Hummy Hummingbirds
Price range: $7.50 through $25.00
Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures. Their tiny stature, their ability to fly quickly and to hover near a food source make them interesting to watch. Unlike many other birds, they really do not have a “song” that they sing. Is it because they don’t know the words?
The gentle melody of Hummy Hummingbirds can be sung as a solo or as a duet. The song has two short verses and gentle humming in the chorus keeps singers vocalizing but does not add a heavy load of lyrics to the mix.
The duet version begins in unison (building confidence and support!) and the second verse includes call and response of each phrase. There are a few short sections of true 2-part singing, but overall the harmonies are designed to be accessible for young singers.
Hummy Hummingbirds is included in the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) 2025 Voice Series Level 1 repertoire, List B.
Listen to melody + accompaniment:
Unison Download Includes:
- Vocal score
- Lead sheet
- Director/piano score
- Lyrics
- Accompaniment – with melody guide
- Accompaniment – piano
- Teaching Tips
2-part (duet) Download Includes:
- Vocal score
- Lead sheet
- Director/piano score
- Lyrics
- Accompaniment – with melody guide
- Accompaniment – with melody guide – harmony part
- Accompaniment – with melody guide – both parts
- Accompaniment – piano
- Teaching Tips
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Hummy Hummingbirds
Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Hummy Hummingbirds.
Teaching Tips
Explore the Score
There is a complete descending scale in this song.
Can you find it in the song? (Bar 19)
It also appears again in the outro. (Bar 22)
Can you sing it using solfa syllables?
Sign it as you sing!
There is an octave jump in the song. Find it in the score (bar 6).
Do some octave warm ups to prepare.
Sing a Duet
Sing this song with a friend or with your teacher singing the echo/harmony part.
Improvising
Improvise your own humming melody in the four humming spots.
Hummingbird Facts
I had the idea for the lyrics for this song before I checked to see if hummingbirds make any sound. I was relieved to discover that they do chirp, but they don’t have a vocalized melody. Phew! I can keep the lyrics as I have written them.
Here are other hummingbird facts:
- Hummingbird wings can move in a figure 8 pattern and are built for optimum speed and agility.
- They are the only birds capable of sustaining hovering, flying backward, and upside-down.
- Hummingbird brains are approximately 4.2% of their body weight – the largest of all bird species.
- Hummingbird hearts beat about 250 beats per minute at rest, and 1,260 beats per minute in flight.
- Hummingbirds have long, thin bills that allow them to reach deep inside flowers.
- Hummingbirds are very curious and will fly close to humans to check them out and figure out who they are.
Hummy Hummingbirds
I enjoy watching the birds coming and going in my backyard. I have seeds in feeders and a special hummingbird feeder with sugar water. From my kitchen window I am able to see the birds come and go and I find this very entertaining. The hummingbirds are a special guest. They are very tiny and they fly quickly to the feeder and zip away after only a brief few moments. If you want to see a hummingbird at my house you have to watch closely and be in the right spot at the right time. When I am working in the garden or sitting in my lawn chair I can hear the humming of their wings as they flit by. I usually stop what I am doing and stay still so I don’t frighten them away. I also say hello and by the end of the summer, they will stick around even if I am nearby. One year I had a pair of hummingbirds who visited my feeder with their babies!
I was thinking about these tiny birds and the fact that they make a little chirping sound but they don’t “sing” like other birds. I am always interested in unique ways of thinking about things. I wondered if hummingbirds hummed because they didn’t know the words! That was a funny thought and as much inspiration as it took to decide it was worth exploring as a song idea.
I wanted to compose a gentle melody to represent the hummingbird. I created the choruses with humming, which I thought was amusing as well as a good vocal technique for young singers to try. I worked on the words and the melody at the same time and when everything was crafted to my satisfaction, I realized that the phrases could be sung as call and response for most of the song. This is a great way to introduce early part singing to young singers and for them to sing the song as a duet. There are a few spots where true harmony is included, but these sections don’t last long and are quite natural feeling so I think it is still very accessible for young singers. The song works equally well as a solo or as a duet which offers teachers and students a few performance options.
When you have enjoyed singing this song with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!
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| License | Single User License, Classroom / Studio License, Treble Choir License |
|---|---|
| Context | Choir – Elementary, Choir Repertoire, Classroom Songs, Small Group Class, Vocal Solo, Choir – 2-part Treble, Choir – Unison, Duet, Royal Conservatory of Music – Repertoire |
| Topic | |
| Level | Age 12 and under, Age 8 and up, Age 9 and up, Age 10 and up, Grades 2-3, Grades 3-4 |
| Voicing | |
| Vocal Range | C4 – D5 |
| Duration | |
| Composer | Donna Rhodenizer |
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