Get Up!

This is a movement activity song and the perfect "adrenaline drainer" for hyperactive classes. By virtue of its sheer momentum, your students will be compelled to move. You can corral their enthusiasm by teaching them a few basic moves to add.

• From the very beginning, they should be up on their feet and clapping on beat 2 (it's in cut-time) of each measure. Let them wiggle and move freely in place while they clap.
• Every time the words "Get up!" are sung, have them jump up with their arms in the air. Try to have them do it so that they are "up" and "in the air" while they are saying the word, "up!" By the time beat 2 comes around, they should be clapping again. After they've done it a few times and have gotten used to the automatic reaction to "Get up!" it will come easily.
• The "x" note heads are spoken words. They should be spoken energetically and enthusiastically and above all, rhythmically as written. The rhythm is very natural and once you have demonstrated it to them a couple of times, they should have no problem with it. If you are using the Performance/Accompaniment Cassette, let them hear the version with the kids singing it. They'll pick it up immediately.
• The spoken parts are also enhanced by a body percussion ostinato. It consists of patsching and clapping while stomping from the left foot to the right as shown here.
• This ostinato is to be added at measure 17 and continues on through measure 25 until the D.S. (back to measure 9). At measure 25, let your kids follow the words for their movement cues while continuing the body percussion pattern.
  • Stomp your feet. Clap your hands. (They're already doing this.)
  • Raise up your knees like a marching band. (Raise their knees while stomping.)
  • Lean to the left. Lean to the right. Do it, but don't stop the body percussion!)
  • Once you got the beat, you'll be doin' all right. (Finish off the last few measures of the body percussion stuff and get ready for the D.S. back to measure 9.)
• On the D.S. at m. 9, the words "Get up!" should have the same moves as it did the first time, with clapping added back in.
• After measure 16 this time, jump to the coda. Add body percussion ostinato as before.
• This time however, do as the music dictates and get softer and softer the first time through until the first ending. Take advantage of the opportunity to teach dynamics! Really work on the differences between mf and mp, etc. Make sure the body percussion also follows the dynamics. Don't let them get too soft too quickly, though. It has to be a gradual descrescendo. Then, of course, in the first ending, it begins to crescendo until two measures in front of m. 43. At this point, they should be virtually yelling. It's going to be tough to keep the yelling rhythmic, so be sure they can hear the music over their own singing well enough to hear the pulse, too. Emphasize the importance of staying with the beat, especially as it gets louder.
• At m. 43 the first time, "Get up!" is literally yelled. The second time it is sung again. The moves are the same as they were back at m. 9 with the jumping up on the words "Get up!" and the clapping on beat 2. Only this time, the clapping should be done above their heads. This will give it a more active, emphatic feel. Let them move the rest of their bodies freely in one place while singing to the end of the song. The very last "Get up!" should be yelled.