Just when you start to think.......

Just when you start to think that you've lost a kid, that they do not care one iota for what you are trying to teach them, they have one of those light bulb moments and come up with one the most amazing observations EVER!!!!!  The one thing I try to get kids to see about music is about how much of it is repetition and pattern.  If you learn to play or sing one lick, one rhythm, one phrase, it is more than likely going to occur the piece somewhere again.  To me, learning to look for the patterns in music saves so much time in long run whether it be in practicing or in frustration.

So today in class we were looking at a song called "All Around the Corn Sally."  Its a call and response piece, not a hard song by any means, but a good piece to teach eighth note and quarter note rhythms with.  Child who very rarely seems to be paying attention, realizes that the rhythm in the response part is the same every time.  At this rather loud pronouncement, I swear I could hear faint strains of the Hallelujah Chorus!  Another child shouts back, "No it doesn't," to which someone replys "Yes it does but the call rhythm repeats too!!"  After much discussion and some colored markers marking the rhythms on the board, we decided that the entire song was only 3 rhythms.  "THAT'S EASY!!!" the entire class responded. 

Now I would like be able to quote Hannibal from the A-Team and smugly say how much I love it when a plan comes together.  This was not even on the lesson plan radar for today.  I guess that goes to prove, some days you just get lucky.......