Lesson ideas
So-La-Mi! (I pronounce it like “salami.”)
1. I sing a pattern of solfege with Curwen hand signs.
- In younger grades, I only sing mi, so or mi, so and la in different orders, such as:
- In older grades, I sing more syllables (such as pentatonic: do, re, mi, so, and la). I begin by only singing 3 notes at a time. I make it more difficult by singing a longer pattern, such as:
2. They echo.
3. If I sing “so la mi” in that exact order, they should not echo.
4. All students stand. If they echo correctly with hand signs to the best of their ability, they keep playing. If not, they are out. If anyone even begins to sing after I sing “so la mi,” that student is out. I tell everyone not to argue and not to tell on anyone else. We play this game for only a few minutes, and I minimize any winning and losing. I tell them it doesn’t really matter. We are just practicing our singing.
2 thoughts on “Solami Game”
We play a similar game. I call it Cute Young Things (Students) Vs. Old Lady (Teacher). This way, we play as a class and I don’t have to single out individuals to sit out (obviously, I can tell who is matching pitch and/or singing/not singing the correct pitches). I like how in your version, you ramp up the difficulty adding rhythm and other pitches.
That’s awesome, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing!