The beat chants are a great way to welcome your students to music class or music time. Some music teachers teach more than a thousand students each week and it can be very difficult to remember the names. Starting your class with a name chant establishes a routine, introduces the term “beat” and will help the teacher remember all of the names.

Say the preschool chant, patting a steady beat as you speak. Say hello to four students, then say the chant again. Say hello to them using high and low voices, quiet and loud voices, fast and slow. Also use speaking, whispering, shouting or calling and singing voices. When singing hello use a variety of solfa patterns: so-mi
so-so-mi, so-la-so-mi-do or mi-re-do-do-do. In the chants where children say their own names, encourage them to use different voices.

Practice distinguishing between speaking and singing voices by introducing a toy elephant named Melody. Melody the elephant will do what the children tell her, if they tell her in a “singing voice.” If they speak, she does nothing. Tell Melody to “jump up and down” using a speaking voice. Melody won’t move. Then sing to Melody to “jump up and down” and make your elephant jump. Invite the children to
sing to Melody what to do. This activity helps the students to learn the difference between singing and speaking voices. It’s also great to encourage solo singing. You can soon tell who is matching pitch and who you need to work with when they sing to Melody.

Melody became a requested part of every music class. If I forgot to bring Melody out, they asked for her. They all wanted to give Melody hugs after class, so we developed a routine where if they were sitting nicely in their places, Melody would come and give them a hug.

Copy the teacher in the video.

When you copy the teacher you are keeping a steady beat.

Put 5-6 instruments in a box so the children can’t see what you're playing. Play it, and they identify the instrument. It’s a great way to introduce them to the timbre of unpitched instruments, and to help build their vocabulary as they learn the names of all the instruments!

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Copy and cut out the instrument pictures. (consider making 2 sets)
Arrange them, and play them.
Teachers - model first.
Invite students to suggest new ways to arrange them.

If you have extra time, invite the children to color them and create their own patterns.

Teach the song by rote or immersion. Sing the song with the actions. Movement songs like "Monkeys" are fun for students to move to, but are more difficult to sing. Counting Song is a simple two note song, and almost all your PreK students should be able to learn to sing the song.

You can use the song to reinforce steady beat. If you have barred instruments, your students could accompany the song with a C-G solid bordun. If you don’t have barred instruments, accompany with unpitched instruments. Sometimes I have students play the number words on one instrument and the action words on another. When the students know the song well, have them show how the melody goes higher and lower with arm motions.

Do the actions for "Counting Song".

Watch the teacher and the kids in the video to learn the song.

When you know the song, can you sing it by yourself and show how the notes go higher and lower?

Listen to the song "Fall Leaves".

Listen to the first verse and then go back and sing. Listen to how the notes go higher and lower. Show them with arm motions.

Move your scarf to the song "Fall Leaves" to show the falling leaves. Toss the scarf in the air during the instrumental section.

Can you sing along?

If you didn't make apples last week, print or draw five apples.

If you have a printer, print and color the apples from supporting resources.

If not, draw and color your own five apples to use in the song.

Listen to the song "Farmer Brown Had Five Red Apples"

Put all five apples in front of you. When Farmer Brown picks an apple in the song, pretend to eat your apple, then put it behind you.

Sing the "Letter M" song.

Optional: There is a letter M worksheet in Supporting Resources.

Sing and move to the song "Morgan the Monkey".

Sing the song "Monkeys" and do the movements that you see the kids in the video doing.

Shake and jump and twist to the song "Shake it Together".

Now watch the kids in the video.

Sing and move with them.

Sing our closing song "Skinnamarink".