Call and response is a form of musical dialogue: Someone sings or plays a musical phrase, and someone else (or a group of people) responds, either echoing the phrase back or providing a musical answer.
Call and response stems from a variety of musical traditions, including African, Cuban, folk, and early church music (think cantor and congregation). (source)
Call and response can be a useful teaching tool, as it gives young children an opportunity to listen, imitate, explore the voice, and gain confidence in their singing.
Use a short call and response song at the beginning of your class or rehearsal (a “hello” or another greeting song), in the middle as a change-of-pace activity or game (see singing game ideas below), or at the end (a “goodbye” song).
In this post, you’ll learn three helpful strategies for teaching call and response songs. You’ll also get a list of 40 call and response songs (and musical games) and five collections to use in your children’s choir rehearsals or elementary music classes this year.
How to Teach a Call and Response Song
If you’ve never taught a call and response song before, here are a few strategies:
Have students sit or stand in a circle and keep a steady beat as you go. Begin by singing a simple phrase and having students echo you as a group.
Once students seem comfortable singing together, give them opportunities to sing their name or favorite color or name of a toy they’re holding as a solo.
Consider passing a bean bag, ball, or microphone (prop—not to amplify their sound) around the circle so students know when it’s their turn. Move around the circle in time—avoid stopping in between each student.
40 Call & Response Songs and Games for Elementary Music
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Spirituals
These are a wonderful addition to your teaching repertoire during the month of February (Black History Month), but can easily be used all year.
A Train’s-a-Coming (for more, see Ella Jenkins’ Jambo and Other Call and Response Songs and Chants)
All Night, All Day
Amen, Amen
Barreling on Down the Highway (another one from the Ella Jenkins collection)
Heaven Bell a-Ring
Michael Row the Boat Ashore
Oh, Won’t You Sit Down?
Standing in the Need of Prayer
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Who Built the Ark?
Silly Songs
These are great for quick change-of-pace activities mid-class or rehearsal. Once they know it, invite students to take turns being the leader (with you). Use songs like “Green Grass Grows All Around” and “There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea” to build memory skills. For “Boom Chicka Boom” or “Ham and Eggs,” invite students to sing in a silly voice, such as opera singer, dog, or bird.
Boom Chicka Boom
Down By the Bay
Green Grass Grows All Around
Ham and Eggs
May-ree Mack
Miss Mary Mack
My Aunt Came Back
Oh, In the Woods
Oh, My! No More Pie!
Old Jeremiah
Sally on the Seesaw
The Other Day, I Met a Bear
There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
Teaching Pieces
Some of these are great “hello” or greeting songs you can use at the beginning of class or rehearsal. Others introduce a new language. “Hey Ho” is a good opportunity to experience minor tonality.
Dulce, Dulce (Spanish)
Echoes
Hello There
Hey Ho
Hickety-Pickety Bumblebee
Jambo (Swahili)
John the Rabbit
Sing Hallelu
The World is Big, the World is Small
Who Are You?
Yoo Hoo
Games
Learn the song first, then build upon it in subsequent weeks with choreography, movement, or learning how to play the game.
Charlie Over the Ocean
Doggie, Doggie
Hallelu, Hallelujah
Little Tommy Tucker
Stooping on the Window
Who Has the Penny
Online Seminar
Help your children develop their singing voices.
In this 20-minute seminar, we’ll talk about vocal exploration, breath and movement, and vocal exercises that are appropriate for children’s voices, plus a few ideas for adding in something fun/silly to keep children engaged.
Call and Response Songbooks & Collections
If you’re looking to add a few new collections to your teaching library this year, here are a few to consider that feature call and response songs:
The Ella Jenkins Song Book for Children (Ella Jenkins) - a collection of 26 notated songs and chants for voice and piano.
BeatBox World Music Drumming 101 (Will Schmid) - introduce your students to a variety of world drumming styles as you accompany 12 folk melodies and original songs. Includes audio tracks (with the ability to adjust speed and set loop points) and PDF song sheets and instrumental parts. Great for grades 2-5.
The Nick Page Sing With Us Songbook (Nick Page) - a great classroom resource, but also useful for organizing community sing events. This collection features 28 songs, starting with echo songs, then call and response songs, then unison songs that can also be sung with harmony.
I Sing, You Sing: Learning Songs (Sally Albrecht & Jay Althouse) - featuring 30 call and response songs, students will learn everyday lessons (like crossing the street and answering the telephone), music class fundamentals (like the instruments of the orchestra and major vs. minor), and cross-curricular reinforcements (like identifying the continents and multiplying by two). Great for grades K-4.
Ready Set Sing!: Seasonal Songs, Activities, and Projectable Song Charts (Cristi Cary Miller & Elizabeth Shier) - with new lyrics set to familiar tunes, this resource gives students an opportunity to play a name game, make new friends, move and freeze, echo rhythm patterns, scat sing with call and response, and more. Includes lesson plans, reproducible melody songsheets, and visuals. Great for grades K-2.
I’d love to hear from you:
How do you use call and response songs with your elementary students? Which ones are your favorite?
