Submitted by Barbara Kahn, Brooklyn, New York
Idea posted May 27, 2005
I recently started teaching elementary general music at an inner-city school in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to this year, there was no music program in existence there. I was having a difficult time using the traditional curriculum songs for my students because they didn't have a concept of "Farmer," never mind his "Dell." So to hook them, I wrote what I call the "Dinner Time Rap." It includes steady beat, body percussion, and the concept of "chorus" and "verse." The song goes like this:
CHORUS (Hook)Here is how we cook it up.
We slice it and dice it and stir it up.
We've got all our favorites, it's all in place.
Hey Ma! What's for dinner? I need food for my face.
VERSE
What's for dinner? __food 1_____
What's for dinner? __food 2_____
What's for dinner? __food 3_____
What's for dinner? __food 4_____
CHORUS
Here is how....
The steady beat is kept within the chorus and for each type of food. (Ideas for different types of food are generated by the students.) The beat is rhythmically consistent and set with different body percussion. For example, the word "pizza" can be said with two quarter-note hand claps.
My students fell in love with the new game, and it has become a great activity to get the kids in the mode for music at the beginning of each class.