Going Places Level: Early Grades - Songs & chants

Can You Hear the Train? (dynamics, tempo)

The original song, included here with the permission of Lancashire Music Service, the original publishers, was just one verse but I liked it so much that I made up extra ones. When the children know the song, practise singing it slowly and then gradually quicker.

After singing the song, everyone chant 'Chugging along, chugging along' starting slowly and quietly then getting louder and quicker as the train comes closer, then gradually slower and quieter as the train goes away. The teacher leads the tempo (speed) and dynamics (volume changes) by making a big arc shape with arm movements. For the changes in loud and quiet, encourage whispering through to loud voices, but never shouting.

• Can you hear the train?
• Can you hear the train?
• Speeding through the town and then
• Slowing down again
• __
• Can you hear the bus?
• Can you hear the bus?
• Taking children home from school
• Hope it stops for us
• __
• Can you hear the plane?
• Can you hear the plane?
• Taking us on holiday
• Hope it doesn't rain
• __
• Can you hear the car?
• Can you hear the car?
• Driving to the swimming pool
• Hope it isn't far

Lightly Row

This tune seems to appear in virtually every tutor book for every instrument so it's really well-known but I didn't realise for years that it's actually an old song! Verse 1 lends itself to doing rowing and gliding actions and verse 2 could have splashing and swimming actions. I've altered some of the words to make them more suitable for children.

• Lightly row, lightly row
• Over the glassy waves we go
• Smoothly glide, smoothly glide
• On the silent tide
• __
• Watch me splashing in the sea
• Swimming round so easily
• Then I float in our boat
• On the salty sea