Deo / Sing Together / Winter, Winter

Why are singing games important?

Singing games are a foundational part of elementary music classroom activities. Singing games have a variety of purposes:

• Provide the opportunity for students to learn through play-based learning. This is one of their primary, inherent learning methods.
• Prepare music elements that will be identified and presented in later classes (sometimes in the next school year!).
• Provide examples of music elements to be identified and labelled.
• Review and practice music elements that have been labelled.
• Provide students the opportunity to make physical responses, assisting in internalizing the concepts in the song.
• Provide physical movement “brain breaks” within a lesson. 

A well-planned music class will include one or two singing games. Use a singing game early in the lesson to prepare concepts. Close to the end of a class, a singing game can be used to review something the students already know and to practice those elements in a fun, musical context. In a music class that requires concentration and focus, a fun singing game is a great way for students to relax.

Singing games are best used unaccompanied. This allows students to hear vocal modelling from the teacher without obscuring pitches with an instrument. Singing games include the expectation that students are singing. Unaccompanied singing allows them to hear their own voices as they learn to make vocal changes and match pitch/sing in tune with others.

• Use this song to work on expressive singing.
• Discuss the necessity of clear diction to present the text in the rapidly moving eighth note sections.
• In a choral setting, use staggered breathing to accommodate the long, uninterrupted phrases indicated in the music.
• Solo singers need to plan breathing spots that will satisfy the need to breathe while accommodating the flow of the phrases. Add breath marks to the score to assist with consistent practice.
• When working on the long phrases, have singers move their hand in an arc to show the shape of the phrases.
• Decide what to do during the instrumental verse. In addition to the option of including a solo instrument, this section can include gentle movement using scarves or humming the melody line.
• If using an accompanist (rather than the recorded instrumental track) it is also acceptable to skip the instrumental section from rehearsal letter D – rehearsal letter E.

Discussion

Use Hanukkah, Hanukkah as a discussion starter.

Read aloud the lyrics and explore the vocabulary:

• Menorah
• Dreidel
• Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin

For context and to add some fun, bring a dreidel to class and let students try playing this Hanukkah game.

Add instruments

Add unpitched percussion instruments to augment the feel of the strong, percussive accompaniment.

• A sections:  Add a steady stepping/stamping beat on beats 1 and 3 and add a tambourine strike on beats 2 and 4. Players must listen carefully to the accompaniment in the final A section when the accelerando affects the speed of the song.
• B sections:  Create a contrasting percussion addition. Continue using the tambourine, but shake it every time the word “dreidel” is sung. The jingling of the tambourine will be a different and contrasting sound compared to the percussive strike used in the A section.  
• Add a vibraslap every time the word spin or spinning is sung.

Invite students to explore different instruments and combinations to accompany the song. Encourage them to make musical decisions to create their own unique accompaniment.

Add Visual Interest

Add colourful scarves or ribbons to the performance.

Choose two different scarf movements to coordinate with the A and B sections of the song.

When adding instruments or visual elements to a performance, it is a good time to discuss with students how to use sound/no sound and movement/no movement combinations to create a musically interesting performance. Encourage them to include variety when adding rhythmic or visual elements: change the rhythmic pattern or movement for different phrases or sections, add elements to only selected sections, vary the instruments that are used, etc. Think of it like adding spice to a recipe – a little goes a long way!

Discussion

Discuss with students the traditions they observe for holidays or special occasions.

Are there any unique activities or traditions observed by the student’s family?

      What are the student’s favourite parts of these traditions?

Invite students who celebrate Diwali to share some of the activities that are meaningful to them that are connected with this important part of their culture.

Read aloud the lyrics of Celebrate Diwali

• Discuss the four activities that are presented in the lyrics (one per verse).
• Do any of the students take part in these same kinds of activities even if they celebrate a different holiday that is not Diwali?

Add instruments

Add instruments to the performance of Celebrate Diwali.

