I use the folk song 2, 4, 6, 8 to teach quarter and eighth notes and la. In this post, we’ll talk about the different ways I teach the song with my kindergarten and first-grade students in my elementary music class.
The pictures you see in this post are from my product in my TPT shop. You can do all of these activities without the resource, but if you want something ready to use in your classroom tomorrow, it’s available here.
Here’s what you get:
- Song lyrics
- Iconic notation
- Quarter and eighth note presentation
- Standard notation (in both full and stick notation)
- La Preparation (with iconic notation and Curwen signs)
- La presentation
- Body percussion presentation (2 difficulties)
- “Create your own” pattern presentation (2 difficulties)
- Unpitched instrument patterns (2 instrument combinations)
- Xylophone steady beat presentation
- Xylophone melody presentation
You can purchase that resource here.
Teaching the Song 2, 4, 6, 8
Before I can use the 2, 4, 6, 8 song for teaching quarter and eighth notes and la, I need to teach students to sing the song! I teach in a whole part whole sequence. I sing the whole song for students while they keep the steady beat. Then, we’ll break it down into chunks and then sing the whole song again.
I like to have the words on the screen or printed out for students. While my kindergarten students can’t read all the words, I like having it up there for them to point out the sight words they’re learning in their classroom. I think it’s always worth taking an extra minute to connect what the students are learning in their classroom to music- those connections go a long way in their learning!
Steady Beat with the song
I start the 2, 4, 6, 8 song in my preschool and kindergarten classes early in the school year. We use this song to practice a steady beat. When I first started teaching, I primarily had students keep a steady beat on their lap. Don’t forget that they can also keep the beat on their head, nose, feet, belly, etc. And when they get the hang of doing the beat the same way as you or their neighbor, have them choose! Make it silly and fun for them and you’ll get them on board with just about anything!
I try to have the beat charts printed out for students to point to. While it saves paper to show it on the board for all the students to see, I find that having it in front of them to physically touch is a better way to keep some of the students’ attention. I’ll print the beat chart on one side and the iconic rhythmic notation on the other side so I can use it again when I’m teaching beat vs. rhythm or long and short-short. If you need to save paper, consider printing out beat strips for students with just 4 hearts (which aren’t specific to one song and can be used over and over again) or having students work in partners and share a paper.
We’ll also practice the song with body percussion. I’ll have students do two movements to the song (ex. Pat clap pat clap) while they sing. Then, I have students choose two movements they want to do while singing. This gets students creating and potentially working together while also experiencing the song more.
Any time I teach steady beat with a song, we add instruments. First, the kids love playing instruments! I also found early in my career that patting the steady beat and playing the steady beat on a xylophone or triangle are two very different skills! Students can easily take turns with this to cut down on the volume of the song by having students in partners where one person plays an instrument and the other person keeps the steady beat on their body.
Rhythm with the song
If this is the first time I’m introducing quarter and eighth notes, I’ll make sure I’ve given students a pretest first. You can get a free set of quarter and eighth note pre and posttests here.
Once we’re ready to learn the rhythm, I show students the iconic rhythm of the song. As I mentioned above, I try to have the iconic notation printed out for students to physically point to. It’s easy to lose students’ attention when they’re looking at a board, but when they have something in their hands to work with it seems to hold their attention better. We’ll look and decide why some of the wolves are little and some of them are large.
Another way to teach the rhythm of the song is by having part of the lyrics written on the whiteboard and having students determine whether words or syllables are quarter or eighth notes. I use this exercise after students have been working on the rhythm for a while. I’ll write the first line or two of a song on the board, which we’ll sing while keeping a steady beat. Then, I’ll have students tell me whether there should be quarter or eighth notes above the words. I write down whatever they tell me whether it’s right or wrong. Then I’ll read what they told me and we’ll see if the class is right! It’s a challenge but a good way to get them thinking!
Manipulatives are another great way to teach quarter and eighth notes! Consider using popsicle sticks or mini erasers to show the rhythm of phrases. If you’re looking for other ways to teach quarter and eighth-note rhythms, you can check out this blog post.
Teaching La with the 2, 4, 6, 8 Song
I also use the exercise on the board for solfege. First, I will write a phrase of the song on the whiteboard and students will have to tell me whether each syllable of the song is mi, sol, or la. Then, I write down what they tell me whether they’re correct or not. After I sing the song the way they wrote it, we make any changes necessary.
After we have notated part or all of the solfege for the 2, 4, 6, 8 song, we play the melody on xylophones. I will have students partner up and help each other learn how to play the song. I love when we play xylophones and they realize that they can play the melody of the song. How cool that they can play a melody that people would recognize on an instrument?! They are so proud of themselves when they figure it out!
I’ve seen the idea of a solfege remote floating around for years now but I have always forgotten about it until recently. I had a couple of fifth-grade girls who wanted to help in my room, so I had them make these sticks with the pentatonic scale on them. We tried them and my kids responded really well to them! I think it was very helpful to have the physical aspect of their thumb moving higher and lower along with their voice. It was a great change from showing high and low on our bodies!
Conclusion
What is your favorite concept to teach with 2, 4, 6, 8? I would love to hear from you! Comment below or DM me on Instagram (@caffeinated.j) so we can chat about our favorite rhythm activities! If you want to check out that resource for 2, 4, 6, 8, click here.
