Are you searching for a fun and attainable winter holiday song for your elementary music class or performance? African Noel is a simple joyful song that will become a favorite for you and your students.
This arrangement includes three levels of differentiation with suggested activities for each grade. Tailor your approach to meet your students where they are. African Noel can be a dual-purpose song to celebrate Christmas or Kwanzaa. The K-5 differentiated activities in this arrangement make it perfect for all-school performances.
Teaching Strategies and Activities
Here are some teaching strategies and activities that can be used when teaching the song African Noel:
- Song and Form: Teach the form and song at the same time.
- Read the Rhythm: Even though the rhythm is simple, don’t skip this step. If ties are new to your students, begin by reading the rhythm without the ties, then demonstrate how the ties simply slide into the next note without re-articulating.
- Sing the Pitches: To provide for differentiation, the music is notated both with and without note name prompts. Slides may be printed to assist individual students if necessary.
Engaging Students with Movement and Rhythm
Young children “check out” if they sit too long. Add movement near the middle of a class session. If your students are ready, read the rhythm pattern first.
Body Percussion
Identify students’ left knee as the lower pitch of the bongos and their right knee as the higher pitch. Practice using body percussion on students’ knees while reading rhythm patterns and/or the accompanying lyrics.
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Playing Instruments
When teaching the bongo patterns, it’s important to identify the higher and lower drums. Learn Each Pattern Separately. If your students are not yet reading treble clef notes (and even if they are) this is a good opportunity to draw their attention to high/low and how the patterns match the instrument.
Use the xylophone template provided in this lesson to demonstrate what the patterns LOOK like. Direct students to use their fingers as mallets, point them at the board, and “air play” and sing the pitches as you demonstrate. When playing two notes at once, I have students sing the lower pitch and maintain an interval of a 3rd. They catch on quickly. DON’T SKIP the “Air Play” practice.
Form
Draw students’ attention again to the form of the song.
Why Choose African Noel?
African Noel is an energetic joyful Winter Holiday Song for your elementary music Christmas concert or classroom. This versatile song and activities are perfect for Christmas or Kwanzaa. You’ve found a perfect holiday song that will be a classroom favorite for years to come. And with the differentiated activities, African Noel “grows” with your students.
This tried and true song has proven to be highly effective in countless Holiday Music Programs, involving thousands of students.
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African Noel - Orff Instrument Play Along
Testimonials
Here's what educators are saying about African Noel:
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Farrah F. - I used African Noel with my 4th and 5th graders who come to me for enrichment. I love how there are different options for use with keyboard instruments or unpitched percussion… We rotated through different combinations of parts so they were able to play a variety of instruments. I liked how the slides progressed and used marked and unmarked note heads.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jennifer M. - My students loved this! I have a 2/3/4 split class, so the differentiated rhythms allowed me to assign instruments to different grades.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Veronica - I was having a hard time finding a piece for our Holiday concert for grade 6. When I showed them the song for this resource, they loved it! ….. It worked out great! The students were very excited with the results.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Steven A. - My students benefitted from the clear structure of this piece. I’ve tried to use the choral arrangement of “African Noel” but it didn’t appeal to my ESL students (whole school). Now I found a chance to get them energized!
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Christina C. - So much fun! Loved that it is leveled so many of my classes can participate at the level they are at!
Do you need more Diverse Winter Holiday Songs for your classroom or performance? Take a peek at this post.
| Grade Level | Activity | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| K-2 | Step Dance | Unpitched Percussion |
| 3-5 | Read the Rhythm | Keyboard Instruments |
| All Grades | Body Percussion | Bongos |
About the Author
Terri Lloyd is an experienced music educator with over 25 years of teaching in elementary music classrooms. She holds a Master’s in Education, an Instructional Technology Certificate in Curriculum Design, and a Bachelor of Music. She presents music education workshops, develops curriculum, and writes for her blog. She is on the music staff at her church and leads a children’s program. She performs as a active community musician with a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and at various events.
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