Ring A Little Bell

This little ditty was written in response to your requests for more seasonal materials. The focus of the song is music, as music is certainly a "safe" subject for any holiday, season, or occasion, no matter where you teach. It's important to note, however, that the lyrics are very flexible when it comes to the "reason" for the song.

Can't use "Christmas" in your program?

In the version we have recorded, the lyrics read, "Christmas is the time for making music." The word "Christmas" could be changed to "winter," or "morning, or "April," or "Tuesday," for that matter. Whatever the occasion, make the lyrics work for you! You could also change the word "time" to "place." In other words, "Cleveland is the place for making music." Or, "Our school is the place for making music." Or, how about "Texas is the state for making music"? Seriously consider adapting this song for anything that needs its "own" song.

The lyrics are extremely repetitious and the melody very simple, so most students of any age should have no difficulty learning this one quickly. The idea behind the lyrics is that a unique musical sound is introduced with each phrase. Your students will hear this on the recording. For example, after "Ring a little bell," there is a little bell, and so on. You may double the recorded sound effects with your own during these sections, if you like. They are included on the instrumental tracks, too. The one exception to this is the "La!" after, "Sing a little song." We figured that you would want your own soloist here each time.

On the D.S., the melody can be played on kazoos, as we did on the recording. Or, you could let some students play it on xylos, marimbas, glocks, or any keyboard instrument. The responses to each phrase, however, should be something different this time. On the recording, we responded with various non-pitched percussion instruments as an example. You can use whatever you have handy. It will allow many students to participate in the song as soloists.

The song is a shuffle, which means that the eighth notes are performed with a triplet feel, as indicated in the style marking at the beginning of the song. It feels like it is skipping along, in a sense. The orchestration on the recording sounds like a big band, with trumpets, trombones, saxes, and rhythm section.

There are even strings, a clarinet, a piccolo, and a flute. Since the song focuses on the various sounds, can your students identify these individual instruments when listening?

Also, because the song is a shuffle, you may find that you wish to add movement. Any soft-shoe steps would be appropriate. Consider including them during the D.S. only, or here and there for emphasis. A simple movement to add would be the pantomiming of the various instruments and/or sounds being featured at a given moment.