Green Sally Up from

Recorder: A Creative Sequence by

Alan Purdum

Green Sally Up

Grade/Class 3rd/4th

Date

Primary Elemental Objective

Melody: Use low D and E for playing and improvising.

Secondary Elemental

Objectives

Style: Experience the jazz elements in a children's hand-clapping game.

National/State Standards

NAfME Standards: • MU:Cr1.1.4 - Imagine • MU:Cr2.1.4 - Plan & Make • MU:Pr4.2.4 - Analyze • MU:Pr5.1.4 - Rehearse, Evaluate, & Refine • MU:Pr6.1.4 - Present

21st Century Skills: • Creativity & Innovation • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving • Communication & Collaboration • Flexibility & Adaptability • Initiative & Self-Direction • Productivity & Accountability • Leadership & Responsibility

Lesson excerpt from Recorder: A Creative Sequence by Alan Purdum. Copyright © 2014 by Cedar River Music. Used with permission. cs.cedarrivermusic.com/purchase

E

Repertoire

Media Soprano Recorders Singing

Body Percussion Barred Percussion

Green Sally Up

Lesson excerpt from Recorder: A Creative Sequence by Alan Purdum. Copyright © 2014 by Cedar River Music. Used with permission. cs.cedarrivermusic.com/purchase

Process - Experience

- Analyze - Create

1. Teach children the following clapping pattern: Right, clap, Left, clap, Both, clap, Down, clap. (Note that claps come in between the beats, giving a jazz-style “backbeat.") At first the children should mirror your motions, then discuss the non-mirroring aspect of the pattern. Many children will be familiar with this type of game. Practice the pattern with a partner. Children should be given alternate patterns to use if they are struggling (Both, clap, Both, clap, Both, clap, Down, clap). Have class chant while clapping: "One, clap, Two, Clap, Three, clap, Four, clap."

2. Sing Green Sally Up while the class provides clapping accompaniment. Explain that the song has roots in the rural South where people sometimes cook and eat possum and other wild game.

3. Show students color-coded lyrics as they sing the song: Green Sally Up Green Sally Down Green Sally bake her Pos--sum Brown

4. Have students play the entire song rhythm on E and then on D. Remind them to articulate properly and not overblow.

5. Have students practice fingerings for the first two lines: Green words are Low E; fingers 4 and 5 ("bunny ears") lift on the red word “up," and finger 6 closes the hole on the blue word "down." Play lines 1 and 2; sing 3 and 4.

6. Point out the similarity of lines 1 and 3. Practice line 3 alone. 7. Explain that "possum" is a two-syllable word that is sung and played on three notes ("Pah-ah-

sum"). You can introduce the concept of a (vocal) slur here. (Slurs are generally not played on the recorder. Rather a softly-tongued syllable is used: doo-dle doo.) Practice playing "Possum" on B A G. Then add low E for entire last line. Note that this pattern has the same notes as the motive in Skin and Bones but with a different rhythm.

8. Have some children play the song while others sing and clap. Rotate assignments so all have a chance to play.

9. Teach the accompaniment: BX plays on the numbers in the chant; AX plays on "Four, clap." Students can "play" the cymbal part with their voices. (This rhythm is very challenging for most elementary students to play accurately.) You may add piano or guitar using the chords shown.

10. Play and sing the song with accompaniment and clapping. Introduce new verses: She asked her mother for fifty cents, To see the elephants jump the fence. they jumped so high, they touched the sky, And never came back ’til the Fourth of July!

11. Lead echoes of swing and syncopated patterns (scat singing). Point out that these sound "jazzy" because of the "galloping" rhythms and the syncopations. Use the same ideas for question-answer vocal improvisations. Let volunteers lead the questions.

12. Set up barred-percussion in a "blues scale" as shown (Remove F and C bars and add a Bb bar):

__ D E __ G A Bb B D E __ G A (the B bar is moved over into the C space). 13. Play Question & Answer improvisation with the blues scale on barred percussion. First you

lead and the class answers. Then half the class leads and half answers. Then student volunteers lead.

14. Perform as a chain rondo (A B A C A D A...): A is the song with recorders, clapping, and orchestration. B, C, etc. are student-improvised Q&A on barred percussion, while you accompany on guitar or piano.

Performance Assessment

Assess recorder players during rondo (step 14).

Green Sally Up

Lesson excerpt from Recorder: A Creative Sequence by Alan Purdum. Copyright © 2014 by Cedar River Music. Used with permission. cs.cedarrivermusic.com/purchase