Chord Roots in Dorian

Post date: Mar 20, 2013 8:14:37 PM

First graders learned the song "I See The Moon", but they learned it without words. When songs or chants are presented with text, the children tend to focus on the text rather than on the musical content of the song or chant. The texts, in such a case, inhibit music learning.

Next, they learned how to sing the chord roots to the song, which are kind of like the framework of the song. "I See The Moon" is in dorian tonality, so that means the chord roots are step 1 and step 7 of the dorian scale. SInging chord roots in dorian rather than major or minor can be easier for some young students because the two notes are only a step away from each other.

Lastly, students learned how to play the chord roots on boomwhackers. Boomwhackers are single-note instruments that I primarily use in my music classes to outline chords while we sing.