Tag: Patriotic lesson plans using handchimes

All Creatures Great and Small – Lesson Plans about Animals using Handchimes

What better time of the year to introduce songs about our furry and feathered friends!  At ChimeWorks, we have lesson plans that will surely delight your students as they sing and chime along to some new and some familiar tunes while learning how to harmonize a melody or follow the steps to early music reading.

ChimeWorks uses three teaching methods with the folk songs below to implement handchime use in the classroom or singing rehearsal.  With icons, students will develop eye – hand coordination by initially using symbols or colors to introduce music literacy and gradually progressing to score reading.  By using chords indicated by the teacher pointing to a chart, students can easily harmonize their singing.  And finally, with ostinati lessons, harmonic patterns are taught by rote to harmonize the singing and develop more independence when playing.

All of the lessons are available for immediate purchase and digital download for pennies per student.  Only one copy of the lesson is needed for teachers to bring effective music-making and success to the classroom.  Browse our complete store here for other creative and successful lesson plans.

When using these lessons, be sure to check out Malmark’s colored bands to wrap on the handchimes which act as a valuable teaching aid when using colors.

 

 

Lessons using Icons

 B-I-N-G-O

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Language: English
  • Origin: England

B-I-N-G-O is an English language folk song dating back to the late 1700s.

 

Baa, Baa Black Sheep

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Language: English
  • Origin: England

Baa, Baa Black Sheep is an English nursery rhymed dating back from 1731.  Its original context is thought to be a complaint on the taxation of wool.

 

The Farmer in the Dell

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Language: English
  • Origin: Germany

The Farmer in The Dell is a nursery rhyme and children’s game.  The song originated in Germany and was brought to North America in the late 19th century.

 

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Language: English
  • Origin: America

Old MacDonald Had A Farm dates to the early years of the 20th century.

 

Lessons using Chords

 Six Little Ducks

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Chords: 2
  • Language: English
  • Origin: England

Six Little Ducks is an English language nursery rhyme and singing game.

 

Ev’ryone But Me

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Chords:3
  • Language: English
  • Origin: America

Ev’ryone But Me is an American folk song with roots in New England.

 

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2, 3 – 6
  • Chords: 3
  • Language: English
  • Origin: France

Jean-Jacques Rousseau composed the original tune as a gavotte or dance in the mid-1700s.  The tune later traveled through England, Germany to New England where the folk text was added.  Countries around the world use the tune for various folk texts.

 

Old MacDonald

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Chords: 3
  • Language: English
  • Origin: America

Old MacDonald Had A Farm dates to the early years of the 20th century.  The tune will be familiar and allow the students to focus on chiming.

 

Lessons using Ostinati

The Frogs

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Canon: Yes
  • Language: English
  • Origin: America

The Frogs is a traditional campfire song sung by Girl Scouts in North America.

 

Sweetly Sings the Donkey

  • Use: Secular
  • Level: K – 2
  • Canon: Yes
  • Language: English
  • Origin: England

Sweetly Sings the Donkey is a traditional song that children love to sing.  Additional verses may be created by adding animals and their sounds.

A Ringing Salute to the Presidents

 

ChimeWorks is your source musical lesson plans using handchimes and we have some to share for next week!

President’s Day is right around the corner – the American holiday celebrated each year on the third Monday of February.  Originally established in 1885 to celebrate President George Washington’s birthday, it was celebrated on February 22nd, his birthdate.   It was moved in 1971 with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers.

With the shift in date, many believed that the intent was to honor Washington and Abraham Lincoln and quickly, the holiday was renamed President’s Day to honor not only Washington and Lincoln but all U.S. Presidents, past and present.

There’s no better way to honor American leaders than by singing about our country which they helped to build and make stronger.  We honor our country by singing about the values of it which we hold so dear.

