Lyrics from 8-26 Friendship Children's Center - August 29, 2010
Here are the recipes for the music experiences we did at the Wolf Trap professional development. Enjoy! I'd love to hear how they work for you!
WHO’S A GOOD WATCHER? Collected from Mary Gresock
Use steady beat. Presenter models a motion, changes to a new motion on “oops!”
Who’s a good watcher, watcher, watcher?
Who’s a good watcher?
Show me now!
Ooops!
AGOO AME
Collected from Kofi Dennis
This song comes from Ghana, and roughly translates to "Are You Listening? Yes, I am listening." This version is my adaptation of the traditional form.
There are two notes in the word "Agoo": F and D on your classroom xylophone. The word Ame is the same two note melody. The rest is chanted. It’s important to keep steady beat in your voice all the time.
Set Up: I sing "Agoo" -- You sing "Amee"
1. Sing "Agoo" -- children respond "amee" 2. Repeat
2. Chant: I go first, then you go
Chant: Clap clap clap clap (children echo)
Shoulder shoulder shoulder shoulder (children echo)
Side side side side (children echo)
who who who who (children echo)
whooo-ey! (Children echo)
4. Repeat entire sequence, beginning with Agoo/Amee call and response, twice
5. Offer a sequence of 3 new motions, such as climb, down (same motion but toward the floor), fly.
Keep the deep "who" sound and the high "whooey" sound
6. Invite the children to add three new motions.
SLIDE WHISTLE
1. Invite children to follow the sound with voices and with parts of their bodies. Identify high and low sounds.
2. Toot the whistle and invite children to take the same number of steps as toots – in lines, into a circle, around a circle. Change motions: jump, hop, march, etc.
LITTLE FROGS
by Sue Trainor
1. Spread a green cloth on the floor to represent the lily pad. One by one, take little frogs out of a bag and hop them on to the lily pad, one for each child and adult.
2. Set-up the song with a phrase to cue the starting note and the beat, such as “Let’s all sing!”
3. Sing:
C C E C D G F E D C
Little green frogs jump ON the lily pad,
G F E D C D D G
ON the lily pad, see them jump!
C C E C D G F E D C
Little green frogs jump ON the lily pad
G G G G G G F D C
See those little frogs, little frogs jump!
4. Spoken: UH OH! Here comes a big bird looking for a green frog for his supper! (Someone can pretend to be the big bird, flying with arms outstretched.) Hide, Little Frogs, Hide!
5. Everyone takes their little green frogs and hides them under the cloth.
Sing quietly:
Little green frogs hide UNDER the lily pad,
UNDER the lily pad, see them hide!
Little green frogs hide UNDER the lily pad
See those little frogs, little frogs hide!
6. Spoken: That big old bird doesn't see any frogs, so he flies away. Come out little frogs, come out!
Repeat singing the first verse.
7. Now WE become the frogs. Repeat the entire sequence.
Have You Got Your Spot?
By Sue Trainor
1. Everyone is sitting on a designated spot. Leader calls; children respond.
Call: Have you got your spot ? Response: Yes I do!
Call: Have you got your spot ? Response: Yes I do!
Call: What are you doing? Response: Sitting on the spot
Call: What are you doing? Response: Sitting on the spot
Call: Can you stretch on your spot ? Response: Yes I can! (stretch arms high)
Call: Can you stretch on your spot ? Response: Yes I can! (stretch arms high)
Call: What are you doing? Response: Stretching on the spot
Call: What are you doing? Response: Stretching on the spot
2. Try another sitting motion or two. If everyone is holding their spot, try standing.
Call: Can you stand on your spot ? Response: Yes I can! (etc.)
3. Call: Can you jump on your spot? Response: Yes I can! (etc.)
4. Ask for children’s suggestions for movement and substitute those actions into the chant.
5. End with: Call: “Can You Sit on Your Spot” Response: Yes I can! (etc.)
WALKING THROUGH THE FOREST
C C C D E G D G E C
Walking through the forest, forest, forest
C C C D E G
Walking through the forest
D D G C
What do I see?
(chant) Sh sh sh, I think I see a ____ (Make sound effect and/or motion)
D G G C
Come, follow me!
5. Repeat.
Extensions:
• Use pictures or stuffed animals for children to discover and identify as we walk through the room.
• Change “forest” to other locations: walking through the city, on the beach, down the hall, etc.
HELLO BODIES by Sue Trainor
NOTE: This is a version extended from what was presented in the workshop.
1. Let’s pretend we’re playing an instrument in a band. We could play a drum (pretend to play), a horn (pretend to play), a guitar (pretend to play). What else?
2. Set-up: Cue starting pitch and beat with a phrase like, “Here we go!”
3. Leader Sings (The melody is written below in C for simplicity, but it’s a not a good key for children. Try starting on a G note.) Children march around, pretending to play their instruments; older children may try to sound like the instrument. All stop at the end of the “la da” verse.
C B A G C B A G
La da da da Da-da da da
B A G F C B A G
Da-da da da Da-da da da
C B A G C B A G
La da da da Da-da da da
A G d B C
La da da da da
4. Sing the words to the same melody. (Note that children may not sing while they are moving.) As you sing the verses, leave long pauses [ 2 or 3 beats ] after naming each body part so children have time to find their body part and move it. As follows:
Hello, body (hands may be swept upwards along the torso to above head)
Fingers [ 1 2 ] and toes [ 1 2 3 ] (stretch arms out over the head, wiggle fingers, then bend over and touch toes)
Fingers [ 1 2 ] and toes [ 1 2 3 ] (stretch arms out over the head, wiggle fingers, then bend over and touch toes)
Fingers [ 1 2 ] and toes [ 1 2 3 ] (stretch arms out over the head, wiggle fingers, then bend over and touch toes)
Hello, body (hands may be swept upwards along the torso to above head),
Fingers [ 1 2 ] and toes [ 1 2 3 ] (stretch arms out over the head, wiggle fingers, then bend over and touch toes)
I feel good today! (hands may be swept upwards along the torso to above head)
5. March around again to the “La da” verse. Play another instrument!
6. Continue with the other verses, alternating with the “la da” verse.
Hello Body, arms and legs
Arms and knees, arms and legs
Hello body, arms and legs
I feel good today!
Hello Body, head and hips
Head and hips, head and hips
Hello Body, head and hips
I feel good today!
7. Did you pretend to play an instrument? What did you play?
AWA ATU
also traditional from Ghana
The trick to this one is remembering that there are FOUR beats (not just 3).
Motion for Awa: Wave both hands wide, Motion for Atu: Cross harms and tap shouders
Awa, awa, awa (D G, D G, D G)
Atu atu atu (A B, A B, A B)
Awa-aa-aa-aa (BCA A-A-A)
Atu-uu-uu-uu (ABG G-G-G)