English on Meet Them in Music

Lucy Locket

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:49:00 +0000

Activity

Sit students in a circle, close enough to pass an object to their neighbor. Practice singing the song while everyone taps the ground in front of themselves.

Practice passing a baby shoe around the circle to the beat, repeating the word “pass” with every pass. Remind students to place it on the ground, not toss it, hand it to their neighbors, or hold onto the shoe.

Pass the shoe while singing the song. Freeze on the word “shoe” and see who is holding the shoe.

Toodala

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:02:00 +0000

Ally Bally

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 22:15:00 +0000

Activity

Remove all but Do-Mi-So from the xylophones. Invite students up to play with you or set up a few to have students play as a group. On the “To buy some chocolate candy” have the students hold the mallets in both hands make an excited face (like when the kid says “it’s so fluffy Im going to die!” from the movie Despicable Me)

The challenges with this song are:

High Bird

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:21:00 +0000

Aurally Received

I learned this song aurally and have not seen in notated elsewhere. It feels “music learning theory.”
Though notated in c minor it may be better in e or f minor for childrens’ voices.

Activity

Provide students with scarfs to flow around their bodies as you sing the song. Try high, low, on different parts of the body.

Change words for high and low.

Purple Light

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:55:00 +0000

Activity

This is a standard echo songs. Students echo the same as the teacher but the echoes line up in the middle of sentences making this feel a bit tricky for students at first.

Visual Supports: These slides were created for me by an AP Art student in my district. They may projected in your classroom but not altered or sold in anyway.

Purple Light, In the canyon, thats where I long to be. With my 3 good companions. My guitar my pony and me

Pole Pole

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 10:21:00 +0000

Swahili

“Pole, pole” is a Swahili phrase meaning “Slowly, slowly” or “Step-by-step.” It is pronounced “Poh-lay.” The phrase can mean “drive slowly” on a dangerous road. It also is used as a mantra similar to “take it easy”

Activity

This is a nice echo song using Swahili words and mentioning animals from Africa. Teach students to echo you as a group or by giving each student a solo turn.

This can also become a movement activity (think Snail Snail or Going on a Bear Hunt). Pretend to drive a truck on a safari, looking for animals.

Frog in the Meadow

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 21:19:00 +0000

Two versions are provided depending on the reading concept being taught.

Activity

One student is the “frog” while the others are the meadow. The Frog stomps around the room to the beat of the song. The student should freeze at the end of the song and select another student to be the frog.

John the Rabbit

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:18:00 +0000

Activity

This is a traditional echo song. Some classes do well starting with the whole group responding first while others do better by going around the room one at a time.

Be willing to wait necessary processing time for students who require lengthened processing time. I will wait up to 8 seconds for some students.

Assessment:

Nonverbal or minimally verbally responsive students may not respond as expected. Listen for responses approaching the appropriate pitch and time. A sample rubric is provided below.

Poor Old Crow

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 18:47:00 +0000

A Note on Mixolydian

If you are not accustomed to singing in Mixolydian, pay attention to the C natural.

Activity:

Have students come up to play a xylophone with you 1 and at time or in small groups. After the song is familiar, as students what food they would like to be in the song instead of “meat.” My kids always mention McDonalds!

I use bass bars but use the largest Orﬀ instrument you have, removing everything except the notes you want to use. You will need a tonic (I) and dominant (V) in whatever key you have available. D and A are nice because it sits within a child’s singing range.

Did You Feed my Cow

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:47:00 +0000

Original source:

The original words (recorded by Thomas Talley) described the death of the cow. I have slightly altered the words to match our modern sensibilities. A link to the original words is on page 78 of the source book linked above.

If this song is too complicated with its multiple responses, try John the Rabbit. It assesses responding on tonic with different words than prompted.

Activity: This is a standard echo/response song procedure. You will need to give the students the answers before. Since they are not copying you, this is more challenging than a simple echo song.

Great Big House in New Orleans

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a great song to bring out the bass xylophone or bass bars.

Activity:

For classes that need it, I will often have the kids come up in turns. For classes that are more independent, I will set out multiple instruments. On the first attempt, play with the students on the same instrument.

Have a student choose the type of pie that is in the Great Big House. Fill in that word instead of “pumpkin.” Any answer is the acceptable!

Hogs in the Cornfield

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Activity:

Pair up students for rock-paper-scissors game. If a student wins, they find a new partner. If a student loses, they sit down. The goal is to get to a single “champion.”

Adjusting for movement differences: Create cards for each of the hand signs, select from a visual choice board, or AAC. Alternatively, students who are capable of doing the hand signs but not in time with the chant can hold their hand behind their back or turn around to reveal their choice.

Jeremiah Blow the Fire

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Activity:

Give every child a scarf. Have them copy your movement as move it from one side of your body to the other to the steady beat. Try other motions such as passing between hands, holding the scarf in both hands at once, trying to keep the scarf balanced on an elbow, resting it on a toe, or flowing with the scarf on your head. An challenging extension is to place the scarf over your face and blow on the word “blow.”

Pickles and Pie

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I learned this song aurally from a friend. Originally, my friend used a Lydian version of the tune. I chose to re-arrange the song in Mixolydian to match my ears’ preference.

This is a great song to get students to open up and begin talking. In the notation, I have put parenthesis around the word (Elephant). Allow students to replace the word elephant with whatever they would like. It is up to the TEACHER to find a way to fit it in the song! Kids will enjoy trying to trick you and this builds a great opportunity to build relationships.