an exercise following the game.

Teacher note: We don't have a kids demo for "Burnie Bee". If your students would like to see themselves on MusicplayOnline please review the submission requirements here: https://help.musicplay.ca/can-i-submit-a-kids-demo

Sing “Burnie Bee” and show how the notes go higher and lower.

Model for the students how to create a bug composition.

Optional: If a printer is available, have students create their own bug compositions.
Students will cut out the bugs and create a pattern. (Bug manipulative cards will be created to do this activity without cutting or glue)

Use the creative process in this activity.
Have students try out their pattern.
- do they like it? - if they do, glue it in the boxes.
Have students choose instruments or body percussion to play it.
- do they like it? - if not, refine it

Sing the song "Burnie Bee" as the A section. Use student compositions as B, C, D sections. You can accompany "Burnie Bee" on Orff instruments. Play a simple bordun on D-A.

This game provides a wonderful opportunity to hear students sing alone. In “The Kodaly Method” Lois Choksy says “It is important to give children opportunities to sing alone, and with one or two others, as well as with the group.”

The teacher or a student could be the troll. Create some kind of a bridge. You could lay down two skipping ropes, you could use rubber dots, or just chalk mark a bridge on the carpet. All the children sing the question: “Mr. Troll, Mr. Troll, may we cross the bridge? May we cross to the other side?” The troll decides on a color and answers them “Only if you’re wearing yellow - If you’re not, better run and hide.” If you want to use this game to practice color identification, you could put a number of colored objects in a paper bag and have the troll draw one out. The children wearing the chosen color cross the bridge and join the troll. The game continues until all students have crossed the bridge. This game is a lot of fun, yet involves no real competition or chaos!

An alternative way to play the game is to give each student a colored egg or a colored piece of paper. Instead of singing, “Only if you’re wearing yellow,” you’d sing “Only if you have a yellow.” Those students holding yellow, come across the bridge. You can use this idea to practice shape or letter identification. Give each child a shape to hold. Then sing, “Only if you have a circle,” and those holding circles come across the bridge. If you have taught 7 or 8 letters to your students, give those letters out. Then sing, “Only if have the A,” and those students come across the bridge.

Teacher note: We don't have a kids demo for "Mr. Troll". If your students would like to see themselves on MusicplayOnline please review the submission requirements here: https://help.musicplay.ca/can-i-submit-a-kids-demo

A pdf of the story is given in supporting resources.
Read the story to the students.
Each time the troll asks who's trip-trapping over his bridge, say that part of the rap. "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge..."

You could also use the Mr. Troll song each time a goat wants to cross the bridge.

Dramatize the story!

Listen to “Nanny Goats”

Create movements as you listen.

Say the chorus each time it occurs "Who's That trip trappin' over my bridge".

Identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with those of music.

Introduce the song as a listening selection. Have the students count how many “p” words they hear in the song. Write all the “p” words on word strips (write the word “purple” in purple felt pen) and place them in your pocket chart. Have the students read the “p” words while you sing the song. (Do this slowly without the audio.)

Form a single circle. One student is chosen to go in the center. All students do the actions as indicated. On the word YOU, the student in the center closes his eyes and turns in a circle until the end of the song. The person he is pointing to becomes the next one in the middle.

Teacher note: We don't have a kids demo for "Purple Stew". If your students would like to see themselves on MusicplayOnline please review the submission requirements here: https://help.musicplay.ca/can-i-submit-a-kids-demo

Sing and move to “Skinnamarink”.