Freebie - Tongue Twister

Includes:

• Tongue Twister Overview - Teaching Strategies
• Donna Rhodenizer Tongue Twisters to Sing (resource list)
• Two Dozen Tricky Tongue Twisters (spoken) to try
• More Challenging Tongue Twisters (spoken)
• Tongue Twisters in Other Languages

Spoken tongue twisters

Spoken tongue twisters are a great ice breaker activity, providing a fun challenge and encouraging participation even from hesitant students.

Tongue twisters can be done individually or with others. In a group setting, reticent participants will have the support of their peers as everyone tries to successfully navigate the tricky word combinations. There will always be one student who wants to step up, be in the limelight and be the “star” by doing a tongue twister as a solo effort. Some students will surprise the class by being able to execute a tongue twister flawlessly. For others, when the inevitable slipups happen, everyone has a good laugh and second (or third!) chances are appreciated.

• Use tongue twisters at the beginning of class as a warm-up or as a fun end-of-class activity.
• Invite students to suggest their favourite tongue twisters to include in your collection. They love it when “their” tongue twister is chosen and someone in the class tries to say it.
• Add dynamic changes to tongue twisters to add even more challenge!
• Use a metronome when the class says a tongue twister. Say the tongue twister with the steady beat of the metronome. Set a faster speed and try it again. Record the fastest accurate speed and have students try to beat that speed at their next music class.
• Create your own tongue twisters!

Fun tongue twister activities

Tongue Twister Challenge

(Thanks to Nikki Loney, FULL VOICE Music for this idea.)

Initially, the teacher may choose the tongue twisters included in the jar. However, students enjoy adding their own favourite tongue twisters to the collection.

To get your jar started, a list of two dozen tongue twisters is included in the PDF download.

Create Your Own Tongue Twisters

Have students create their own tongue twisters. To do this “from scratch” is quite difficult. Rather than come up with a completely unique tongue twister, facilitate the process by using a tongue twister generator. A tongue twister generator takes a known tongue twister and provides specific word choices that can be used to create an alternate version.

e.g.,  choose words from the table to change this tongue twister:

Students love to create their own tongue twister combinations and challenge each other.

            Who can successfully navigate the twisty words?

            Who can make the most difficult combination?

Creating a tongue-twister generator is not an easy task. A great tongue twister generator has been created by a teaching colleague of mine, and she has graciously given me permission to share it here.

Tongue Twister Generator - Created by Jennifer Trites  

Download the free PDF from Jennifer's Melodious Intent website

Sung tongue twisters

Tongue twisters can also be sung. Adding a melodic element to the tongue twister certainly “ups the ante” for the participants. The fun and challenge of successfully navigating the words can take the focus off the fact that students are actually singing.

Singing tongue twisters is a great warm-up activity.

Any one-line tongue twister can be used as a warm up by singing the tongue twister once on each degree of the scale. Singing a complex tongue twister can make slow scale singing more interesting and even fun!

Singing tongue-twister songs are great additions to general music classes. More complex tongue-twister songs can be used as performance pieces. Make sure the words are enunciated clearly so the audience can understand the lyrics!

Structure/Form

Seven Sassy Sailors supports young singers with developing voices:

• Seven Sassy Sailors is a four-verse song with lots of challenging, tongue-twisting words. However, the repeated pattern of the lyrics helps keep the “lyric load” reasonable for young singers.
• A short re-intro is included between each verse providing a bit of “breathing space” and the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming verse.
• Vocal range of a sixth (C4-A5) with step-wise movement makes the melody simple so singers can concentrate on the tricky words!
• Seven Sassy Sailors is a great length for use at a summer music theatre camp or for teachers looking for songs that are a bit shorter to use throughout the year.
• The four-verse structure can work with younger singers in group classes, assigning different verses to different combinations of students within the group.

• Discuss which words the singer will emphasize to create an expressive performance.

• The “sinking” verse is in a minor key and has a slower tempo. Discuss how this supports the lyrics of the third verse.
• Sing the repeated words in bars 7-8 and 9 with contrasting dynamics to create interest and sing the song expressively.
• Seven Sassy Sailors is high energy, humorous song. Have fun with it!

   Tongue Twister warm-ups

   Use Seven Sassy Sailors to help your singers warm up and have some fun:

 Sing the first line of Seven Sassy Sailors as a tongue twister warm up (or sing the first line of your favourite verse).

Theatrical Elements

• Add actions to enhance the theatrical presentation of Seven Sassy Sailors. Remember, the musical presentation is still the focal point of the performance. Actions need to support the song, not “take over” or detract from the singing.
• When presenting Seven Sassy Sailors for a recital or school performance, add a few props or costumes to add visual interest to the performance.