The Lucky Little Shamrock
by Teresa Jennings
For your celebration of St. Patrick's Day or spring, or just for the fun of it, this little ditty will get your youngest students marching around in no time. The lilting 12/8 style is written out in 4/4 for ease of reading (except for the piccolo parts, which are notated in 12/8). Just add a triplet feel to the dotted eighth-sixteenth figures, and it will be fine.
The simple song is all in unison and tells the story of a little shamrock who is lucky enough to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Despite his good fortune, the little shamrock decides to share his new wealth with all of the other shamrocks in the town. Naturally, they are so pleased, they happily march around with delight!
The third time through the song is the marching section. On the recording, the piccolos play a duet, while the pizzicato strings continue to provide the percussive backdrop. You could play the string part on the piano easily, and if you have two piccolos (or flutes), you could perform this accompaniment live.
Costuming might be fun for this song. Certainly a green shamrock or two would be appropriate. Also, a pot of gold, and even a rainbow, would make excellent props.
Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.