Lesson 1: Learning “You Are My Sunshine”
| Aim: How do we sing solo or in a duet? Summary: Students deepen their understanding of solo and duet while learning to sing “You Are My Sunshine.” Materials: Musical Explorers CD or online audio, scissors, markers or crayons Time Required: 30 minutes (three 10-minute activities) Standards: GA: MK-2GM.1, MK-2GM.6, MK-2GM.7, MK-2GM.6, MK-2GM.9, MK-2GM.10 SC: MGK-2.1, MGK-2.4, MGK-2.5, MGK-2.6 Vocabulary: melody, harmony, solo, duet |
Meet Shannon
- Meet Shannon on SG27.
Sing “You Are My Sunshine”
- Listen to “You Are My Sunshine” (
Track 19).
- Note that Shannon’s version of the song is too low for children’s voices. Practice singing the chorus to the song an octave higher ( Track 20).
- Encourage students to sing in this range when they sing along with Shannon. Read the lyrics out loud to your class.
You Are My Sunshine |
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| You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are gray You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you Please don’t take my sunshine awayThe other night, dear, as I lay sleeping I dreamt I held you in my arms When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken So I hung my head, and I cried You are my sunshine, my only sunshine |
I’ll always love you and make you happy If you will only say the same But if you leave me to love another, You’ll regret it all one dayYou are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are gray You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you Please don’t take my sunshine away |
Explore the Melody in “You Are My Sunshine”
- Review pitch from Unit 3 (Musical Theatre), Lesson 1.
- A group of pitches is called a melody.
- Can you tell when the melody moves higher and when it moves lower?
- Multiple pitches sounding at the same time is called harmony.
- Is there anything different about the chorus and the verse?
- With your students, listen for the times when Shannon sings alone, and when she sings with her friend Barrett.
- When one person sings alone in music is it is called a solo. When two people sing together it is called a duet.
- Ask for a volunteer to sing a solo of the chorus of “You Are My Sunshine.”
- Ask for two volunteers to sing a duet of the chorus.
Moving to “You Are My Sunshine”
- Have your students color and cut out the sun on SG28. When Shannon sings solo, students wave their suns overhead. When she sings with Barrett, have students find a partner in the classroom and sway side to side and sing together.
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Music Teacher Extension: Melodic Contour
Musical Word Wall
Add the word melody, harmony, solo, and duet to the Musical Word Wall.
PDF Downloads
SG27 ↓ Download File
SG28 ↓ Download File
Musical Explorers Audio Tracks