Amy M. Burns

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Rhythm Play-Along: Happy Birthday!

This video is for birthday celebrations if you can celebrate them in your music classroom. This video will cover all of your students' birthdays throughout the school year. Like my videos? Please consider buying me a cup of coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech

Musical Concepts

The musical concepts covered are 3-meter, 4-meter, accents, quarter, half, dotted half, whole, and eighth notes, along with triplets. The triplets are approached by the conductor (a birthday hat) pointing to the macrobeat. For performing the triplets, I suggest using the rhythm counting system that you have used with your students. I suggest the word “Straw-ber-ry” or it could be “1-trip-let 2-trip-let”, etc.

Songs

The songs included are:

  • Hill, M. & Hill, P. (disputed). (1893). Happy Birthday to You.[Recorded by iMovie].

  • Lopez, G. & Sylvia, M. (1957). Happy, Happy Birthday Baby. [Recorded by The Tune Weavers]. B-Side of Ol' Man Rover, Casa Grand Label, 1957. Wonder, S. (1981).

  • Happy Birthday. Hotter Than July, Motown Label, 1980.

  • Bell, R.N., Brown, G.M., Deodato, E., Mickens, R.S., Smith, C.C., Taylor, J. T., Thomas, D.R., & Toons, E.E. (1980). [Recorded by Kool & the Gang]. Celebrate! De-Lite Label, 1980.

Please feel free to enjoy this rhythm play-along throughout the school year to celebrate students’ birthdays as they pop up. Please also be cognizant to those who do not celebrate birthdays. Then, I would advise to not use this play-along since it focuses on birthdays.