No Robbers

Welcome to Episode 20 of the Doremi Teach podcast. Today I’m going to teach you a song that’s really useful for developing pulse or steady beat.

No Robbers

No robbers out today

We are singing on our way

No robbers out today

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 No Robbers

This song is really useful for developing pulse or steady beat·
The game involves marching so the pulse is experienced kinaesthetically
The rhythm is simple, ta and titi or crotchets and quavers, so it’s a great song for working on rhythm later
The toneset is mi–so with a range of a Minor 3rd so ideal for little voices and for reluctant teachers
Its so-mi motif 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 ideal for teaching the piano as we can play on any two black keys a skip apart
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
I also use it to experience forte, the loud dynamic

The Game

The game is super simple. It’s just marching around the room singing.

However before you start, remember small children will march faster than adults. We want the march to match the beat so you’ll need to sing faster than you would on your own.

A top tip if you’re not sure how fast to sing is to ask a student to march first, then join in with their tempo.

I also like using untuned percussion to mark the beat aurally while you all march and sing.

This is not a lullaby, so sing loudly forte but remind the children that doesn’t mean shouting!

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.

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