I teach music to early years children and specialise in the Kodaly approach which teaches musical concepts (pitch, pulse and rhythm) through singing. The approach is based on traditional songs and rhymes ideally chosen from your own culture (however our cultures are now mixing so much a variety is always great!)
Here are my top five songs for children to teach musical concepts:
1. Cobbler Cobbler Using the Kodaly approach we always start with two pitches - so and mi (the minor 3rd) this is easy for children to copy and sing. It is usually best to sing starting from an A or G above middle C as this is a frequency children can pick up on most (think of a police car or fire engine -nee nar nee nar). There are also plenty of actions to use for introducing pulse: Put shoes on your hands and tap them together (you can also so this with a partner); tapping with sticks in a variety of ways , together, on the floor, pretending you are hammering. This is a good song for pulse work and pitch.
2. Five Little Monkeys I love this song because not only does it use the singing voice but also the speaking voice. Children love puppets so having a crocodile and five "cheeky" monkeys is always a winner! This shows children the difference in voices (timbre) speaking and singing and gets them to listen and identify the difference. Also children can perform the monkey bit (nar nar nar nar nar) so other children can hear the differences in each persons voice.
*EDIT 2020* This year I have learnt this song has a connection to black slave babies that were used as Alligator bait and therefore I have removed this song from my repertoire and no longer use it. I have kept it in this blog post as many music educators are unaware of the connection. SEE HERE
3. Doggie Doggie This song is great for hearing individual children sing. The game is simply: one child is the dog and crouches down in the middle of the circle with a bone behind them, whilst the others sing the question. The "dog" then responds with the answer (whilst a child steals the bone) the group then sing the question "who stole your bone" and the child who stole the bone then sings "I stole the bone". A fun game building pitch and timbre awareness, confidence and listening skills. Older children (age 10) still love playing this game!
4. Hot Cross Buns Hot cross buns uses three pitches do, re and mi. It is relatively easy to sing for children because it uses descending pitches but is also a great song for teaching the musical rest as it appears in three of the four phrases. We teach this by adding an action such as a "clap" at the end of the phrase e.g Hot Cross Buns (clap), Hot Cross Buns (clap), One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns (clap). This action can be changed and older children can invent their own action promoting creativity and independence.
5. Criss Cross Criss Cross (draw a cross on you child's back) Apple sauce (tap the rhythm - the words - on your child's shoulders) Spiders crawling up your back (walk your fingers all the way up their back to their head slowly) A cool breeze, a tight squeeze (blow on their face and give them a cuddle) Now you've got the shivers! (tickle them all over) This is a rhyme and I simply love it because babies and children love it! You can use lots of expression and low to high voices (especially on "spiders crawling..."), it has great rhyming words and gets lots of giggles! Of course there are plenty of other fantastic, enriching songs - skipping games, ball games, movement and clapping games. What were your favourite songs as a child? If you would like your child to participate in learning music get in touch!
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