Below are 5 Music Lesson Ideas to share with your students around St. Patrick’s Day! When teaching these lessons, my goal is to highlight and showcase a little bit of the music, dance and instruments of Ireland through engaging songs and movement activities!
Rakes of Mallow
Rakes of Mallow is a very simple, fun and approachable Irish Folk Dance that works great with your Kinder-3rd Grade students! I always encourage my students to listen for the spoons featured in the music! This track can be found on the Rhythmically Moving CD 2 from Phyllis Weikart or on YouTube.
Original Dance Steps:
Formation
Large Circle, side by side
Directions:
A Section – 32 beats
Circle to the Right – 16 beats
Circle to the Left – 16 beats
B Section – 32 beats
[Jump, jump, clap, clap] – x4
[Walk IN 4 steps; Walk OUT 4 steps ] – x2
Repeat the entire form
Dance Modification to allow for Social Distancing:
Formation
Line dance; rows
Directions:
A Section – 32 beats
Step – touch to the right (8 beats)
Step – touch back to center (8 beats)
Step – touch to the left (8 beats)
Step – touch back to center (8 beats)
B Section – 32 beats
[Jump, jump, clap, clap] – x4
[Walk forward 4 steps, walk back 4 steps] – x2
Repeat entire form
Shamrock Song
This Shamrock Song – perfect for Kinder-3rd grade students – has 3 verses with different movement/body percussion elements used during each verse (Shamrock/Clap, Leprechaun/Pat and Rainbow/Snap).
1st Verse:
1st Verse Melody in Solfege or Click to Watch here (Each verse has the same tune):
Shamrock [Clap, Clap], growing in my garden (So, mi; la la la la so mi)
Shamrock [Clap, Clap], growing all day. (So, mi; mi re do so)
Shamrock (Clap, Clap], growing in my garden (So, mi; la la la la so mi)
It’s St. Patrick’s Day [Clap, Clap] (Mi mi re re do)
Teaching Process:
Sing through the entire song for students
Scaffold the learning of each verse
How does each verse end? (It’s St. Patrick’s Day) and have the students sing only that part of each verse
Connect the verses with body percussion
Shamrock / Clap, Clap
Leprechaun / Pat, Pat, Pat
Rainbow / Snap
Brainstorm creative movement ideas for the movement words within each verse
1st verse – “Growing”
2nd verse – “Hiding”
3rd verse – “Shining”
2nd verse:
Leprechaun [Pat, pat, pat], hiding in my garden
Leprechaun [Pat, pat, pat], hiding all day.
Leprechaun [Pat, pat, pat], hiding in my garden
It’s St. Patrick’s Day [Pat, pat, pat]
3rd Verse:
Rainbow [Snap], shining in my garden
Rainbow [Snap], shining all day.
Rainbow [Snap], shining in my garden
It’s St. Patrick’s Day [Snap]
Rattlin’ Bog
This Irish Folk Song is a cumulative song about a bog with many cute verses and movements that my 1st graders usually perform during our annual Cultural Fair, as a way to highlight and showcase music from Ireland.
Each verse adds a new element from the bog (Tree, Branch, twig, nest, etc.), along with a short, corresponding movement, which when all combined together makes for a thrilling and enjoyable performance opportunity for your kiddos and their families!
Helpful Tips
Here is the version of the song I enjoy!
Create a visual to help students remember each part of the song!
Lyrics
Chorus w/ Body Perc. Ostinato – (Clap, Clap; Stomp, stomp; Stomp – Ta; Ta; Ti-ti; Ta):
Hi, ho the rattlin’ bog, the bog down in the valley-o
Hi, ho the rattlin’ bog, the bog down in the valley-o
Verse 1:
And in this bog* there was a tree, a rare tree, a rattlin’ tree And the tree in the bog And the bog down in the valley-o*.
*Bog – Both arms into round shape (like a bog/swamp or a basketball hoop)
**Tree – Both arms into a tree motion (like goal posts)
***Valley-o – Both arms make dipping valley motion
[Chorus]
Verse 2: (adding branch motion)
And on that tree there was a branch, a rare branch, a rattlin’ branch
With the branch on the tree and the tree in the bog
And the bog down in the valley-o.
[Chorus]
(Repeat, adding a line each time w/ Chorus in between each Verse)
Now on that branch there was a twig, a rare twig, a rattlin’ twig…..
Now on that twig there was a nest, a rare nest, a rattlin’ nest…..
Now in that nest there was an egg , a rare egg, a rattlin’ egg…..
Now in that egg there was a bird, a rare bird, a rattlin’ bird…..
Now on that bird there was a feather, a rare feather, a rattlin’ feather …..
Now on that feather there was a flea, a rare flea, a rattlin’ flea …..
Instruments from Ireland
- Bodhran
- Check out this blog post from Organized Chaos that highlights the Bodhran Boys!
- Uillean Pipe
- Characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland
- Celtic Harp
- Tin Whistle
- Spoons
Rhythm Recess
Great videos for exposing your students to music from Ireland, while also practicing rhythm reading. These would be a fantastic warm-up activity at the beginning of your lesson!
Those were my Top 5 Music Lesson ideas for St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you found these activities to be helpful as you plan your lessons!
Let me know if you have any favorite Music lessons for during this time of the year in the comments below!