At ChimeWorks, we have the following lesson plans to help you honor our leaders and country through singing and ringing.  All of the lesson plans are available for immediate purchase and digital download for $2.29 each. Click on each title to take you to the store and let freedom ring!

Lesson Plans using chords to harmonize the melody by chord chart:

America

  • Use: Sacred, Secular
  • Level: 3 – 6
  • Chords: 4

My Country, ‘Tis of Thee, also known as America, is an American patriotic song.  The lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith and the melody used is the same as that of the national anthem of the United Kingdom, God Save the Queen, by Thomas Arne.  The song served as one of the national anthems of the United States before the adoption of The Star-Spangled Banner as the official anthem in 1931.

 

America The Beautiful

  • Use: Sacred, Secular
  • Level: 3 – 6
  • Chords: 4

America The Beautiful is an American patriotic song dating from the late 19th century.  The poem was originally written and entitled “Pike’s Peak” and the tune, “Materna” was written for an alternate text.  The two were combined and published in 1910.

 

Lesson plans using the Sing & Ring method – harmonize through song sheets, ring when the word is outlined and damp when it is underscored:

The Star-Spangled Banner

  • Use: Sacred, Secular
  • Level: 3 – 6

Written in September 1814, The Star-Spangled Banner, was inspired by Francis Scott Key’s witness of the American flag still waving after the battle at Fort McHenry in Baltimore.  It was set to music composed in 1775.  The song became our National Anthem in 1931.

 

America The Beautiful

  • Use: Sacred, Secular
  • Level: 3- 6

America The Beautiful is an American patriotic song dating from the late 19th century.  The poem was originally written and entitled “Pike’s Peak” and the tune, “Materna” was written for an alternate text.  The two were combined and published in 1910.

One, Two…. Who Knew It Would Be This Easy!

So, you’d like to use handchimes in the general music classroom or children’s choir rehearsal but you’re not quite sure where to start?  We have the solution for you!

Start slowly – choose a folk song which you can teach by rote and has a melody that can be harmonized with two chords.  Once the text and melody are learnt, add handchimes in by having your students accompany their singing with chords.

Do this by distributing one handchime to each student and separate the students by chords having the students holding the common pitch stand in the center.  Practice each chord separately.  Then point to group one or two and practice ringing as indicated.

A chord chart indicating the chord by pitch name or color displayed by projector may also be used.  Simply point to the chord at the appropriate time.  This is a great way to begin teaching eye-hand coordination.  Consider putting Malmark’s colored bands on the handchimes to make chord recognition easier.

Begin to practice singing the song along with the chords indicating which chord is to be rung with the text.  If you don’t have enough handchimes to go around add some non-pitched percussion for added rhythm.  In no time, you’ll have music in a snap – of the wrist that is!

Here are some recommended folk songs from the ChimeWorks website that use two chords:

Eency, Weency Spider

Hava Nagila

Hey, Ho! Nobody Home

Hey, Lidee

O, Music, Sweet Music

Rocky Mountain

Six Little Ducks

Skip To My Lou

Let Freedom Ring

 

Looking for some ideas to celebrate The USA during your summer music-making fun?  We have some suggestions for you that will ring out during your celebrations:

 

Sing and Ring:

ChimeWorks has some suggestions for pre-readers of any age.  Teach a basic song and add in chords or harmonic patterns taught without the printed score!

 

Teach these patriotic gems and harmonize them with basic chords indicated by using a chart:

America

America The Beautiful

Learning simple patterns by rote, pre-readers will be able to accompany this
camp favorite:

Taps

For older youth and adults try these Ring & Sing favorites – Pass out a text sheet with the appropriate handchime, have participants sing –  when a word is circled they ring their handchime and when it is underlined, they damp.

The Star-Spangled Banner

America the Beautiful II

Music Literacy:

Introduce the steps to music literacy to pre-readers by teaching eye-hand coordination using our Icon chart and be dandy:

Yankee Doodle

With these patriotic lesson plan favorites, summer will be a blast!