Year 3-4 Singing

Keep it fun

• They respond well to moving with music - choreography and actions - or using instruments when they sing.

• Use singing games, or songs with simple actions, for example, Hello Hello song.

• Songs that stimulate the imagination are great for this age too, for example, The Penguin Song.

Focus on tone

• By Year 4, students can start to distinguish whether something is "in tune" as their aural awareness is improving.

• Choose recordings where the singing tone is light and clear (or try to model this) so that students develop their listening skills and ability to sing in tune.

• Remind students not to shout-sing as this is damaging for their voices.

• Check that accompaniments or backing tracks are quiet enough that the students can be heard without shout-singing.

• Get the students to describe what they hear to encourage listening - getting used to listening can help pitching for students who "drone."

Make singing part of the day

Singing can be used in many different ways - building it into your daily routines can be really beneficial!

• Sing or play a song at the beginning and end of the day so students start and end on a high point.

• Use songs as transitions between activities.

• Songs with actions or movements are great as "brain breaks" when students need a chance to re-focus.

• Sing instructions to get students' attention without shouting, for example, "who is listening," with students singing a reply like "I am listening."

• Have specific songs for activities and classroom routines like tidying up at the end of the day.

Use songs to reinforce literacy and learning

• Use songs as a hook to learning, especially if the song includes information relevant to a topic you are studying.

• Use chants and rhymes to reinforce literacy.

• Chanting and singing with a steady pulse will help students with word emphasis.

• Print out the lyrics of songs and get students to - for example - find certain words, or underline capital letters. 

• Singable books - many picture books can be "sung" and there are a number of examples on YouTube, like Over in the Meadow (sung.) 

Explore sound

Year 3 and 4 is a great time to get students singing - they are enthusiastic and confident, and they will enjoy getting to use their voices. 

• Give students guided opportunities to experiment with using their whispering, speaking, singing, shouting and "thinking" (inside their head) voices, and using different sounds and noises.

• Echo games, where the students copy back noises, phrases, or sounds are a great way to help them explore their voices, for example, E Toru Nga Mea or Copycat Rap.

• Use games to show sounds physically, like marching with big steps when the song is loud, and small steps when it is soft.

• Make physical movements that represent sounds, like move like a snake, an elephant, or grow like a tree, in response to music.