Adding Orff instruments to the African-American singing game Pizza Pizza Daddy-O gives you a perfect arrangement for concerts as well as extended lessons to explore and practice mi, so, la, and syncopation in the classroom.
Integrating culturally responsive elements into these lessons is seamless, as students can incorporate dances that hold personal meaning to them into the song lyrics.
Pizza Pizza Daddy-O is such a classic, fun game and kids love to play it year after year. This resource extends learning with an easy Orff arrangement that can become a concert showpiece!
Let’s uncover the history, meaning, and music of “Auld Lang Syne” and listen to several famous versions in this easy lesson plan. The catchy tune is a must-know as New Year’s Eve turns into New Year’s Day, as we look back on the old year and look forward to the new.
In this lesson plan…
The Epic History of Auld Lang Syne
Scottish Vibes
Picture this: It’s the 1700s in Scotland, and a super famous poet named Robert Burns is on the scene. He whips up the lyrics for “Auld Lang Syne,” meaning “old long since” or days gone by. Fast forward, and the song becomes a global sensation, making its way into celebrations worldwide.
Meet Robert Burns, the Poetry Rockstar
Robert Burns, aka the Bard of Scotland, wrote the lyrics in 1788. He was all about celebrating Scottish culture and creating poetic magic. Now, his masterpiece, “Auld Lang Syne,” is a song sung around the world!
The Feel-Good Meaning of Auld Lang Syne
Nostalgia Alert!
Ready to look back on good times? “Auld Lang Syne” is like a musical scrapbook, making us look back at good times with pals. It’s all about valuing memories and celebrating the awesome experiences that shaped us.
Friendship Rocks!
Guess what? The heart of the song is all about friendship. “Auld Lang Syne” tells us to raise our cup in a toast to the awesome connections and people in our lives.
Sing-Along with Auld Lang Syne
Echo Sing the Song
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne my dear
For old lang syne.
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
Let’s Break Down the Lyrics
The lyrics of “Auld Lang Syne” are like a friendship party.
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?” This means, should old friends be forgotten and never remembered? And the answer is-No Way! The song says we’re keeping those memories alive.
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?” Auld Lang Syne means “days gone by.”
“For auld lang syne my dear, for auld lang syne.” This just repeats how import the past is to us.
“We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for days of auld lang syne.” The song wraps up with a cheer for kindness and the friends of our past.
Let’s Sing & Move
Let’s continue this lesson plan by singing along with some famous performers!
Snoopy and the Gang
Jon Batiste & Stay Human
Body Percussion (Grades 3-5)
Great body percussion video with a spot to have 3-part. Highly recommend pulling back the playback to .75.
Pentatonix
Pink Martini (sung in English, Arabic, French)
Let’s Play It!
Play the chords on ukulele or the bass line (root of chords) on Boomwhackers™️.
Rhythmic building bricks are often used in the Orff process and let students take simple rhythms and then create more complex ideas. Let’s look at the basics of how to use them for teachers new to the process and some special extensions for those who’ve used them before.
The Origin of Rhythmic Building Brick
Rhythmic building bricks were designed by Carl Orff’s contemporary, Gunild Keetman, and explained in detail in her wonderful book, “Elementaria.” They are simple note patterns that can be combined into more complex patterns.
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What Are Rhythmic Building Bricks?
Rhythmic building bricks, sometimes called rhythm blocks, are 2-beat patterns using only quarter notes, quarter rests, and paired eighth notes.
Students brainstorm and find words that have the same number of syllables as the simple patterns so 1, 2, 3, or 4 sounds.
Then they string 4 or 8 bricks together to create a more complex pattern.
Teachers often use themes to support cohesiveness to the complex patterns that are created.
Older students can explore bricks in compound meter using 1 (dotted quarter), 2 (quarter eighth), and 3-note (3 eighth notes) combos. Valentine’s Day and February is the perfect time to try this variation.
How Are Rhythmic Building Bricks Used
Halloween/October is the perfect time to use rhythm bricks. Here’s what one class created.
The top of the board shows their brainstorming. The bottom shows the bricks they put together to create a more complex pattern.
In the above 8-brick pattern, students used repetition to create their “beat.”
Haunted House (3), Halloween (3), Jack-o-lantern (4), Boo (1). Black Friday (3), Frankenstein (3), candy (2), Boo (1).
Specific Learning Goals
Repetition: It’s a perfect time to teach them about repetition and that it might not sound the best to use “one of each pattern.”
