100 Ways to Repeat a Song!

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Children learn songs best by repeating the complete song over and over (for longer songs, repeat a chorus or verse over and over instead of the entire song). The following are strategies for repeating a song, keeping it engaging every time, and exploring musical and other concepts in the process.

1. Add actions

Be creative. Develop actions that go along with specific words or phrases. You might use sign language, if you know it. Let the students develop actions.

2. Count lyrics

Count and identify specific words, rhymes, phrases, alliterations, etc. Ask the students to count how many times they hear a specific word or type of word (e.g., words beginning with 's' or words that rhyme with 'door'). Sing the song, then call on students to share their guesses. Don't say 'yes' or 'no'; simply sing the song again and double check as a class. 

3. Replace lyrics

Replace words with sounds, actions, or silence. You could even sing the entire song or portions of the song on a neutral syllable (la, la, la). In addition, it is engaging and can develop inner hearing to have a signal for turning the sound on and off; of course, the song continues while the sound is off. 

4. Follow/arrange words or map

Give each student a copy of the lyrics or provide the lyrics projected at the front of the class. Track individually or by having one student point to the lyrics. Or, develop a series of images to remind students of the lyrics. Specific lyrics could be blocked out to memorize the song. Also, students could identify (by performing a specific action) parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.) or expressive devices (e.g. alliteration).

5. Play the beat or the rhythm

The beat stays the same throughout the song; it's the underlying pulse--the part that we dance to. The rhythm consists of the patterns made by the lyrics (each syllable). Show the beat or the rhythm of a song using body percussion (pat, clap, stomp, snap, etc.), movement (e.g., walk the beat), or rhythm instruments (can be home-made). For variety, change body percussion, movement direction or type, or instruments on different phrases. 

6. Show the melodic contour

Show the melodic contour (the relative height of pitches) with bodies (finger, thumb, belly-button, head, etc.). Draw the melodic contour on individual pieces of paper or on the board. Try to follow the contours others have drawn. 

7. Add accompaniments

Add repeated beat or rhythm patterns with voices (additional lyrics), body percussion, movement (make up a dance), or instruments. An accompaniment is more than simply the beat. It is a repeated rhythm pattern that accompanies the song. Use a drum circle (overlapping repeated patterns) to develop a groove to be used as an accompaniment for songs, poems, times tables, etc.

8. Change the song

Make up new lyrics (songs-that-teach). Vary the tempo, volume, pitch, or tone quality (different voices like a duck, bear, mouse, etc.). For singing games, make up new ways to play the game alone or with others.

9. Discuss the meaning or context of the song

Talk about or research the meaning of specific words or phrases, events mentioned in or associated with the lyrics, or other contextual factors (history, culture, social interaction, etc.). 

10. Combine ways 

Do two of the above activities at the same time. For example, make up new lyrics and explore the beat/rhythm or add accompaniments. Or, have some participants do one thing while others do another thing. Sing the song or perform the actions in small groups or as solos. Sing the song without the leader/teacher. Be creative. However, it is important to stick with one way of doing things for awhile and transition gradually to a new way of repeating the song so that students don't become confused.

Lyrics

1. Add actions to lyrics

2. Replace lyrics with sounds

3. Replace lyrics with actions

4. Replace lyrics with silence

5. Identify how many times specific words are sung

6. Identify rhyming words in the lyrics

7. Identify events in the lyrics

8. Discuss what specific words might mean

9. Discuss what the song is about

10. Change the lyrics

Singing

11. Listen to a live or recorded performance of the song

12. Join in singing

13. Sing without the teacher

14. Sing in small groups

15. Sing solos

16. Sing in a microphone

17. Record the singing

18. Sing parts of the song with inner hearing (follow a cue)

19. Sing the entire song with inner hearing while performing actions

20. Sing on a neutral syllable

Beat & Meter

21. Show the beat while singing

22. Show the beat while listening

23. Show the beat through movement

24. Show the beat through body percussion

25. Show the beat with props (balls, hoops, etc.)

26. Play the beat on an instrument (drums, rhythm sticks, etc.)

27. Copy how someone else is showing the beat

28. Show the micro-beats, macro-beat, or every other beat

29. Show the meter with different levels of body percussion

30. Conduct the pattern

Rhythm

31. Tap or clap (etc.) the rhythm

32. Play the rhythm on an instrument (drums, rhythm sticks, etc.)

33. Combine beat actions with rhythm actions (clap the rhythm while walking)

34. Half of the class do one thing while the other half does a different thing

35. Identify specific rhythms in the song

36. Do actions on or play specific rhythms as they occur in the song

37. Guess the tune from the rhythm

38. Say all or parts of the rhythm using solfege

39. Clap the rhythm from rhythm notation

40. Write the rhythms (dot the rhythm in boxes)

Melody

41. Show the melodic contour (with hands, etc.)

42. Identify highest or lowest notes with actions, etc.

43. Draw the melodic contour

44. Sing all or parts the song with solfege syllables

45. Sing all or parts of the song with solfege hand signs and/or hand staff

46. Sing all or parts of the with solfege arm signs

47. Adapt solfege hand and arm signs with a partner or as a class

48. Guess the tune from solfege

49. Play the song on a musical instrument

50. Sing the tune from melodic notation

Harmony

51. Sing the song with harmonic accompaniment (incl. recordings)

52. Play a harmonic accompaniment from a chord chart

53. Improvise rhythmic accompaniments (rhythmic, melodic, harmonic)

54. Sing as a round

55. Sing as a partner song

56. Add spoken ostinatos

57. Add sung ostinatos and descants

58. Add an introduction or coda

59. Write rhythmic accompaniments in box notation

60. Arrange the song

Expression

61. Have a director determine loud and soft

62. Write in dynamics as a class or individually

63. Sing in a different timbre (like a mouse, nasal, opera, etc.)

64. Play “follow that timbre” by sounding like the one-who-is-it

65. Sing the song sadly, happily, etc.

66. Explore different tempos (fast and slow)

67. Speed up or slow down

68. Act out or dramatize a part

69. Change the key

70. Let individual students choose the beginning pitch

Form

71. Change the beat placement on each phrase

72. Demonstrate phrases through movement

73. Follow a contour map for phrases

74. Follow an icon map for phrases

75. Follow a movement map for phrases

76. Draw a map of the song while singing it

77. Follow the maps of other students

78. Sing while looking at a sequence chart or book

79. Place rhythm or melodic maps in correct order

80. Re-arrange the parts of the song using an icon map

Movement

81. Develop a new way to play the game alone

82. Develop a new way to play the game with a partner

83. Develop a new way to play the game in a group or as a class

84. Make up a circle dance

85. Make up a line dance

86. Make up a hand-clapping game or hand-jive

87. Make up a movement sequence with props

88. Sing the song in a different body position (lying down, for example)

89. Accumulate actions in a song

90. Use the same movement sequence for a different song

Listen & Discuss

91. Take turns being an audience member or a performer

92. Listen to a recording of the song

93. Give feedback

94. Develop rules for games as needed

95. Talk about who might sing this and why

96. Discuss the historical context for the song

97. Discuss the cultural context for the song

98. Adapt the song to another subject area (songs-that-teach)

99. Teach the song to someone else

100. Figure out another way to repeat the song . . .

Credit: VinceBates

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