Teaching a Chant by Rote
For this activity, I taught “Engine, Engine Number Nine” by rote. I chose this chant because it is short, has a clear rhythm, and would be fun to use with children. I heard my little brother couple of times saying it and thought it would be great to teach it. I introduced it by saying the chant and having the group listen, then repeat smaller sections before putting it all together.
This activity helped me think about the difference between knowing something myself and teaching it to someone else. Even with a short chant, there are several things to keep track of, like speaking clearly, keeping a steady beat, and showing the group when to respond. Breaking it into smaller parts gave me a way to focus on one thing at a time.
Next time, I would like to take more time between sections and listen carefully before moving on. It can be easy to move ahead when I already know the words, but the group needs time to learn them. I would also like to try adding simple train movements once everyone is comfortable with the chant.
“Engine, Engine Number Nine”
Traditional chant. Beth’s Notes.
https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2011/11/engine-engine-number-nine.html
SCRIPT
“Good afternoon class! I jusr took a train to get here, who LOOVES trains? Well, let's learn a chant about trains. Listen carefully and see if you can tell me what number the engine is.”
Say the whole chant with a steady beat:
Engine, engine number nine,
Going down Chicago line.
If the train should jump the track,
Do you want your money back?
“What number is the engine?”
Response: “Number nine!”
“Listen again and see if you can tell me where the engine is going.”
Repeat the whole chant.
“Where is the engine going?”
Response: “Down the Chicago line!”
“This time, listen for what might happen to the train.”
Repeat the whole chant.
“What might happen to the train?”
Response: “It might jump the track!”
Echoing
“Now it’s your turn! I’ll say one line, and you’ll echo it back.”
“Engine, engine number nine.”
Group repeats.
“Going down Chicago line.”
Group repeats.
“If the train should jump the track.”
Group repeats.
“Do you want your money back?”
Group repeats.
“Let’s put the first two lines together. Listen first, then echo.”
Engine, engine number nine,
Going down Chicago line.
Group repeats.
“Now let’s try the last two lines.”
If the train should jump the track,
Do you want your money back?
Group repeats.
Silent Practice
“I’m going to say the whole chant again. This time, mouth the words silently while I say them.”
Perform the whole chant while the group silently mouths the words.
Independent Performance
“Now let’s see if you can say the whole chant without my help. Ready?”
Cue the group to begin and let them perform independently.
“Excellent! You learned the entire chant just by listening and echoing"
Teaching Song by Rote
For this activity, I taught the first verse of “You Are My Sunshine” by rote. I chose this song because it had been stuck in my head all week, and honestly, I needed some sunshine myself after being sick for two weeks. To prepare, I learned how to play it on guitar and practised singing while changing chords. This took extra work because I am still learning guitar. I also practised teaching in front of a mirror to work on being expressive and giving clear instructions and cues.
On the day of teaching, I was still sick. Even though I was wearing a mask I think the lesson went well. The group showed they were paying attention by responding to my questions and joining in when it was their turn. Having practised beforehand helped me stay focused, and breaking the song into smaller phrases gave everyone time to learn the words and melody.
Next time, I would give the group more time to sing on their own so I could hear which parts needed more practice. Wearing a mask also made me realise how much I rely on facial expressions, so I would like to work more on using gestures and my voice to make my teaching clear.
“You Are My Sunshine”
Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell. Lyrics available at KidSongsTV. (link)
SCRIPT
Introduction
“Good afternoon, class! I have a question for you: do you like gloomy, rainy days, or do you like sunshine more?”
Pause for responses.
“Well, today we’re going to bring a little sunshine into our classroom! I’m going to sing ‘You Are My Sunshine.’ Listen carefully and see if you can tell me what the weather is like in the song.”
Sing the whole verse.
“What was the weather like?”
Expected answer: “The skies were gray.”
“Listen again. Do I say that I love this person or hate this person?”
Sing the whole verse.
“Do I love them or hate them?”
Expected answer: “You love them!”
“This time, listen for what I’m asking the person not to take away.”
Sing the whole verse.
“What am I asking them not to take away?”
Expected answer: “Your sunshine!”
Echo Singing
“Now it’s your turn! I’ll sing a little bit, and you sing it back to me.”
Sing phrase 1 and cue the group to echo.
“Listen to the next part.”
Sing phrase 2 and cue the group to echo.
Repeat with phrases 3 and 4, giving extra repetitions where needed.
Putting the Parts Together
“Let’s put the first two parts together. Listen first, then sing them back.”
Sing phrases 1 and 2 together. Group echoes.
“Now let’s try the last two parts.”
Sing phrases 3 and 4 together. Group echoes.
Silent Practice
“I’m going to sing the whole verse again. This time, move your lips with the words, but don’t make a sound. Try to hear the song in your head!”
Sing the whole verse while the group mouths the words silently.