Exploration: When working with a partner or in groups, learning to try different combinations is optimal. The idea of “one and done” is a big NO.
Form: What you create from the new patterns makes a perfect “B” section for a song or poem.
The Halloween beat above would be the perfect B section to an A of Pass the Pumpkin for a final ABA form.
If working in multiple groups, it becomes a great way to teach rondo form. ABACADA where “A” is Pass the Pumpkin and B, C, and D are the 8 measure beats created by different groups.
Tone Color: Taking the patterns and transferring to instruments is a great way to let students learn about tone color. What instrument(s) will sound best with your pattern and the overall theme?
Extensions
Centers
Using whole-class instructions is a great way to learn about and work with bricks. You can extend and expand the learning in other ways.
Individual/Partner/Small Groups: Students can explore in these groupings in a regular class setup or in centers.
Your music center setup will be a BREEZE with this easy-to-use and effective “Create a Songtale” rhythm resource using quarter notes and rests and eighth note pairs in a rhythmic building brick format.
Making Bricks
Make blocks for centers using building blocks or foam cubes. On the building blocks, use stickers or a permanent marker. I sprayed a coat of polyurethane on my blocks and it really helped keep the notes from rubbing off.
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I got the Mega Bloks below from my local Goodwill. Prextex Blocks are currently the closest I can find to them.
Written Activities
A fun writing rhythm activity using building bricks where students create a rhythm menu and take-out orders!
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Discover how you can create a meaningful and joyous celebration that embraces the spirit of Grandparent’s Day with the best engaging songs, skits, scripts, classroom activities, and program ideas. Find a new song or idea to make this year’s program fabulous.
The Playlist
Classroom Activities
Some of these special days let grandparents and special persons follow the child’s schedule which means you’re going to have guests in your room. Have seating ready for them.
Singing, dancing, and playing activities provide a great experience. Two great options are
letting the guests watch the students in these activities
or joining in with them
I always went for the joining in!
Do a favorite dance, rhythm stick play along, or singing game. My absolute FAVORITE is “I Let Her Go Go.” This partner changing game allows kids without a special person to interact with those very special guests.
Grandparent’s Day Songs By Theme
Thinking out loud here. According to Google 🤣, the average age to become a grandparent is in your 50s and 60s. If your grandchild is 5-12 years old, that makes grandparents in the 55-72 year range.
In 2025, it means those grandparents were born in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. If high school (16 years old) was a prime music genre era for most, that means music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s would really resonate with most of them. Here are some script ideas!
Beatles’ Songs
When I’m 64
Yellow Submarine
Octopus’s Garden
Love Me Do
With a Little Help From My Friends
All You Need Is Love
70’s Songs
I Just Called to Say I Love You
Rainbow Connection
Lean On Me
ABC
Joy to the World
Top of the World
Love Will Keep Us Together
I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing
Rockin’ Robin
Rapper’s Delight (the first couple of verses only)
Greatest Love of All
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
80’s Songs
Walking On Sunshine
I’m Still Standing (wordy so you could have solos on the verses and then everyone come in on the chorus)
Songs With Instruments for Your Special Person Day
THE BEAT OF LIFE (Grades 3-6) With its descending bass line reminiscent of the 60s and 70s rock anthems, your students will WOW with this fun Orff arrangement that your grandparents and special persons will TOTALLY relate to! For barred instruments and optional ukulele, recorder, and Boomwhacker parts.
GIVE THANKS (K-3) This beautiful, lyrical, easy-to-learn song has a B section that you can personalize to the special persons in attendance. The easy Orff arrangement enhances the sound of those beautiful children’s voices.
LOVE SOMEBODY (K-3) This classic song with new B section is heartwarming when performed with heart props. The simple melody, supporting and easy Orff arrangement, and heartfelt sentiment is perfect for the special people in our lives. For barred instruments and optional ukulele.
Grandparent’s Day Songs – Singles
Music K8 has LOTS of songs written about grandparents. Some teacher favorites are Happy Grandparent’s Day, So Glad to See You, A Song for Grandparent’s Day, Family Reunion, Blessings On This Day, We Love Our Grandparents, Happy Grandparent’s Day, What Do You Call Your Grandma/Grandpa? and more.
My Girl/My Guy by Smoky Robinson changed to Grandma/Grandpa
Grandma’s Hands by Bill Withers
Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days) by The Judds
Re-write of All About That Bass
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Grandparent’s Day Skits
Here are links to some fun skits! Pair a skit with several songs for a meaningful program for those very special people!