Choose an instrument to play every time you sing the word celebrate.

Use a triangle, finger cymbal, vibraslap or other similar instrument.

Choose another word in the song. Add a different instrument to be played on this word.

Play the different instruments on one selected word per verse, or use a combination of all the different instruments playing all of the selected words. Make a musical decision regarding how you will add the instruments to your performance.  

• Is it too busy to include all the instruments in every verse?
• What words do you want to accent by adding an instrument?

Be sure that the instruments do not detract from the most important part of the song – the singing!

Performance suggestion

Add scarves to the performance for visual interest.

Have students wave their scarves every time they sing, “Celebrate Diwali”.

Two scarf options: 

1. For the final verse have students gently throw their scarves into the air and let them fall to the ground (without interfering with their descent!) to simulate the fireworks.
2. Divide the class into three groups. Have one group throw their scarves the first time “fireworks” is sung. The second group will wait until the second time “fireworks” is sung. The third group will throw their scarves on the final beat of the song.

The voice of experience when dealing with falling scarves. This works best if all students know that they are NOT to impede the falling scarves, and to let them lie where they fall. At the end of the song, a designated scarf collector can quickly manage the scattered scarves more safely than to have a scrambling group of children trying to accomplish that task!

Discussion

Use Star Above as a discussion starter.

Discuss the meaning of the lyrics.

Expressive singing

Breath energy will be needed to support the long phrases in Star Above.

Discuss the places in the music where it makes sense to take a breath. Look for commas and ends of sentences and phrases for natural breathing spots. Sometimes a breath will need to be added quickly to ensure the long phrases can be managed.

Use dynamics and sensitive endings and beginnings of phrases to create an expressive performance.

Two-part singing

When singing Star Above as a two-part arrangement, be sure the melody line is the stronger part when harmony is added.

In the partner song section, when the melodies of Star Above and Great Big Stars are sung together, balance both melodies equally.

Extensions

French

Star Above has been adapted into French (Étoile du ciel). Older singers may enjoy learning both the English and the French versions as a language study.

Handbells

Details are provided in the PDF download describing how to achieve a “shimmering star” effect using handbells or metallophones.

This song has multiple versions all using the same melody:

• Christmas – Mister Santa, I’ve Been Good
• Winter – Winter Time is Lots of Fun
• General rhythm activity – Rhythm Echo Song

The various options provide versatility and the opportunity to use this song in general classroom or vocal studio settings throughout the year. It can be helpful when a Christmas song is needed and the melody is already familiar to students because they have already heard it as part of the rhythm echo activity. Conversely, if students enjoy learning the Christmas version, the variants can be used at other times of the year, extending the use of the melody that has already been learned.

Actions

The short four-bar verses alternate with 4-bar instrumental sections. Add a clapping pattern during the instrumental section when using the song in a performance.

Included in the PDF download is a sample of the clapping sequence I used with my students.

NOTE: My grade 2 students loved the clapping pattern, but many classes of practice were required for everyone to master the sequence. The singing is the most important part of this song - make up your own rhythm sequence that works for you!

Accidentals

Look at the notes in the final bar of the song.

The flat that is added to the B and the natural that is added to the C change the feel and tonality of these final notes. Sing or play the final bar several times to get the pitches well established before singing the entire song.

Contrasting sections

Bars 21-24 act like a “bridge” in this piece of music. The bridge has slower, legato notes, creating a contrast to the jaunty, staccato notes of the melody in the verses. Pay close attention to the presentation of these four bars to be sure the legato notes are smooth and connected.

Also listen carefully to the notes in bar 24. They are moving toward a key change. The final two verses are one whole tone higher than the first two verses.

Expressive singing

The melody and accompaniment of the song are light and staccato (except for the bridge section which has a slower, legato feel). The overall mood of the piece is jaunty, confident and cheery, and it should sound like the singer is having fun!