Singing Independently
“Now let’s see if you can sing the whole verse yourselves! Watch me for when to start.”
Give a clear starting cue and let the group sing independently.
“Wonderful! You learned the song by listening and singing it back!”
Teaching an Ostinato
For this activity, I taught an ostinato using “Are You Sleeping?” which i heard from my highschool friend. I used the “Ding, dang, dong” part as a repeating pattern to sing alongside the melody. To prepare, I reviewed the teaching steps and practised keeping the bell pattern going while hearing the main song.
I felt a bit nervous because I went second, and I had only used a tuning fork once before. However, it worked out well, and I found the starting pitch right away. That helped me feel more confident as I began. My peers were very responsive, answered my questions, and followed my cues. Standing up also helped because I could use gestures more freely to show when to begin and keep everyone together.
The one mistake I noticed was forgetting to name the repeating pattern as an “ostinato” when I introduced it. I tried to correct this once I realized. Next time, I would make that connection clearer by naming it after the group describes what they heard. Overall, I felt good about the lesson, especially being able to lead both parts and keep the group involved.
“Are You Sleeping?” (“Frère Jacques”)
Traditional French round. Lyrics available at BusSongs. (link with video)
SCRIPT
Introduction and Review
“Good afternoon, class! Have you ever been so sleepy that you didn’t want to wake up? Today, we’re going to help wake up Brother John!”
Use a tuning fork to find the starting pitch and place the song in a comfortable range.
“Let’s sing ‘Are You Sleeping?’ together.”
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John,
Morning bells are ringing!
Morning bells are ringing!
Ding, dang, dong,
Ding, dang, dong.
Review the song a few times until everyone is confident.
Demonstrate the Ostinato
“This time, while you sing the song, I’m going to do something different. Keep singing and listen!”
Students sing the song. Sing “Ding, dang, dong” repeatedly over their singing, using the original bell melody and rhythm.
“What did I do?”
Collect responses.
“Yes! I repeated the bell part while you sang the song. I added an ostinato—a short musical pattern that repeats over and over.”
Teach the Ostinato
“Listen to my bell pattern, then sing it back.”
Sing “Ding, dang, dong.” Students echo.
“Let’s keep it going without stopping. Ready?”
Repeat the pattern together several times.
“Now keep your bells ringing while I sing the song!”
Start the students on the ostinato, then sing the whole song over it. Cue the ending clearly.
Divide and Switch
“This half will sing the song, and this half will sing the repeating bell pattern. Watch me for when to start!”
Start the ostinato group, then cue the melody group. Keep a steady beat visible.
“Now let’s switch parts!”
Repeat with roles reversed.
Finish
“Well done! You kept your bell pattern going while another group sang the song!”
Teaching a Round singing
For this activity, I taught “Are You Sleeping?” as a round. I had used the same song for my ostinato lesson, so this time I chose a quicker tempo and added some clapping to make it feel different and more fun.
I also made sure to correct something from my previous teaching. During the ostinato activity, I had forgotten to name the musical idea. This time, I remembered to explain that we were singing in a round, meaning we were singing the same song but starting at different times. It felt good to remember that step and apply what I had learned from the last lesson.
My peers were very responsive and willing to participate, which helped me feel comfortable leading. They followed my cues and kept their parts going while the other group sang. The clapping brought more energy to the activity, and I enjoyed hearing the two groups sing together.
Next time, I would leave a little more time to practise the entrances before dividing into groups, especially when working with children. And use a little bit more fake confidence while teaching.
SCRIPT
Introduction and Review
“Good afternoon, class! Imagine we’re going on a boat ride. Can you show me how you would row?”
Pause for rowing actions.
“Let’s sing a song for our boat ride!”
Use a tuning fork to find the starting pitch and place the song in a comfortable range.
“Let’s sing ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ together.”
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
Review the song a few times until everyone is confident.
Demonstrate the Round
“This time, while you sing the song, I’m going to do something different. Keep singing your part and listen!”
Cue students to start. Begin singing the song from the beginning when they reach “Gently down the stream.” Let both parts finish.
“What did I do?”
Collect responses.
“Yes! We sang the same song, but started at different times. That’s called singing in a round.”
Practise Together
“This time, I’m going to start first. Do you know when to come in?”
Collect responses.
“Start from the beginning when I sing ‘Gently down the stream.’ Watch me for a nod!”
Begin singing. Use a clear nod or body movement to cue students to enter while continuing your own part.
If needed, repeat until students can confidently hold their part.
Divide and Switch
“Now we’ll try two groups. This group starts first. This group waits for my nod, then starts from the beginning.”
Cue group one to begin. Cue group two when group one reaches “Gently down the stream.” Each group sings the song once and finishes its own part.
“Now let’s switch! The group that waited gets to start first.”
Repeat with roles reversed.
Finish
“Great work! You listened to each other and kept your own part going. You just sang in a round!”