Primary Purpose: To help the children feel loved and happy about making music together!
Secondary Purpose: Teach the children how to notate a song using solfège note letters, review signs and pitches of do, mi, and sol.
Resources:
1. Songs/Games:
- Delicious Music
- Mrs. Livingston, Check! OR Is Everybody Here? (each child must have a number)
- I’ve Got a Song in My Heart
- Children, Come and Dance with Me
- Getting to Know You
- Adios, Amigos
2. Other:
- Paper
- Pencils
- White boards or other desk-type surface for writing
- Visuals of 4-note solfège notations or a white board and pen to write them down
- Visuals of letters used in your home or elsewhere (if you are using that idea)
Preparation:
Review songs, gather resources, review seating chart (names) if needed.
Plan Overview (with time approximations):
- Sing “Delicious Music” (1 minute)
- Sing “Mrs. Livingston, Check!” or Teach and sing “Is Everybody Here?” (3-10 minutes)
- Teach 4-note song notation. (15 minutes)
- Review d-m-s and their signs. (3 minutes)
- Circle up with “Children, Come and Dance with Me.” Review “Getting to Know You” as you circle. (4 minutes)
- Sing and say goodbye (“Adios, Amigos”) (1 minute)
Plan Details:
Is Everybody Here? (call-response sol-mi)
Teacher: Is everybody here?
Students: Yes, ma’am.
Teacher: I want to be sure…
Students: Yes, ma’am.
Teacher: Sound off!
Students: 1, 2, 3, …(until all the children have counted off by their number)
Teacher: Are you ready to sing?
Students: Yes, we are!
I’ve Got a Song in My Heart (call-response)
Teacher: I’ve got a song in my heart that I’m wanting to share, so sing with me.
Students: You’ve got a song in your heart that you’re wanting to share, so set it free!
Sharing a Song with Notation and Signs
Sometimes you have a song in your heart or in your head that you make up, and you want to remember it so that you can share it to others. What can you do? You can write it down!
In my home with 7 children, each child is sometimes known by the first letter of their name. Each child has a basket where we put their clean laundry. (Show photo) We have a message board with each child’s spot for messages. (Show photo) When we have a family meeting on Sunday to plan for that week, I write down on a family calendar who is going where and when. If Julia has a birthday party to go to… If Nathan has a rugby game… If Rebecca has a doctor’s appt… (Show photo)
One easy way to write down a song so you can save it for later is to write the names of each of the Solfa family members who are singing. You just write the first letter in their name in a line, like this: smsm. (Show example)
If you saw this song, would you know which people in the Solfa family are supposed to sing? Who is singing in this song? Yes! Just sol and mi.
Here are some more examples. (Show and help the children sing them). Who is singing in this song? Let’s sing it.
ddddd
mmmm
ssss
smsm
dmdm
dmsm
smdd
smssmssmmssm (=Rain, Rain, Go Away)
I want YOU to think of a song and write it down! I have a paper for each of you. (Pass out papers, pencils, and white boards for underneath.) First, I want you to write down your name at the top if the page. Raise your hand and wait when you are done. (When all are done:) Now write down who you want to sing. Write down four letters. Then we will play them. (Have the children write, then call on a few to share and have them sing them or have the whole class sing (wrote their song on the board so everyone can see).
(If the children need a change of activity, go to the circle sing here instead of at the end. After, do the next activity, if there is time.)
You can also share a song with someone by singing and signing it, like this: Do you remember the signs for d-m-s? Let’s make those signs right now. (Practice each sign 10x ea.) Now let’s sing and sign two of the songs from before. Now who would like to share their song by singing and signing it? (2-3 children depending on time/attention span)