Instrumental Year 6 Notations - Rocky mountain stick notation

The song "Rocky Mountain" is a traditional piece that has been adapted for Year 6 students to learn about rhythm and pitch using stick notation and solfa. The notation is laid out in a manner that corresponds with the syllables of the lyrics, making it easier for children to follow and understand the relationship between the musical notes and the words of the song. The first line, "Rock - y moun-tain rock – y mount-ain rock - y mount-ain high," is set to the pitches A, A, A, A/B, A, A/B, G in solfa, with corresponding hand signs for do (D), do (D), do (D), mi (M), do (D), do (D), do (D), mi (M), do (D), do (D), do (D), mi (M), so (S). This pattern is designed to teach children the rhythm and melody of the song in a visual and interactive way.

In addition to solfa, the song "Rocky Mountain" is also presented with note names to give children an alternative method of learning music notation. The same rhythmic pattern is used, but with the actual note names: C, C, C, E, C, C, C, E, C, C, C, E, G for the first line. This approach helps students to associate the solfa syllables with the corresponding notes on the musical scale. The second line, "When you're on that rock - y mount-ain hang your head and cry," follows a similar pattern with note names A, G, E, C, A, G, E, C, E, E, D, D, C. This dual approach of teaching both solfa and note names ensures a comprehensive understanding of musical notation for young learners.