Sample Lesson informed by Kodály teaching practices
Brendan Hogan, David A. Ellis Elementary

Grade 1, late winter or early spring
Objective: Students will practice reading and writing rhythms using I and Π

First activity:

• Students, standing, sing “Hickety Pickety Bumblebee, will you sing your name for me?”
  
• Students respond by singing names individually, improvising melodies, then whole class echoes.
  
• Students might step beat in place while singing “Hickety Pickety Bumblebee”
  
• Notes: in some places the response is notated “my name is so and so” so-mi-la-so-so-mi.  This restricts the melodic responses of students. Instead, I ask students to sing only their names, which usually invites more options to improvise the melody.  See notation for example. Also, T may wish to change starting pitch as Ss warm up.
  

Transition (same meter and tonic center)
Teacher sings “Sally go round the sun” on a neutral syllable such as “loo” and Ss identify song.
Second activity:

• Students play, stepping beat, and turning on “Boom” to change direction.  
  
• When students are very comfortable singing independently, T may introduce part-work by singing same song on pedal note “do,” and later, introduce canon by singing after students.
  

Transition: T points to image of snail (drawn on board).  “Will you sing snail’s song?”
Third activity (Focus Activity and Objective):

• Ss sing “Snail, Snail” (Making Music collection) and play game.
  
• Ss clap rhythm while singing words to the song.
  
• Ss clap rhythm while singing “in their heads.”
  
• T asks: “What are the rhythm names that we know?”
  
• Ss clap rhythm and sing “rhythm names: ta and ti ti”
  
• T: “Will you sing them again and I will write them as you sing?”
  
• T writes rhythm incorrectly.  “Did I get it right?”
  
• Ss will notice mistake; turn and talk to partner.
  
• “On what line, on what beat” (eg: 1 or 2; 1,2,3 or 4) did I make a mistake?
  
• Ss correct and volunteer writes changes on board.
  

I    I I    I
Π  Π Π  I
Transition: T makes changes to one beat of rhythm.
I    I I    I
I   Π Π   I

Fourth activity:

• Ss perform rhythm with changes.
  
• T: do you know a song that matches has this rhythm? (Star light, Star bright)
  
• Students play, one child passes “star” to another after stepping beat to song.
  
• Invite solo performances.
  
• Invite Ss to create 2 beat rhythmic ostinato.
  

Fifth activity:

• T sings “Over in the Meadow” (Making Music Collection)
  

Closing:

• T sings goodbye to each child as class lines up, possibly referencing melodic motives of “Over in the Meadow” or other song from class.​