Rhythm, Rhyme, and Repetition:
Using Music to Teach Essential Skills
Cathy Bollinger,MA MT-BC
[email protected]
434-293-7531
I. Why use music to teach essential skills?
Music brings people together and sets the tone.
Is this your goal?
Or teaching social skills?
Add a visual
Add an activity
Music is multi-sensory. Studies show that multi-sensory teaching
helps children register information better and retain it for longer
periods of time.
Ask what your goal is, choose your song and add hand or body
motions.
Music captures attention and holds focus. Music is fun! Singing is not
thought of as work. Bringing attention to the subject matter is the first
step to learning anything.
What are children having trouble focusing on? Find or create a song
for it.
Music promotes repetition which allows information to be stored in
long term memory.
Play a song every day as a reminder. For example play a hand
washing song while you are washing hands for lunch.
Refer back to the song throughout the day.
Add an activity or role play before the song.
Music is a memory tool.
Add individual or group parts to increase repetition of song.
Music activates multiple areas of the brain. Studies show that when
we are engaged in a musical activity (including singing) that more
parts of our brain are being used than in practically any other activity.
Introduce one or two verses at a time. If using recorded music, fade
out song.
Music promotes motor skills and gives children a movement break.
Hold up letter cards and have the children make up movements that
start with the letter!
II. Important components of early literacy skills and how they
can be taught through music.
A. Phonemic awareness: the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate
individual sounds of oral language. Before children learn to read print,
they need to become aware of how sounds in words work. They must
understand that words are made up of speech sounds, or phonemes
(the smallest parts of sound in a spoken word.) These make a
difference in a word's meaning. Research has shown that a child’s
awareness of the sounds of spoken words is a strong predictor of his
or her later success in learning to read.
Find songs that have alliteration, rhyme, and manipulate phonemes.
Teach one line of the song before teaching the whole song.
Give groups or individual parts.
Leave section blank for child to finish.
B. Phonics: the letter, sound connection.
After learning the song, add lyrics and follow along. Circle the Bs.
Which words sound similar?
C. Vocabulary/Comprehension: Songs are full of language! Oral
language is the beginning of reading. Songs can be used like books
by re-telling, visualizing, and questioning.
Draw while listening to a song (perhaps a few times) and then share
drawings, ask questions, introduce new words and concepts, listen
and respond.
Refer back to the song as connections are made.
III. Combine multiple lessons in one song.
Example 1: Use music to aid in transition, teach healthy habits, and
teach counting backwards.
Example 2: Teach ordinals, encourage listening skills, get exercise.
Songwriting/ Lyric writing For Your Classroom
Rhythm
Try to keep your rhythm even.
Row
1
Row
2
Gently down
1
2
Row
your boat
3
4
the stream
3
~~~
4
Merrily
Merrily
1
2
Life
1
Merrily
is
but
3
a dream
2
3
Merrily
4
~~~
4
Rhyme: Here are a few examples of good rhyme schemes to use:
A. The last word in the 1st and 2nd lines rhyme
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
B. The last word in the 2nd and 4th lines rhyme.
Yankee Doodle went to town
Riding on his pony
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni
C. No rhyme scheme
Oh do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man
Oh do you know the muffin man who lives on Druery Lane
Repetition: is good! Most songs have a repetitive chorus to the song.
Songs Used Today
Hello : Cathy Bollinger
Hello, hello everyone
Glad you’re here to join in the fun
Hello, hello everyone
Let’s all have some fun!
We’re going to clap our hands
We’re going to stamp our feet
We’re going to wiggle around
Now we won’t make a sound
Hello, hello everyone
Let’s all have some fun!
Bumpbibble Bump: Cathy Bollinger
I ride my bike down a bumpy road Bumpbibble bumpbiddle bump along home
I ride my bike down a bumpy road Bumpbibble bumpbibble bump along home
I bump bump bump to the right I bump bump bump to the left
Bump a little faster, Bump while making laughter
I ride my bike down a bumpy road Bumpbibble bumpbibble bump along home
Squeaky Clean Hands (Twinkle twinkle)
I feel like a king or queen
As my hands get squeaky clean
Scrub my fingers up and down
Rubbing soap suds all around
I feel like a king or queen
As my hands get squeaky clean
People like it when I say “Hi” *free download* www.rivannamusic.com
People like it when I say hi to them
People like it when I say “Hello.”
