One of my favorite things is maple syrup.  A few years ago I visited a sugar shack in upstate NY and learned all about how they tap maple trees to make maple syrup.  So fun, and so tasty!  Here is a song I wrote about it. Pat the beat on your legs (alternating L R) as I sing it to you.  

The Maple Trail 
by Rob DelGaudio

Now, sing along with me.

Next, let’s move to the song.  Each time we sing it, we’ll replace “let’s go” with something new:

Walking down the maple trail… 
Hopping down the maple trail… 
Tiptoeing down the maple trail… 
Skating down the maple trail…
Marching down the maple trail…

Move to mallets and remove A and B bars.  See the mallet dot map.

The dots show us which notes to play.  The same color means play together.  Different colors means to alternate.  Let’s play along to the song using each of the different borduns.

Mini Melodies Exploration

Here are 4 different mini melodies.  Please echo me:

Pan-cake (SOL, MI)  (half note, half note)
Ma-ple sy-rup (DO, RE, MI, SOL) (quarter, quarter, quarter, quarter)
Ma-ple stick (DO, RE, MI) (quarter, quarter, quarter)
Yum-my yum (MI, RE, DO) (quarter, quarter, quarter)

Can you figure out which mini melody I hum? (hum each mini melody for class to decode)

Move to mallets and remove F and B bars.  See mallet dot map.

Looking at the dots and arrows visual, can anyone figure out how to play PAN-CAKE?  (G, E) 

Let’s practice them each on our own/together as a group.

Next, we’ll echo.  I’ll play one and the whole class will play it back.

Can a few volunteers play their favorite mini melody?

What if we we put 2 mini melodies together to make a longer phrase?

For example:  “Ma-ple sy-rup yum-my yum” (DO, RE, MI, SOL, MI, RE, DO)

Let’s echo again.  I’ll play two and the whole class will play them back.

Compose your own by putting two mini melodies together. After some practice time, let’s share!

Put It Together

Let’s combine our Maple Trail song with our mini melodies.  

A section – sing the first two lines of The Maple Trail

B section – 4 people share their mini melodies (one at a time)

We’ll go back and forth ABAB, etc… until all have shared!

Click here to download a pdf of this lesson.