1 Music IS Literacy

A note to parents, teachers, principals and admin.

Music education is important for all learners, and maybe more so during difficult times.

Keep making music while your children are home!

2 Read The Lyrics

Read the lyrics.

Think about what the song means.

What is the song about?

Is it a funny song or a serious song?

How do the words make you feel?

Did you learn a new word in this song?

What is your favourite part of the lyrics?

3 Learn the actions!

Watch the Kids Demo video first!

4 Sing along and do the actions!

Now - sing along with the lyrics video and try to remember the actions.

5 Read the Lyrics

Read the lyrics.

Think about what the song means.

What is the song about?

Is it a funny song or a serious song?

How do the words make you feel?

Did you learn a new word in this song?

What is your favourite part of the lyrics?

6 Sing along!

Listen to this silly song! After you’ve listened, play it again and sing along.

7 Verse-Chorus Form

A chorus is the part of a song that repeats after each verse. The words vary in each verse, but the words in the chorus are always the same. 70. Ain't Gonna Rain No More is an example of a verse-chorus form! Play the song again but this time, make a C with your hands when it's the chorus section and make a V with your hands when it's a verse!

Remember that a chorus repeats after each verse! Pay attention to the parts of the song that repeat!

8 Create a new verse!

Great job! Now this time let's create a new verse! Read through the other verses and try to make up something even sillier! After you've written a silly verse, play the accompaniment track and sing the chorus and your new verse!

Chorus:
Oh, it ain’t gonna rain no more, no more,
It ain’t gonna rain no more.
So how the heck you gonna wash your neck
if it ain’t gonna rain no more?

Verse 1:
Oh, a peanut sat on the railroad track,
Its heart was all a flutter.
Along came the 4:09.
Oops! Peanut butter!

Chorus:
Oh, it ain’t gonna rain no more, no more,
It ain’t gonna rain no more.
So how the heck you gonna wash your neck
if it ain’t gonna rain no more?

Verse 2:
Well, the monkey swings by the end of his tail,
And jumps from tree to tree.
There may be monkey in some of you guys,
But there ain’t no monkey in me!

Chorus:
Oh, it ain’t gonna rain no more, no more,
It ain’t gonna rain no more.
So how the heck you gonna wash your neck
if it ain’t gonna rain no more?

9 Read the Lyrics

Read the lyrics.

Think about what the song means.

What is the song about?

Is it a funny song or a serious song?

How do the words make you feel?

Did you learn a new word in this song?

What is your favourite part of the lyrics?

10 Echo Solfa Patterns - la so mi

Echo the Solfa Patterns - la so mi

11 Practice singing the lyrics and the solfege!

Song #71 Rain on the Green Grass has 4 kinds of videos. Let's play the Highlights video first!

The first time you hear the song, the words are sung and you can watch how they go higher and lower on the staff.

The second time you hear the song, it will be sung in solfege. Solfege is a way of naming notes that singers use: do re mi fa so la ti do. This song uses the notes do re mi so and la.

12 Solfa Challenge!

After you’ve heard the solfa notes for the song, go to the Interactive Activities. Choose Interactive Solfa. Click on a letter to name the note. The first note is s for so. If you make a mistake, you lose a star. If you lose all your stars, start over!

Assessment Suggestion: When you complete the activity, send a screenshot or picture of the completed activity to your teacher!

13 Point to the Beat!

In the Interactive Activities, you can also choose Interactive Rhythm. Do the following activities:
1. Point to the Beat
3. Clap the Words
6. Is it one sound or two?
7. Is it one sound or two?

14 Composing a B section!

Now let's try some composing! Choose the composition template that suits you:
#8 compose with word rhythms
#9 compose with notes

Create your rhythm and decide how to play it! Use wooden spoons as rhythm sticks or tap on a glass for different sounds!

When you're happy with your rhythm pattern, sing the song Rain on the Green Grass again, then play your rhythm as a B section, and finish by singing the song again! The form will be:
Theme: Rain on the Green Grass
B section: Your rhythm composition
Theme: Rain on the Green Grass

15 Compose a Rhythm!

There’s an even better composition tool on the left menu. Select Rhythm Composition, Interactive Rhythm Composition. You can choose your level, your instrument and it will playback for you!

Transfer the rhythm that you made in the previous interactive activity into this activity and listen to it!

16 Extras: St. Patrick's Day Jig

Read the lyrics.

Think about what the song means.

What is the song about?

Is it a funny song or a serious song?

How do the words make you feel?

Did you learn a new word in this song?

What is your favourite part of the lyrics?

17 Extras: St. Patrick's Day

Do you like St. Patrick’s Day? Get up and let's dance and sing like leprechauns!

18 Extras: St. Patrick's Day: Irish Jig

Check out the kids demo and copy the students! There are some pretty neat jig patterns in it - try it out!

19 Extras: St. Patrick's Day Unit

If you want even more St. Patrick's activities, head over to the St. Patrick's Day Unit! Inside the unit do these activities:

1. Fun Facts: watch a fun facts video
2/3. Learn a silly poem!
4. Compose a melody for a poem
8. Irish Jig: create fun movements to an Irish jig
10. Leprechaun Hunt: clap the rhythms that lead to the gold!

20 Assessment Suggestion:

Send your teacher a video of you singing part of your favorite song. Send your teacher a screenshot or picture of the solfa Challenge activity.

21 Music Education is Important!

Music Education is Important
- whether you are learning in a school or learning at home!