Featured Author:
Carol Wheeler
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KEEP THEM SINGING!
Kodaly-inspired teachers are fully aware that unaccompanied singing is the core activity for developing a love of music, as well as musicianship, in their students. It is a natural thing for children to sing and also to move to music. The singing voice is the instrument that virtually every child carries along wherever he or she goes, and a nurturing and caring environment enables each child to use that instrument joyfully and musically. The choosing of songs to use and the musical presentation of the songs are among the most important responsibilities of a Kodaly-inspired teacher. Students need to hear the teacher perform each song that will be taught unless the song is to be used for reading.
Within the scope of this article I will address two issues relative to singing activities: some suggestions for engaging younger students in singing, and some suggestions for early part-singing.
Some young children come to our classrooms needing assistance with finding their singing voices. Likely, there are others who have been fortunate enough to have preschool experiences with singing. Although this mix presents a challenge, when I was teaching in elementary school I always chose to share some of my favorite folk songs with younger students beginning on the first day, even though I didn’t know about their previous experiences with singing. Songs incorporating movement were among the first songs I would present. Also, songs that included some repeated part which young children could easily learn were especially helpful for getting started with the singing. For example, “Here Comes a Bluebird” (I use the variant found in Jill Trinka’s MY LITTLE ROOSTER) contains a refrain that can be easily learned, even before students might be singing the whole song. There is movement for this song as well. Another song I used to help “jump start” singing with movement is “On the Mountain,” found in the same Trinka collection. At first, children only learned to sing the parts of the song about who “jumps in” and who “jumps out” (related to the movement that goes with the song). For each of these two songs, as well as for others with repeated and more easily sung portions, the teacher can sing the rest of the song until the students have heard it enough to learn it entirely.
Of course, we need some songs that are engaging for children to sing without involving movement. I have some favorites to suggest that I began using by first teaching a portion of the song to the students, while I sang the rest of the song. It wasn’t long before some of the students were learning to sing what I was singing. From150 AMERICAN FOLK SONGS (Peter Erdei, Katalin Komlos et. al., published by Boosey&Hawkes), my students loved “Mama, Buy Me a Chiney Doll.” I first taught the students to sing the refrain (last two measures concluding each verse), and I sang the rest. My students delighted in this humorous song with many verses. I loved to teach “Do, Do Pity My Case,” found in Jill Trinka’s BOUGHT ME A CAT, as well as in 150 AMERICAN FOLK SONGS. Students first learned to sing the portion of the song which tells what chore is to be done when they get home (for example, “my clothes to wash,” “my bed to make,” my bird cage to clean,” etc.). They have many ideas to share within the context of this song! One more favorite, of many, that I will mention is “I Married My Wife in the Month of June” in Trinka’s MY LITTLE ROOSTER. My students would first learn to sing the motives “Risseldy, Rosseldy Mow, mow, mow” and “Willowby, Wallowby, Mow, mow, mow.”
I have discussed the above songs and teaching ideas in order to share repertoire and strategies to quickly involve children in singing songs that I have found them to really enjoy. Each song I have mentioned contains a portion that is more easily sung by the children and that successfully involves them in the performance of appealing folk songs. As the students are singing a part of each song, they are also listening when the teacher sings. Listening is an important component of learning to sing. As these songs are repeated over a period of time, the students will learn them completely.
Short, simple songs that we use for teaching rhythmic and melodic elements can also be used for enhanced singing experiences. Singing a melodic ostinato with a song is an important step for developing part-singing skills. I believe that melodic part-work should begin earlier than often occurs. “Lost her pocket” could be sung with “Lucy Locket,” and either “bounce high” or “bounce low” would work with “Bounce.” Additionally, when my students could sing “la-so-mi” songs such as “Bounce” and “Snail, Snail” well and securely, I would have them begin singing one of these songs, and I would start singing the song after they had begun. This started preparing them for singing rounds and canons. Songs in this category can also be performed as partner songs. The teacher should first sing the second song as the whole class sings the same song together, so that the children can first hear the two parts before being asked to sing in two parts. The same principle applies for adding an ostinato to a song; the teacher sings it first as the class sings the song together. (These songs are found in SAIL AWAY selected and edited by Eleanor G. Locke and published by Boosey&Hawkes.)
Some pentatonic songs can be performed effectively as rounds. I have used “Great Big House in New Orleans” found in SAIL AWAY (begin the second part at measure 2) and “Bow Wow Wow” found in 150 AMERICAN FOLK SONGS (begin the second part at the secondmeasure). Two other suggested songs found in 150… are “Sally Go ‘Round the Sun” (second part beginning at measure 3) and “Dance Josey” (begin the second part at measure 2). With “Dance Josey” the round creates an interesting sound, as the “Chicken in the fence post” motive gives the effect of a drone during part of the round. I have found that “Sally go ‘Round the Sun” presents a particular challenge when children start to perform the second part of the round, because the group singing the second part tends to begin singing on “mi” rather than on “do” as they should. I have always found that this takes some extra attention to correct, but once it is resolved the song works very well as a round.
In summary, I hope that this article provides some repertoire and ideas which will be helpful. I recommend getting the young students into the performance of delightful folk songs right away. I also recommend that melodic part work be started as soon as students are singing some simple songs in tune, securely and independently. Enjoy sharing a wonderful and vast repertoire of folk songs with your students, and keep them singing!
Submitted by Carol Wheeler
Lubbock ISD (retired) and Instructor for Pedagogy and Folk Song Research in the San Antonio ISD Kodaly Training Program