Thom Borden, Clinician thom.borden@gmail.

com

Purposeful Play ​ Singing Games

and Play Parties in the Orff Schulwerk Classroom

Prepared ​for the ​

Portland

Orff Chapter Oct

​
12, 2019

Thom Borden, Clinician

thom.borden@gmail.com
 www.thomborden.com
www.thomborden.blogspot.com

www.creativemusicclassrooms.com
OPENING ACTIVITY
OPENING MOVEMENT: Les Bastringue (French Canadian Folk Music)
➢ ​A Section: T. “Do you want to dance?” – S. “Yes, I do!” ​➢ ​Invite students to clap on what the
words say. ​➢ ​B Section: Take 16 steps to new location – Repeat. ​➢ ​A Section: Invite students to
find a partner. Put the T-words on patsch – S-words on partner-claps. ​➢ ​B Section: Take 16 steps
to find a new partner. ​➢ ​B Section: Add R-arm, L-arm swing.
OPENING ACTIVITY
​ 011. ​Reproduced by permission of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Exclusively for Training Materials – Thom
From ​Spotlight on Music, © 2

Borden, Clinician All Rights Reserved. ​

A JOURNEY L​ anguage for rhythm patterns by Thom
Borden
Let’s go north, let’s go south. Let’s go north, let’s go south. Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go north and south.
One! (rest) Two! (rest) (rest) We passed a Rest – stop, Rest – stop, Rest – stop, Rest – stop.
Let’s take a trip! East. West. Let’s take a trip! You know best.
Adapted by T Borden
Out in the snow.
Thom Borden, Clinician thom.borden@gmail.com

Process for teaching body

levels:
Teach the poem using body actions. Teach play-along
rhythms using body percussion suggestions below:
Body Levels for the rhythms in the
play-along
• Perform rhythm with claps—touch shoulders on
rest.
• Perform notate rhythm with claps and rests with
stamps.
• Perform quarter note rhythms with claps, rests with stamps, eighth-notes with
snaps.
• Add play-along body percussion to
poem.

Recording GR 4 Spotlight on Music, 2011. Used with permission. Other

options: Jungle Moon by Brent Lewis, Music of Henri Samba or Kalani.

​ 011. ​Reproduced
From ​Spotlight on Music, © 2
by permission of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.
Exclusively for Training Materials. All Rights
Reserved.

IMPROVISATION ACTIVITY: ​Invite students to play the recording. Create a B Section

to provide an improvisation activity. Place 8 “B” cards in a line. After playing the song,
play the B pattern to create the B section. Gradually replace some of the B cards with A
and G cards, always keeping 8 cards total. Begin turning over cards and allowing
student to play a different note for the card that is turned over. Continue until all 8 cards

are turned over and student is making up notes for each card using B-A- G. ​Start

removing one cards at a time, but still requesting student to play 8 notes until all cards

have been
​ removed.

For additional fun, invite a different (or previous) student to use a pointer to
“conduct” the student’s improvisation. Use a frog hand puppet to hold the pointer
and have the “conductor” hop from note to note. Lots of fun creating, playing and
conducting waiting to happen!

EXTENSION ACTIVITY: ​Add a G-E pattern to create a 2-part recorder activity. Invite 2
or 3 students to improvise after each time the song is played to create a FROG RONDO
song. Create Orff orchestration from that – using GR 3 concepts – broken bordun and
m-r-d patterns.

(This complete activity along with all printable pocket charts and printable student improvisation
cards are available on ​Frog in the Meadow – a ​ n interactive white board CD-ROM from Creative
Music Classrooms at www.creativemusicclassrooms.com.)
Thom Borden, Clinician thom.borden@gmail.com
Thom Borden, Clinician thom.borden@gmail.com

Knuffle
Bunny

Willems, M. ​Knuffle Bunny​. Hyperion Books for Children: New York,

2004. ISBN: 0-78-681870-0
MATERIALS: ​die-cut shapes of socks with melodic patterns (rhythmic patterns can also
be used)

SONG SELECTIONS: ​John, the Rabbit

– adapted by Thom Borden
Oh, Knuffle Bunny – Oh, Yes! Oh, Knuffle Bunny – Oh, Yes! Has a might bad habit –
Oh, Yes! Of jumpin’ in the dryer – Oh, Yes! With shirts he jumbled – Oh, Yes! And
socks he tumbled – Oh, Yes! ​SOCKS IN THE DRYER ​And if I live – Oh, Yes! ​Socks in
the washer, socks in the dryer. ​To see next Fall – Oh, Yes! ​Take a sock out – sing low
or higher. I​ won’t leave – Oh, Yes! Original Poem by Thom Borden Knuffle Bunny
behind – Oh, Yes!

ACTIVITY: Movement ​➢ Sing the song – have children listen for

the repeating “Oh, yes!” ➢ Invite them to sing the response. ➢
Invite them to clap their hands on “Oh, yes!” ➢ Invite them to put
a rabbit puppet on their finger and sing “Oh, yes!” ➢ Invite them to
HOP to the circle with their puppet on “Oh, yes!”

GAME: Melodic Match-ups Materials: sock patterns with melodic (or rhythmic)
patterns, washing machine, plastic baskets ​➢ Have children take a sock from the
washing machine. ➢ The child must sing the “sock” that was chosen. ➢ If the child sings
correctly, he or she keeps the sock. ➢ The child with the most socks wins.

Extension: Add a black sock in the washer. The child that pulls the black sock must sing ALL of
the other socks that have been chosen. If successful, then the child will automatically win the
game.

