Submitted by Cristi Miller, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Idea posted June 2, 2003

I have a version of "Pay the Rent" that is a great way to introduce triplet vs. duple. The rhythm of each phrase is: "tri-ple-ti," "tri-ple-ti," "ti-ti," "ti-ti." The class is divided into three groups... "Sweet Mary's," "Bad Bradford's," and "Hero Dan's." Each has the appropriate voice for the character. We make paper accordion fans that we hold in the center with thumb and pointer, designating a "hair bow" for Mary, a "mustache" for Bradford, and a "bow tie" for Dan. The whole thing goes like this...

  Bradford: "Sweet Mary, Sweet Mary, come here, come here!"

  Mary: "Bad Bradford, Bad Bradford, I fear, I fear."

  Bradford: "Pay the rent, pay the rent, right now, right now."

  Mary: "I've no cash, I've no cash, so how, so how?"

  Bradford: "Marry me, marry me, lucky, lucky."

  Mary: "Mercy please, mercy please, spare me, spare me."

  Bradford: "You will be, you will be, my wife, my wife."

  Mary: "Woe is me, woe is me, what strife, what strife."

  Dan: "Never fear, never fear, I'm here, I'm here!"

  Mary: "Hero Dan, Hero Dan! All cheer, all cheer!"

  Bradford: "Foiled again, foiled again! Rats! Rats!"

  Dan: "Out villain, out villain, take that, take that!"

  Mary: "Hero Dan, Hero Dan, so brave, so brave!"

  Dan: "Sweet Mary, Sweet Mary, you're saved, you're saved!"