MAPSLyrics Out of Place
Summary
Sing a familiar song with the lyrics deliberately shifted out of place while keeping the melody unchanged — move the last word of each phrase to the very front, or start from the second word. Students break the habit of singing lyrics and melody as one unit, and train memory, focus and coordination. For Grades 5–6; 1 to many players; 10–15 minutes.
Procedures
- 1
Sing a song together first.
- 2
Move the last word of each phrase to the very front and sing again (melody unchanged) .
- 3
Start singing from the second word of the original song (melody unchanged).
- 4
Try the same tricks with other songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”.
- 5
Sing together while reading the notation.
Variations
1. Students may find this hard at first — sing one phrase at a time.
2. Don't play accompaniment; singing at a slower tempo makes it easier.
3. If students do well, challenge them by shifting two words at a time.
Activity Preparation
1.Music scores or lyrics on the board for songs the class already knows;
Students should already be able to sing the original songs.
Activity Sources
- Source Type:
- Textbook / Book
- Source:
- Music Classroom Games: 53 Ways to Teach Music Well — Step One, activity “Lyrics Out of Place”
MAPS teaching activities may come from a variety of sources, including original contributions by the MAPS team, online resources, published materials, activities learned from teachers, activities shared by colleagues, traditional teaching practices, and other sources. When a source can be reasonably identified, we make every effort to acknowledge it on the relevant activity page or in the accompanying reference information.
Some content may be organized, translated, structured, or adapted by the MAPS team for specific teaching contexts. Such editorial or instructional adaptation does not mean that MAPS claims ownership of the underlying third-party material. Rights to third-party content remain with the original authors, publishers, or other lawful rights holders.
If you are an author, copyright holder, or authorized representative and have questions or concerns regarding the source, attribution, or use of any content, please contact us:
Email: musicactivityps@gmail.com
Lyrics Out of Place
Summary
Sing a familiar song with the lyrics deliberately shifted out of place while keeping the melody unchanged — move the last word of each phrase to the very front, or start from the second word. Students break the habit of singing lyrics and melody as one unit, and train memory, focus and coordination. For Grades 5–6; 1 to many players; 10–15 minutes.
Procedures
- 1
Sing a song together first.
- 2
Move the last word of each phrase to the very front and sing again (melody unchanged) .
- 3
Start singing from the second word of the original song (melody unchanged).
- 4
Try the same tricks with other songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”.
- 5
Sing together while reading the notation.
Variations
1. Students may find this hard at first — sing one phrase at a time.
2. Don't play accompaniment; singing at a slower tempo makes it easier.
3. If students do well, challenge them by shifting two words at a time.
Activity Preparation
1.Music scores or lyrics on the board for songs the class already knows;
Students should already be able to sing the original songs.
Activity Sources
- Source Type:
- Textbook / Book
- Source:
- Music Classroom Games: 53 Ways to Teach Music Well — Step One, activity “Lyrics Out of Place”
MAPS teaching activities may come from a variety of sources, including original contributions by the MAPS team, online resources, published materials, activities learned from teachers, activities shared by colleagues, traditional teaching practices, and other sources. When a source can be reasonably identified, we make every effort to acknowledge it on the relevant activity page or in the accompanying reference information.
Some content may be organized, translated, structured, or adapted by the MAPS team for specific teaching contexts. Such editorial or instructional adaptation does not mean that MAPS claims ownership of the underlying third-party material. Rights to third-party content remain with the original authors, publishers, or other lawful rights holders.
If you are an author, copyright holder, or authorized representative and have questions or concerns regarding the source, attribution, or use of any content, please contact us:
Email: musicactivityps@gmail.com