Extension 2: Have the children try pulling socks in pairs. If they pull 2 different socks, they must
sing both patterns to keep the socks. However, if they pull a matching pair, and can sing the
pattern correctly, they receive an additional turn pulling a pair from the washer.

Extension 3: Use the inside cover of the book to sing ​m-r-d p​ atterns. After demonstrating the
patterns of the machine fronts, have children sing the patterns that are pointed out. Invite a
child to point out a different pattern. Each time, a new pattern is sure to be revealed.

Little Bo
Peep

Based on Little Bo Peep – Mother

Goose

Music for Children, Vol. 2, Two Instrumental Pieces – 8: No. 2, p 98, Murray
ed. (Language created for rhythms found in Vol. 2 by T. Borden, 2019)
 Section A: Lil’ Bo Peep has lost her sheep, lost her sheep and doesn’t know

where. ​Leave them alone and they will come home. Yes, leave them alone

– they’ll come home.

​

Section B: Wiggle and waggle their tails behind. Oh, yes, they’ll wiggle
their tails behind. Wiggle and waggle their tails behind. Oh, yes, they’ll
waggle their tails

Process: Teach the poetry by rote – 1 line; 2 lines; 4 lines Add body
percussion to poem – put into 4-beat 2 part canon; put into 2-beat 4 part
canon.

May I Bring a Friend ​de Regniers, B. ​May I Bring a

​ laddin Books: New York, 1989.
Friend? A
ISBN: 978-0-689-71353-3 ​Game
Formation: Seated
Circle Materials: rhythm blocks or rhythm cubes ​Process: ​Share the book using
the folk song ​All Around the Buttercup ​or ​Daisy Chain​. After each meal at the
palace, the king, queen and the boy go into the royal gardens.

PAGE’S POEM​: ​“The King and Queen sent me to say, “Come to the palace

on Sunday (day changes each time); but, before I leave you this fine day,

these are the rhythms you must say.”

While saying the page’s poem, give one student 8 rhythm blocks to roll out and
place in a rhythmic line. After saying the poem, invite the student to say or
say/play the rhythm created. Repeat the poem as the rhythm blocks are
passed along to the next student.
Thom Borden, Clinician thom.borden@gmail.com

Mother Goose Troika ​Traditional dance steps

adapted by Thom Borden ​The Russian folk dance “Troika” was
originally a dance for a man and two women.

MOVEMENT​: Folk Dance ​FORMATION​: Trio dance groups as spokes of a wheel, arms
in V-position. Meter is 12/8 ​MUSIC​: Story of a Heart – Benny Andersson Band – TK 8:
 Song from the Second Floor – Music available on I-tunes. Extended Version created with
Musicraft 5.1 Software

PROCESS​: INTRO: 4
measures of 3

SECTION A: Measure Count Step 1 – 4 1 – 12 Walk forward beginning on

R foot. 5 – 8 1 – 12 Middle and inside raise arms to make an arch.
Outside walks through arch beginning on R foot, continue through arch.
As Outside goes through arch, Middle starts turning under raised arms as
Outside pulls him/her through. Outside continues to original place as Middle continues to
turn. 9 – 12 1 – 12 Walk forward beginning on R foot. 13 – 16 1 – 12 Repeat 5-8 with
Inside – pulling Middle through.

Extension: The verses of “All the Pretty Little Horses” can be sung softly during the A Section
of this music.

SECTION B: Measure Count Step 17 - 24 1 – 24 Each trio forms a small circle. Holding
hands, begin walking CW. 25 – 32 1 – 24 Trio reverses direction – walking CW.

Extension: Have narrative readers stand in the center of the circle. Familiar nursery rhymes are
added as dramatic readings during the B Section. Nursery Rhyme suggestions include: Jack
and Jill; Old Mother Hubbard; Little Miss Muffet; Old King Cole; etc.
Thom Borden, Clinician thom.borden@gmail.com
Thom Borden, Clinician thom.borden@gmail.com

POSSUM COME A-KNOCKIN’

​ ragonfly Books: New York, 1992.

Van Lann, N. ​Possum Come a-Knockin’. D
ISBN: 978-0-679-83468-0

Materials: clave-heads, ​Possum Come a-Knockin’ ​children’s book

• Teach “​At the Door.”

• Use at the beginning and ending of the story – Intro/Coda.W – Women; M –
Men.

W: At the door M: The kitchen door, the kitchen door.

W: Who’s at the door? M: The kitchen screen door.

 W: Granny in her chair was rockin’, Ma and Pa the door unlockin’, M:
Ma and Pa the door unlockin’.

W: At the door M: The kitchen screen door.

• Have children respond with “Knock, knock. Whose there?” after each “. . .
comes a-knockin’ at the door” in the story.

W: Knock, knock.
M: Who’s there?

Music For Children, Vol. 1, page 69 Murray ed. (Language created for rhythms
found in Vol. 1 by T. Borden, 2008)

GAME: Passin’ the Possum Materials: Possum toy

(purchased from Cracker Barrel)
➢ Have one child play ​sol-mi ​pattern on xylophone while passing the possum on the steady
beat. ➢ When the children hear “. . . knockin’ at the door” they respond, “Knock, knock.” The
child holding
the possum toy sings the ​sol-mi ​response, “Who’s there?” ➢ The game
continues around the circle, changing the xylophone player as you like.
Thom Borden, Clinician thom.borden@gmail.com