TEACHING WITH SONGS AND CHANTS Tips, Tricks and Strategies

TEACHING WITH SONGS AND CHANTSTips, Tricks and Strategies

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” 

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Music can change the world because it can change people.” ― Bono

MUSICAL INTELLIGENCE

• It’s not just singing: • Rhythm•Movement • Dance

•Gifts include: • Having a natural sense of meter• Being able to hear specific tones• It’s verbal, too!

YOU CAN TEACH ANYTHING

• Songs and chants are a great way to engage learners

• Logical

• Kinesthetic

• Visual

• Auditory

• Interpersonal

• Intrapersonal

• Natural

MUSIC

• It gets in your head. • I’ll say a word(s). Tell me what comes next. •Yesterday•We All•All you need•Bésame

WAIT, BUT SARA?

• I CAN’T SING!

•Don’t worry about it. •That’s what the students are for. •Do what is comfortable. •Use tools.

USING RHYTHM INSTRUMENTS

•Hands and Feet• Shakers• Sticks•Water bottle Drums• Paper Plate Tambourines•Get Creative

THINGS TO CONSIDER

•Level of difficulty of the song• Interest to the learner•Relevance•Use of language

ECHO AND RESPONSE

•You sing•They sing•You sing more•They sing more• It’s an echo

STRATEGIES FOR SONGS AND CHANTSSpeaking and Listening, Reading, Writing

LETTER SOUND FORMATIONS

•We can practice pronunciation and word sounds and formation of difficult letters:

•she sells sea shells by the sea shore

FROM JAZZ CHANTS

•Where were you born?• I’d rather not say. •Where are you from?• I’d rather not say.•How tall are you?•How old are you?•How much do you weigh?• I’d rather not say.

•Carolyn Graham

CREATE A JAZZ CHANT

• Vocabulary Chant:

• Use the 2, 3, 1 Formula

• 2 syllables

• 3 syllables

• 1 syllable

• Football, Basketball, Golf

LONGER CHANTS

• Add subjects and verbs

• He plays football.

• She plays basketball.

• He plays golf.

• Use Questions

• Does he play football? • Yes, he does?

STORY SONGS AND DRAMA

• Great Story Songs: (Many use the Echo and Response)

• Five Little Speckled Frogs

• Peanut Butter and Jelly

• Bear Hunt

• The Green Grass Grew

• Rattlin Bog

• -Pro-Tip Good Traditional Camp songs for hun

FILL IN THE LINE

•Review the song•Can be sung in groups to begin• Introduce with Echo and Response•Practice once with the teacher•Turn it over to pairs or small groups.

MUSIC WORDS

•Make word cards or a word list for a song• Play a song• Stop the song•Have Ss hold up the word• Turn it over to a student•Have Ss sing in groups and allow Ss to be in control of it.

RELAY MUSIC

•Sing a line•Race to get the next line. •Sing the line in the group. •Continue until you have a winner.

READING FOR INFERENCE

• Play song

• Identify mood and general feeling from the song

• Pass out lyrics to the song

• Read and answer questions

• Saying I love youIs not the words I want to hear from youIt's not that I want youNot to say, but if you only knewHow easy it would be to show me how you feelMore than words is all you have to do to make it realThen you wouldn't have to say that you love meCos I'd already know

CREATE CHANTS FROM TRADITIONAL MELODIES

•Traditional melodies are fun to modify •Allow learners to be creative•Can be taught and performed in small groups

EXAMPLE

•London Bridge•London Bridge is falling down•Falling Down•Falling Down•London Bridge is falling down. •My fair lady.

EXAMPLE 1

•Tune: London Bridge•Hello, Hello, How are you, •How are you, how are you?•Hello, Hello, How are you?• I’m fine, thank you.

CHANTS

•Usually have a four/four meter•Repetitive •Easy to repeat•Can incorporate a variety of topics

WRITING SONGS

• Lyrics are represented in chunks• Chorus is repetitive• Can be created around a number of themes • Build from popular songs by replacing words•Move to create whole new songs

CLASS PIANO

•Assign groups to the class•CCQ to make sure everyone knows their part•Choose your song•Review with Echo and Response•Now play the Piano.•Turn it over to students in small groups.

REPLACE A WORD

•Change the words by singing a different word for a commonly used word in the song•Use symbols instead of saying the word when it is sung.

“Where words fail, music speaks.” ― Hans Christian Andersen

s“Beethoven tells you what it's

like to be Beethoven and Mozart tells you what it's like to be human. Bach tells you

what it's like to be the universe.” 

― Douglas Adams

“If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

•Download all my presentations from the conference at:

•http://www.saradavila.com/front/materials/iga

THANK YOU!