Welcome to Episode 18 of the Doremi Teach podcast. Today I'm going to teach you a song that's perfect for preparing steady beat and pitch and I use it to present rhythm.

See Saw

See saw up and down

In the air and on the ground

Hello there and welcome to the Doremi Teach podcast. If you’re interested in teaching musical skills and literacy through singing then this is the place for you. My name is Helen Russell from Doremi Connect and I’m going to help you achieve your goals using the Kodály approach.

Benefits of See Saw

• This song is used to prepare pulse and pitch and I use it to present rhythm
• The toneset is mi-so with a range of a Minor 3rd so ideal for little voices and for nervous teachers
• It uses the so-mi motif, which is the easiest for beginner singers to pitch accurately because it is used naturally in playgrounds all over the world, ner-ner ner-ner
• It’s ideal for teaching the piano as we can play on any two black keys a skip apart
• It’s easy to transfer to tuned percussion – just find a minor third like D with F, E with G, A with C or B with D
• The game involves performing a rocking pulse action that stops at the end of the song so the pulse is experienced kinaesthetically
• The rhythm is very simple, just using ta and titi or crotchets and quavers so this will reappear throughout the curriculum as we prepare and present rhythm

The Game

Hold both arms outstretched to the sides to represent the seesaw. Then rock to the beat just like a seesaw.

Our seesaw is very musical. It only rocks when we sing. Spark their imagination by asking who they would like to put on the seesaw. Sometimes they choose their friends, siblings, sometimes cartoon characters or toys.

The trick with this game is to freeze at the end of the song. The beat stops, the seesaw stops and the students must hold their position until we sing again.

As an adult, it doesn’t sound very interesting, but the students love it and will play over and over!

Make sure you let us know what you think of the episode and do share it with your colleagues if you’ve found it helpful

For more free resources and webinars on teaching music through singing make sure you visit doremiconnect.co.uk and sign up to our daily emails.

I hope you have a lovely week, filled with music and singing.

You’ve been listening to the Doremi Teach podcast with Helen Russell from Doremi Connect. Helping you achieve your music teaching goals with the Kodály approach.

Mentioned in this episode:

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