Rhythm Echo Song

Use the Donna & Andy band instrumental track for Mister Santa, I’ve Been Good.

The teacher will sing the verses for the students (that could be fun!) and then clap rhythm patterns to be echoed during the instrumental verses.

Rhythm pattern options are provided to give examples, but teachers are encouraged to create their own rhythm combinations.

Either have the students echo what they hear, or use flash cards and have students read and clap the rhythms during the instrumental breaks.

Extension

French

Mister Santa, I've Been Good has been adapted into French (J'attends Père Noël). Singers may enjoy learning both the English and the French versions as a language study.

Introducing the song – Father Christmas

Discuss with the students if they have ever written a letter to Santa.

What did they request in their letter?

Did they receive the gift they requested? How did they feel about that?

Have students ever asked for a gift that they did not receive? How did they deal with their feelings?

Did students ever give someone a gift that was exactly what that person wanted? How did it make the student feel to be the one to give that gift?

NOTE: Because there is such a variety of economic circumstances surrounding gift giving, I ask students not to specify the gift they wanted, but just to talk about their feelings of wanting a gift, their excitement or disappointment with their request.

Introducing the song – In the Winter

Ask the students who enjoys winter weather and who prefers weather that is warmer.

Ask them how they feel about going outside when they have the proper winter clothing to wear.

Have they ever been caught in weather for which they were not prepared? How did they cope?

What are the five most important items of winter clothing the students think they would like to have to stay warm? Do those choices match the clothing items included in the song lyrics?

Winter Lyrics

When learning the lyrics, discuss the order of the verses with the students. The winter clothing items are listed from head to toe (after the coat, of course!) to assist with remembering the order of the verses. Socks are sung before boots, because socks cannot be put on after boots!

Performance and Staging

Students may be divided into two groups to sing the call and response lyrics between the two groups. This helps decrease the amount of lyrics each student is required to remember – a useful adaptation for younger singers.

Students may carry to the stage items that they have included on their wish list. Props can add visual interest, as long as they don’t detract from the singing! Students may hold colourful letters that they wave to the beat of the music for the repeated sections: “Father Christmas, did you get my letter? Father Christmas, this is what I want.”

Expressive singing

Young singers tend to have voices that are lighter and that have less projection than more mature singers. Combining two (or more) classes of young elementary students helps create a stronger vocal performance volume without placing unreasonable demands on the voices of young singers. In a small group class, someone may be chosen to be the leader and sing the “call” sections using a microphone with the remainder of the group singing the responses.

Students may benefit from a discussion about the sentiment behind the lyrics. Is the singer worried that Santa has not received their letter? The items on the list being sent to Santa are very important to the singer. How will the singers use their faces and diction to convey the story of the song?

In the winter version of the song, is the singer very cold? Is the singer excited about all the winter clothing that is being added? How will you sing expressively to show these feelings?

Classroom activity (see separate PDF in download file)

Create images for each of the items mentioned in the song (printables are included in the PDF).

As you sing, attach the images of the items to a larger image (for Father Christmas - a Christmas stocking, and for In the Winter - a child). If you have access to a magnetic surface, using magnets to attach the items is ideal. If the surface is not magnetic, attach a clear baggie to the front of the image and place the smaller item images inside the baggie.

The order of the items can be different than the printed score by having the teacher point to the student whose image will be added next. Alternatively, to make it like a “game”, students who are chosen to hold images can line up with the image held behind their backs. The order of the students can be random or the same order as the song lyrics. When it is their turn to show what image they are holding, they will bring it out in font of them so the class knows which one to sing. This may be amusing if the winter boots are added before the socks!

Creative input

The students may be interested in creating their own list of items to include for the lyrics in this song. Choosing the lyrics is part of composing. Encouraging students to provide their ideas is empowering and creates a meaningful connection to the song. Some parts of this song rhyme and many other parts do not. The students can also decide if this is important to them when they are creating their own lyrics. Composers make these types of decisions!