There are many times each day when “Hi” can be good to say.
People like it when I say “Hi.”
I can say “Hi” to my mom when I wake up in the morning.
I can say “Hi” to the bus driver on the way to school.
I can even say “Hello” when I see someone in the hallway.
And when I meet someone new, saying “Hi” is good to do.
Repeat Chorus
I say “HI.” You say “HI.”
I say “HOW ARE YOU?” You say “FINE, THANKS. HOW ARE YOU?”
“GREAT.”
Good job, real fine. Let’s try it one more time.
I say “HI.” You say “HI.”
I say “HOW ARE YOU?” You say “FINE, THANKS. HOW ARE YOU?”
“GREAT.”
Now try this after us, a friendlier voice is an added plus.
I say “HI.” You say “____.”
I say “HOW ARE YOU?” You say “_________________________.”
“GREAT.”
I can say “Hi” to my neighbor when he comes over.
I can say “Hi” to my teacher when I get to school.
I can say “Hi” to some friends when I see them in the lunchroom.
And when I meet someone new, saying “Hi” is good to do.
Repeat Chorus
And now that we have practiced “Hi,” I think it’s time to say “Goodbye.”
Goodbye.
Willoughby Wallaby Woo: Raffi
Leave section blank for child to finish
Willoughby Wallaby Woo
An elephant sat on you
Willoughby Wallaby wee
An elephant sat on me
Willoughby Wallaby Wustan
An elephant sat on Justin
Willoughby Wallaby Wathy
An elephant sat on _________
Five Fruits and Vegetables
Five fruits and vegetables
Four big glasses of water
Three milk or dairy please
Two be one healthy me!
Clap and stop
Clap clap your hands, Clap clap your hands, Clap clap your hands and stop
Clap clap your hands, Clap clap your hands, Clap clap your hands and stop
Put your hands on your head, Hands on the knees
Hands on your arms, Now give yourself a squeeze
Tap tap your knees, tap tap your knees, tap tap your knees and stop
Tap tap your knees, tap tap your knees, tap tap your knees and
Now it’s time to stand up, Time to sit down
time to stand up stand up
March in your place March in your place March in your place and stop
March in your place March in your place March in your place and stop
Reach over your head, Now down to the floor
Hands on your arms, Now hug yourself once more
Jump up and down, Jump up and down, Jump up and down and stop
Jump up and down, Jump up and down, Jump up and down and stop
Hands on your hips, Hands on your back
Hands on your head, Now do one jumping jack
Hop on one foot, hop on one foot, hop on one foot and stop
Hop on one foot, hop on one foot, hop on one foot and stop
Now let’s put it all together, Just follow me
You can do it I know you can, If you listen carefully
Clap clap your hands, Clap clap your hands, Clap clap your hands and stop
Tap tap your knees, tap tap your knees, tap tap your knees and stop
March in your place March in your place March in your place and stop
Jump up and down, Jump up and down, Jump up and down and stop
Hop on one foot, hop on one foot, hop on one foot and stop
Now on the count of 4
Let’s all sit quietly on the floor
1 2 3 4
Opposites (Twinkle twinkle)
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill.
One named Jack
And one named Jill.
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill.
Come back Jack, come back Jill.
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill
One named Jack and one named Jill.
Two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud. One named soft
And one named loud.
Fly away soft, fly away loud.
Come back soft, come back loud.
Two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud. One named soft, and one named loud.
Two little blackbirds soaring through the sky.
One named low and one named high.
Fly away low, fly away high.
Come back low, come back high.
Two little blackbirds sitting on your Dad.
One named happy and one named sad.
Fly away happy, fly away sad.
Come back happy, come back sad.
Two little blackbirds sitting on your Dad.
One named happy, and one named sad.
Two little blackbirds sitting in the snow.
One named fast and one named slow.
Fly away fast, fly away slow.
Come back fast, come back slow.
Two little blackbirds sitting in the snow One named fast and one named slow.
Hello Everybody: traditional (Good Night Ladies)
Apples and Bananas: Traditional
Srcrub-a-dub Cathy Bollinger
A Week Has Seven Days: Cathy Bollinger
Alphabet Bop: Cathy Bollinger
Macaroni: Cathy Bollinger
Vowel Family Cathy Bollinger