Have students perform their final version. At a concert or informance, take some of the verses that the students have cre- ated, and have them sing them with the song. The students feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that they created the verses they are singing for their families.
Create a Melody with the Nursery Rhyme “Humpty Dumpty”
Another way I give students a chance to compose is by creating a melody to a familiar chant or poem. I like to first do this type of activity as a class, where the students sing phrases and I notate it. This way they do not get boxed in to the no- tation that they know, and they can create it by ear. Later on as they get older and more confident in their ability to notate, they can create their own notation and create an entire song in small groups or as individuals.
After reviewing the nursery rhyme, the students vote on whether they want the song to be in Major or Minor Tonality. Then I take volunteers to sing one short phrase at a time (e.g., One student sings, “Humpty Dumpty.” Another student sings, “Sat on a wall.”). After a student sings a phrase to me, I sing/play it back for the student, making sure that it is what the student is singing. Then the class sings it back, and I notate it.
Figure 2 shows a version of Humpty Dumpty that one of my 2nd grade classes created. After we create the song, I give each student a printed copy of the completed composition, and we learn it as a class. Sometimes I compile several songs that they have created and make a book or record the class singing their songs. Some years I put their songs on a CD to give them a record of their compositions as well as their singing. There are endless possibilities with an activity such as this, and the students’ sense of pride in this final product makes them feel like real composers.
Figure 2. “Humpty Dumpty” nursery rhyme notation
Create a Folk Dance to Accompany the Song “Bow Belinda” I also like to do other types of composition, such as creating folk dances. For this type of activity, I use a familiar song like “Bow Belinda” (see Figure 3). I divide students into groups. (This song works well in groups of 4.) Each student is given one measure (one phrase) to come up with a dance move. Students may choose between many different dance steps, such as right/left hand star, bowing, circle left/right, circle, or do si do, or they may make up their own movements. Once they have come up with their movements, students practice their dance in their groups. When their dances are perfected, they demonstrate their dance for the class. This is another activity that is easy to showcase at a performance. I pick a few groups to demonstrate it for an audience, while the rest of the class sings the song.
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