I read to my music classes regularly. When I do, I try find musical elements within the books. This is one book I just couldn't pass up! Who wouldn't want to watch kids explore as they play in the mud like a cow, pig, or duck? Plus, hearing them make the sounds of the animals (or the mud) makes me smile every time.
The thing that clinched it for me was listening to my oldest daughter create an ostinato as I read to our youngest daughter at home. She couldn't resist the "wishy washy, wishy washy" in the story. That's when I knew it was destined to be a classroom piece.
And I couldn't resist coming up with 2 other ostinatos. Notice that I is 2 beats, II is 4 beats, and III is 8 beats.
If you wanted to, you could turn III into a call & response piece using the sounds of the animals: cow (moo), pig (oink), duck (quack), mud (squish).
The recording process was really good for the students because it recreated a performance kind of atmosphere. In addition, it gave me a good starting point for the year. I will have to upload one of the versions later on.
I plan on trying this with my first graders down the road but it is way too early right now! Hope you enjoy.
UPDATE: Here is a rough version of the ostinatos together
wishy_washy_wyss.mp3 |