Submitted by Pamela Rezach, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Idea posted August 23, 2001
Warm-Up #1: I begin and stay on Do and sing: "Do you like pickles = Ta ti-ti Ta Ta? And the entire chorus sings back, "Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum = Ti-ti, Ti-ti, Ta." Their pitches are Do, Re, Me, Re, Do. Then I move up 1/2 step and ask another question to the whole chorus. They answer back with the same answer, but begin 1/2 step higher. I got this idea from a book, but can't remember where I got it. The students love this one! It has really helped to develop wider ranges among the students.
Warm-Up #2: I use jazz CDs. I will sign familiar melodic motifs (using Kodály signs) and the students sing them back to me. With the jazz background it's like being in a performance! If you don't have a jazz CD, use one of the jazz songs from Music K-8. They work too. Just be sure and use the instrumental track. (This is when I stress all basic Kodály motifs.) It is also a great way to get the students singing scat. Last year, I had several students who wanted to be the leader. It was great! It's also a great time to get the students to sing in rounds as they sing simple melodic patterns. The jazz background keeps the beat steady for them and they really sound great with this.
These are the warm-ups I use most often. (Of course, we do a lot of siren sounds, dog sounds, high/low, etc. They like moving like elevators too, as they move up and down the scale.