My Chihuahua
$8.50 – $25.00
Pet owners choose their four-legged friends for a variety of reasons. Once the choice is made, pets find a special place in the hearts and homes of their family. Of course, everyone thinks their pet is the best and the singer in My Chihuahua is no exception! The characteristics of the chihuahua, including the click of its toenails, its nippy teeth, and the yipping of its bark, have won over the singer who is sure that this dog is the best choice for a pet – and better than a cat!
The melody of My Chihuahua is written within the C4-C5 vocal range making it accessible for young singers. The rhythm includes syncopations that look complex but that flow with the natural accents of the language. These syncopations will be learned more by feel than by “mathematical” counting and calculation.
My Chihuahua is a fun solo, or use it as a song for group classes for singers ages 12 and under. This song works well with elementary school classes grades 3-4 (and possibly also grade 2 if teaching by rote).
Listen to melody + accompaniment:
Listen to band – melody + accompaniment:
Download Includes:
- Vocal score
- Lead sheet
- Director/piano score
- Lyrics
- Accompaniment – with melody guide
- Accompaniment – piano
- Band – Accompaniment – with melody guide
- Band – Accompaniment
- Teaching Tips
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My Chihuahua
Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for My Chihuahua.
Melody guide + accompaniment (piano)
Melody guide + accompaniment (band)
Make a connection with the song topic
Initiate a discussion by asking students to share information about their pets. This creates a connection between the students and the subject matter of the song. Pets are important members of the family in many homes. Opening a discussion about pets will result in a variety of stories and multiple students who want to share.
“Time management” tip: In a classroom with a large number of students, find ways to include all the students without spending an entire class on pet stories! It is important to find ways to give students the opportunity to share without using up all the teaching time with stories.
Some options to “streamline” multiple answers include:
- Put up one hand if you have a dog/cat/hamster, etc.
- If you have more than one dog/cat, etc., hold up fingers to show how many
- If you have more than one kind of pet hold up two hands
- Hands up if your family had this pet before you were born
- Put up your hand if you have a pet (any number, any kind). Put your hand down when the teacher says the animal that is your pet. When there are only two or three hands still up, ask those students to share what pet they have.
Introduce the song
This song is about a specific kind of dog.
Ask students if they know anything about chihuahuas.
Find pictures or images to share to familiarize them with this breed of dog.
What are some characteristics of chihuahuas?
Expressive singing
Find the repeated words and phrases that will need to be sung with clear, crisp consonants so the lyrics can be understood. The expressive presentation of these repeated lyrics also add a humorous feeling to the song.
The singer’s task is to present the song authentically so the audience is convinced that the singer truly thinks a chihuahua is the best dog ever!
Accidentals
My Chihuahua is written in a major key. However accidentals are used to briefly change the tonal feeling of the song.
Using the vocal score, locate the bars where accidentals are added (bar 20 in each of the first two verses, and also in bars 38, 42 and 46).
Sing this melodic figure several times to internalize the altered notes before singing the song in its entirety.
Sing the altered notes with confidence so they sound like they belong in the melody (which they do!) and enjoy the interesting melodic colour they add to the song.
There have been a variety of dogs in my life, mostly family pets I remember from when I was a young child. Dogs were useful on our family farm but we also regarded them as beloved family members. Most of our dogs were larger and family and friends also had large dogs such as German shepherds, Irish setters and Labrador retrievers, to name a few. The one exception was the small chihuahua owned by my aunt and uncle. “Cleo” was a short-haired little dog with protruding eyes and a jaunty little tail. I remember Cleo’s little toenails clicking on the floor when my uncle would get him to dance for us.
As an adult, I also had the opportunity to meet Diago, a feisty chihuahua who truly lived up to his name. He had a sturdy, wide chest (for a chihuahua) and short stubby legs. His best trick was when his owners would say “Sing, Diago” and he would plant his feet, throw back his head and howl in a most impressive operatic style. He had a big voice for a little dog! I don’t think he understood that he was the smallest individual in the room, and if he did realize that, I am sure it didn’t matter to him at all. He was a fun chihuahua with lots of confidence!
It was good to be able to tap into all this dog experience when writing My Chihuahua, but one might wonder why I chose that topic at all. I had written about a pet hamster (Pickles) after a request from my friend, Nikki Loney at Full Voice Music. A voice teacher who had used Pickles with her students contacted Nikki asking if she might be able to have a chihuahua song written. In turn, Nikki contacted me just in case it might spark an idea for a song. I jotted down the idea in one of my song-idea notebooks and every now and then I would push around lyrics that I thought might work, but I didn’t ever really work on it seriously. I finally got around to writing the song two years later! My Chihuahua is a fun and spicy little song, and I think Diago would approve.
When you have enjoyed singing this song and doing the activities with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!
Please send us your performing video - we might be able to post it on this page!
Sing more dog songs written by Donna Rhodenizer
- It's Raining Cats and Dogs
- I Got a Sister (but I wanted a dog)
- Cyril, the Sausage Dog
- Cat and Dog Canons
- Dogs Hide Bones (singing game) (included in New Singing Games for Young Singers Vol. 1 & Vol. 2)
Send us your video of My Chihuahua and perhaps we can post it here.
| License | Single User License, Classroom / Studio License, Treble Choir License |
|---|---|
| Context | Choir – Elementary, Choir Repertoire, Classroom Songs, Expressive Storytelling Songs, Small Group Class, Vocal Solo, Choir – Unison |
| Topic | |
| Level | |
| Voicing | |
| Vocal Range | C4 – C5 |
| Duration | |
| Composer | Donna Rhodenizer |
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