Lemonade (Here I Come)

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Doremi Teach podcast. Today I’m going to teach you a song that’s used to prepare pitch and introduce part work with question and answer

Lemonade

Soloist – Here I come

Class – Where from?

Soloist – Worcester

Class – What’s your trade?

Soloist – Lemonade

Class – Bring us some don’t be afraid

Hello there and welcome to the Doremi Teach podcast. If you’re interested in teaching musical skills and literacy through singing then this is the place for you. My name is Helen Russell from Doremi Connect and I’m going to help you achieve your goals using the Kodály approach.

Benefits of Lemonade

• This song is used to prepare pitch and introduce part work with Question and Answer
• The toneset is mi-so with a range of a Minor 3rd so ideal for little voices and for nervous teachers
• It uses the so-mi motif, which is the easiest for beginner singers to pitch accurately because it is used naturally in playgrounds all over the world, ner-ner ner-ner
• It’s easy to transfer to tuned percussion – just find a minor third like D with F, E with G, A with C or B with D
• The rhythm is very simple, just using ta and titi or crotchets and quavers, so again, easy to sing
• The game involves solo singing

The Game

There are two parts to this song. The class and the soloist, or the lemonade seller.

Once the song is known well you can choose a student to be the soloist

The students stand in a circle, with the soloist in the middle. At the end, the students hold out their cupped hands and the soloist chooses one student and “pours” the lemonade into their cup.

This student is now the new soloist and they swap places.

This song is a challenge for the soloist as they must sing first rather than respond, which is more usual. You can sing “Off you go” on the starting pitch to help the soloist get started if they are reluctant.

Watch out for the soloists changing the starting pitch of the song. The class should match pitch with the soloist.

To create variety and develop improvisational skills, the students can change the name of the location and the type of drink. But they need to make sure their new choice fits the song so as a stepping stone to complete improvisation you can discuss some choices they could make that would fit. For example cherryade and orangeade will both work. Coca cola is popular but doesn’t rhyme, so you can decide if that matters and whether it’s a good talking point.

Make sure you let us know what you think of the episode and do share it with your colleagues if you’ve found it helpful

For more free resources and webinars on teaching music through singing make sure you visit doremiconnect.co.uk and sign up to our daily emails.

I hope you have a lovely week, filled with music and singing.

You’ve been listening to the Doremi Teach podcast with Helen Russell from Doremi Connect. Helping you achieve your music teaching goals with the Kodály approach.