The Button and the Key
I played this game with a class of fifth graders. I first explained the game and sang the song for them. It's a simple song and so when I asked them to sing along, they were able to do it on the second or third try. I had them practice the echoes as if they all had the button and the key. Yes, this song ends on "re," so some people may not feel it really resolves. But, that's okay.
Then, we played the game and I was the first one-who-is-it. I told the fifth graders that I would only give them the button or the key to non-peekers. After the song is finished, I invited everyone to look up and, if they felt they knew who had the button, I called on them to guess. They guessed by saying another student's name and asking, "Do you have the button?" If they were correct, they said another student's name and asked, "Do you have the key?" If they got both correct, they kept the button and the key and became the one-who-is-it. If they got the button correct, but not the key, then someone else got a chance to guess.
We continued the game for about a dozen turns and then I announced that we would have one more turn (it's always important to forewarn them how many more turns there will be). When I said there would be just one more turn, the class rebelled. They wanted more turns! So, we added more turns. Remember, the children will want to play most of the singing games for much longer than you will.
By the way, this song doesn't have to be about a button and a key; you can use anything that is handy and small enough to hold easily (or not).
By the way, this song doesn't have to be about a button and a key; you can use anything that is handy and small enough to hold easily (or not).
Musically, I like the clear intervals of "do-mi," "do-so," and "mi, re, do" and the rhythm patterns. These elements could be explored on subsequent days. This song also works great as a round and, because it's a pentatonic song, it can be overlapped at any point.
Integration: This is a great community-building game that requires intense listening and draws attention to tone quality. It could be paired with lessons exploring the science of sound.
Integration: This is a great community-building game that requires intense listening and draws attention to tone quality. It could be paired with lessons exploring the science of sound.