Songs That Teach
One of my favorite "songs that teach" is the one about the Water Cycle, sung to the tune of She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain.
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does.
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does.
It goes up as evaporation, forms clouds as condensation
Then comes down as precipitation, yes it does.
I'm not sure who wrote the lyrics to this song; they are all over the internet (with a few different versions). When I taught it recently to a group of fourth grades, they insisted on shouting "yes it does" again at the end of the first, second, and fourth lines. Don't sing it too fast.
The reason songs that teach are such a popular form of music integration (possibly the most popular) is because they work so well. When students already have a tune in their heads, that tune is a brain structure upon which other information can be placed. So, for the quickest results, use a song that the students already know. You can use a new song, but be sure it is repeated enough times to really internalize it (at least 30 or more times spread over multiple occasions).
Simply by singing the song together, the students are developing important musical skills. People learn to sing by singing! Rhythm and beat, of course, are also built into songs. You can further explore these skills by having the students move, clap, or step (etc) to the beat or drum the rhythm on their desks or on the floor with rhythm sticks. (Remember, the beat is the steady pulse and the rhythm is the pattern made by the syllables in the lyrics.) Students can also explore vocal quality (sing like mice or like a big bear, etc.) and volume (start soft and get louder, etc.). Finally, adding actions to a song is an excellent way to remember the lyrics and engage physically with the song.
When my son was in fifth grade, his teacher had the class create their own songs-that-teach. For fourth graders and up, have the children divide into groups, choose a simple tune they all know (a folk song or a verse to a popular song), and take the information you would like them to remember and put it to the tune. Of course, it's important to do this creatively, being sure to preserve the rhythm and rhyme of the original song lyrics.
Be sure to sing the song enough times that children know it by heart! (See 10 Ways to Repeat a Song and 101 Ways to Repeat a Song)
Here are some songs for learning names.
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does.
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does.
It goes up as evaporation, forms clouds as condensation
Then comes down as precipitation, yes it does.
I'm not sure who wrote the lyrics to this song; they are all over the internet (with a few different versions). When I taught it recently to a group of fourth grades, they insisted on shouting "yes it does" again at the end of the first, second, and fourth lines. Don't sing it too fast.
The reason songs that teach are such a popular form of music integration (possibly the most popular) is because they work so well. When students already have a tune in their heads, that tune is a brain structure upon which other information can be placed. So, for the quickest results, use a song that the students already know. You can use a new song, but be sure it is repeated enough times to really internalize it (at least 30 or more times spread over multiple occasions).
Simply by singing the song together, the students are developing important musical skills. People learn to sing by singing! Rhythm and beat, of course, are also built into songs. You can further explore these skills by having the students move, clap, or step (etc) to the beat or drum the rhythm on their desks or on the floor with rhythm sticks. (Remember, the beat is the steady pulse and the rhythm is the pattern made by the syllables in the lyrics.) Students can also explore vocal quality (sing like mice or like a big bear, etc.) and volume (start soft and get louder, etc.). Finally, adding actions to a song is an excellent way to remember the lyrics and engage physically with the song.
When my son was in fifth grade, his teacher had the class create their own songs-that-teach. For fourth graders and up, have the children divide into groups, choose a simple tune they all know (a folk song or a verse to a popular song), and take the information you would like them to remember and put it to the tune. Of course, it's important to do this creatively, being sure to preserve the rhythm and rhyme of the original song lyrics.
Be sure to sing the song enough times that children know it by heart! (See 10 Ways to Repeat a Song and 101 Ways to Repeat a Song)
Here are some songs for learning names.