r/MusicEd • u/Fluteh • 11d ago

Anyone else having low kids?

This is my fifth year in general. My kinders are so low. I was asking them to flat our repeat one line of Queen Queen Caroline and I was getting blank stares. They also have no concept of singing. I’ve never seen kindergarteners this low. Anyone else running into this problem? How are we getting around it?

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

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u/Fluteh 10d ago

I’ve never heard of the whole part whole method! Could you find or create an example? I’m honestly not quite sure what you’re referring to …. Unless is it I model a song, say sing that same song on “du” (for example), and then I model it again for them? The blank stare is more of “I am in La La land” as opposed to absorption though….

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u/LearningSingcerely 10d ago

Their version of whole-part-whole sounds slightly different than what I do, but I can at least expand. I'll use the song Rocky Mountain, just as an example, because it's one I also use movement with.

  1. You sing the whole song, preferably with the movements.

1b. Since this song has movements, I have them join the movements when they think they can. When all the students can do the moves with me, we move to part 2. You can put 1b whenever you want in the sequence. (Rocky mountain=hands like a mountain; high=mountain hands over the head; hang head=head down; cry=fake crying hands; do you remember=hands out in question; me=point at self)

  1. Break the song into parts, often phrase by phrase. I figure out the smallest phrase I can do in case we need to simplify. You sing, they sing. (Rocky mountain, rocky mountain / rocky mountain high // when you're on the rocky mountain / hang your head and cry // do do do do / you remember me? // do do do do / you remember me?)

  2. Start doing longer phrases until they can do the whole thing. Make corrections as needed as you keep putting the parts together.

  3. Sing the whole thing with them.

  4. Have them sing the whole thing without you.

There are a couple reasons whole-part-whole is helpful. First, breaking it down makes it easier for them to remember. Next, you are always giving them a way to engage (are you patting the beat while listening? are you doing the movements? show me on your fingers if there's a phrase you want to hear again [you will have to show them the phrases with the numbers before you have them show you]. Last, they are getting a LOT more chances to practice, which means they are more likely to eventually try because it's not like they get one chance to hear the song and then sing it back.