Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

7 Habits songs: Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw


Habit 7 version 1: song
This is a 4-chord song written to sound like a pop song to fit the theme of having fun and renewing yourself, which defines Sharpen the Saw. :)

A cute rhythm creativity, chant composition activity. Great for Orff teachers too because the kids compose 4-measure chants listing their favorite things to do when they Sharpen the Saw. 



Student creativity for the song:  Students create their own chants listing 4 things they do to sharpen the saw.  Perform as a rondo: in the A section everyone sings the song, in the B/C/D/etc. sections each small group performs their 4-macrobeat chant twice.

Noteflight notation for version 1 of the song can be found here.



Habit 7 version 2: duple chant



Habit 7's chant notation is on Noteflight here.



Habit 7 version 3: longer song



In this version as well, students create 4-macrobeat chants listing what they do to sharpen the saw.
Noteflight notation for version 3 of the song is found here.




7 Habits songs: Habit 6: Synergize

SHORT CHANT VERSION:


Habit 6 chant Noteflight notation can be found here.

The coolest part about this song is that the class literally gets to practice synergizing with the "Together is better" chant: one small group starts, and then another group joins in, and another until the whole class is chanting -- creates an effect much better than any kid could make by themselves!!

I had my students repeat the chant, and the second time they added on groups of chanters in the opposite direction (so the first time through the chant rows 1 and 2 started chanting at the beginning, then rows 3 and 4 joined in at the second "Together is better," then rows 5 and 6 so we had everyone chanting by the third "Together is better; synergize!"  Then the next time they added on the parts starting with rows 5 and 6, then 3 and 4, then 1 and 2.

I also had my students synergize in small groups to create a 4-beat body percussion pattern using any combination of stamp, pat, clap, and snap.  They created their body percussion pattern, and performed it 4 times before and after the chant.


LONGER VERSION OF THE SONG:

This one has a minor blues-y feel, and the blues scale used in it can count as Locrian (the song's melody uses primarily E, G, A, and Bb).

See above for how kids synergize for the body percussion patterns and the "Together is better" chant part of the song.

If you wanted, you could even just use the beginning as a short rhythm activity!




I know it's kind of small to read here, so here is the PDF version of the melody only, and here is the PDF version of the melody + chords.

Habit 6 melody is on Noteflight here.

Habit 6 melody + chords notation is available on Noteflight here.

7 Habits songs: Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood





Habit 5 melody notation is here.

Habit 5 arrangement with Orff ostinato and chords is here.

This one is a 2-part round...to help kids practice seeking first to understand, then to be understood. ;)  (Because they have to listen to the other part before coming in, and both parts have to listen to each other for it to sound beautiful.)

You can put the ostinato with the song vocally or with instruments, or even change the ostinato to include different chord tones.


7 Habits Songs: Habit 4: Think Win-Win





Again, if your school doesn't teach the 7 habits, feel free to use any of these without words! 
7/8 harmonic minor.

7 Habits songs: Habit 3: Put First Things First




Habit 3 Noteflight notation is here.

With the chords:


Lydian tonality, triple meter.  Because I couldn't stand the idea of not including lots of modes and meters even in songs meant primarily for management/character education. :)



7 Habits songs: Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Habit 2 song notation is here.  Just in case you want to edit it and make it your own, or print it as a PDF using Noteflight (the free online music notation website).


This one's Dorian mode and duple meter, so you can do resting tone, beat, or flow activities with it. If your school is NOT a Leader in Me school, feel free to use any of these songs without words! 





7 habits songs: Habit 1: Be Proactive

This year my school is starting to be a Leader in Me school, teaching the students the 7 Habits of Happy Kids (/Highly Effective People) as our character ed program.



So I decided that one way I am going to teach these habits in the music classroom is through a short song for EACH individual habit. Here's Habit 1!
The other 7 Habits songs are all here.





Habit 1 melody notation is on Noteflight here.

Habit 1 melody + ostinato notation is on Noteflight here.

This song has entirely I and V chords, so you can layer it with tonic/dominant ostinati (one example is below), put the with Orff instruments, have kids improvise over the chord roots....you name it!

The song also leaves 3 beats to audiate after "Stop and think," so you can work on audiating rhythm or dominant as well. :)





The YouTube recording here is my favorite ALL-7-habits song. So cute!