A Reflective Lens: Music Pedagogical Research to Transform Practice | Page 78

Becoming a Reflective Practitioner:
A Music Teacher’s Exploration of Singing Games

Pupils had also been introduced to clapping routines which
aid the pupils in adopting discipline and good listening
skills.
I began my research assuming that my Primary 3 pupils
would enjoy playing with each other regardless of gender.
Through my initial observations of the class, I did not feel
that there were any apparent cliques. However, as the
lessons progressed, it became apparent that there were
groups of pupils who tended to play amongst themselves,
and boys and girls did not interact that much. Thus, I took
steps in my lesson plans to change this situation.
From the start, I adopted a “playful” approach in my
lessons; even for warm-ups. I included physical toe to head
movements to get their little bodies ready for class; such
as ending with the little “blast-off” star jump which they all
looked forward to. To increase the suspension of their jump,
I would lower my voice and decelerate my tempo then
suddenly shout out a loud “Blast OFF!”. At other times,
warm-ups would involve a siren vocal exercise with a pupil
conductor leading the class in roller coaster movements.
The Design of Singing Games
Singing games are defined as “any structured activity in
which there is an element of suspense and challenge and
in which the participants have fun” (Hotchkiss & Athey,
1978) and which involves singing.
Kodály also strongly believed that singing games involving
movement are very critical for a child’s musical development
in which “singing connected with movement and action is
a much more ancient and, at the same time, more complex
phenomenon than is a simple song” (Kodály, n.d.). The use
of singing games is to get “the children (to) beg to sing
them over and over again. Keeping practice fresh is not a
problem” as Walker (2011, p.117) shared in her study of
singing games.

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