1/16 Notes on Meet Them in Music

Obwisana

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:15:00 +0000

This is a fun passing game but can be challenging because it requires all students to pass accurately. If students do not pass correctly, there will be a pile-up of rocks/beanbags.

Activity

Sit students in a circle. Teach the song by rote (noting the repeat). Practice passing one beanbag or stone around the circle to a steady beat. Once you can do it with the song and a single beanbag, give every student a beanbag or rock of their own.

Bim Bum Biddy

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:23:00 +0000

Activity

I introduce this by saying “the points of this song is that it is challenging. It is hard to keep up with the hand movements!” Productive Struggle is important!

Word	Movement
Bim	Both hand tap legs
Bum	Clap
Biddy Biddy	Snap or tap thumb and fingers

A lot of kids can’t snap. I call tapping the thumb and fingers “crab clapping.” This also helps with speed.

Extension As the teacher, you get a ton of practice. Kids will notice and ask how you are able to do it so fast. Turn it into a math question! “I have been teaching this to 5 classes this week and I practiced it with you 10 times … I got 50 practices this week. BUT! I have been teaching for 15 years … "

A Ram Sam Sam

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:35:00 +0000

Language Note

This song comes from Morocco and uses Moroccan Arabic. As a result of French influence, Moroccan Arabic is very different and, at times, inaccessible to speakers of other forms of Arabic.

When presenting this song to students, it would be better to describe it as "Moroccan" instead of "Arabic" to avoid cultural disambiguation.

I have attempted to check aspects of this song and language with my Arabic speaking and culturally Arabic university students.

Activity

Toodala

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

Atta Katta Moeva

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:47:00 +0000

This is a Dutch song from the Netherlands that is used to help teach articulation and enunciation. From what I can tell, the lyrics are mostly non-sense sounds but I welcome information otherwise.

Related Song

A song with similar activities and skills is A Ram Sam Sam.

As an English speaker, I like this song for enunciation because Dutch is very similar English with greater attack on the consonants.

Activity

Sing the song for the students. Being an unfamiliar language it may take some time to learn the lyrics. My students latch on to the B section quickly.

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:

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.

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.

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.