Ruth Crawford Seeger, composer and folk music specialist, had an amazing career and influence in the world of classical and folk music. Her music was different and exciting because she mixed old and new sounds together. People of all ages still love listening to her music today.
1901: Born on July 3 in Ohio
1919-1921: Attended the American Conservatory of Music in Boston
1932: Married Charles Seeger
1953: Died in Maryland
Ruth and Charles had four children: Mike (folk musician), Peggy (folk singer), Barbara, and Penny. Ruth also had three stepsons Charles, John, and Pete (folk singer/activist.)
Early Music Period (1922-1929)
1920s: Ruth began studying piano performance but switched to composition.
A spring classic for the elementary classroom is Vivaldi’s Spring from The Seasons. Are you looking for this classic taught with ACTIVE music-making?
This resource with lots of movement teaches students to play and sing (new Spring lyrics) the main theme to Vivaldi’s Spring Concerto with Orff barred instrument ostinati, AND a recreation of the thunderstorm using instruments.
PLAYING this famous theme, not just LISTENING to it
The “B section” thunderstorm is SO fun
Learning with speech and movement
Differentiated with the use of colors, images, and stepwise learning
An ARTS Integration activity-draw a picture! (see art activity below)
Teacher helpers with
higher-order questions
“I Can” statements
a pre-filled checklist that can go into your evaluation folder
Resource Reviews
Visualizing Vivaldi: A Spring Listening & Art Activity
Now it’s time to draw the imagery the music creates! This is one of my favorite lessons because it extends and complements playing and learning the music, plus it becomes a magnificent bulletin board, “Vivaldi’s Spring: When Music Paints a Picture.”
Connecting Music and Imagination
After reading and discussing the poetic inspiration behind Vivaldi’s Spring—a happy spring day with birds, brooks, and a sudden thunderstorm—we listened to the piece and brought the imagery to life through student drawings.
Each student received half of an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper to work on. We listened to Spring several times as students pencil sketched their ideas.
Next came the coloring stage with crayons. I encouraged students to *color thoroughly, leaving no white spaces.
They could only use white if they asked permission and explained why it needed to be white. We looked at lots of images of clouds and skies to determine that there really isn’t that much white around.
To finish, students **outlined their drawings with black felt-tip markers or Sharpies to make their images pop and stand out visually. This outlining step gave the artwork a polished, vivid quality and tied it together beautifully.
*This was to discourage getting done quickly and scribbling. It works. **I learned this from a brilliant elementary art teacher. It makes a world of difference in the final product.
Sharing Our Work
Once the drawings were complete, we got in a circle with our finished artwork. We slowly walked around the circle to view all the creations. This reflective, gallery-style walk encouraged conversation, observation, and appreciation of how music can “look” different to each of us.
A Bulletin Board That Pops
I collected the drawings and created a classroom display, Vivaldi’s Spring: “When Music Paints a Picture.” Other fun option might be “What Vivaldi’s Spring Looks Like” or “If You Could See the Music…”. I also included the relevant national standards:
MU:Re8.1.3a Demonstrate and describe how a response to music can be informed by the structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as personal and social).
MU:Cn11.0.3a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
This visual display not only celebrated student creativity but also reinforced listening skills and expressive interpretation. These are core elements of any well-rounded music program.
Whether the Weather-perfect for spring (although my poor dog hates thunderstorms!) with this classic rhyme with multi-lesson resource using barred instruments.
🌼 For more ideas, use the search bar at the top right of every page! Or the dropdown category search below it.
You can now sing, do the motions, and PLAY this Irish favorite, The Rattlin’ Bog, with a lively Orff barred instrument arrangement (and optional ukulele part) for St. Patrick’s Day, all during March, or whenever you want that cumulative song, breathless laughter FUN!
“We Shall Not Be Moved” transforms itself into a song to remember Black History, Civil Rights, freedom rights around the world, and the power of music with its simplistic style perfect for learning in the music classroom. Perfect for exploring in class or performances, and easily integrated into-
If you are looking for an accessible instrumental piece in 6/8 meter for barred instruments with an Orff arrangement, this is it! Taught step-by-step, this classic tongue twister rhyme is perfect for winter, spring, or really any time of the year there is weather 🤣.
An added plus is the language arts lesson on synonyms. Put that on your end-of-year evaluation!
For grades 3-6, this over 50-slide resource is in both PowerPoint and Google Slide versions. Listen to the music on TPT!
