As far as I know, most schools do not include digital delay effects in the school equipment. Therefore the term “Echo songs” has a somewhat different meaning than it might have elsewhere. Just as academic subjects are important for every child, so is their musical development.
Contents
- Finding Some Easy Echo Songs For Schools
- At The Beginning Of The Day
- Music Lessons
- What Is An Echo Song?
- Echo Songs and Call and Response Songs
- An Introduction To More Options
- 1 Purple Light.
- 2 The Bazooka Bubblegum Song.
- 3 Kye Kye Kule.
- 4 No More Pie
- 5 Red Balloon.
- 6 I Met A Bear.
- 7 At The Salad Bar.
- 8 Down By The Bay.
- 9 Take A Little water.
- 10 Snuggling.
- 11 I Can Cook.
- 12 Bill Grogan’s Goat.
- 13 Boom Chicka Boom.
- 14 Sipping Cider Through A Straw.
- 15 Charlie Over The Ocean.
- More 25 Easy Echo Songs For Schools
- Looking for S0ngs for Children or Other Thematic Music?
- Easy Echo Songs For Schools and The Importance of Music
Finding Some Easy Echo Songs For Schools
It is a shame, but some schools do not pay much attention to that side of a child’s life. That can, of course, be for several reasons. Staffing and the money could be two of them.
Nevertheless, there are occasions when you can introduce children to some basic music skills. And it need not cost anything in time or money.
At The Beginning Of The Day
It could be at the start of a day if the school holds an assembly for all the children. Or it could be in the very first lesson of the day in a smaller classroom group. Either way, we can use Echo Songs to teach children how to sing and pitch their voices. Also, exposes them to different rhythms and tempos.
This might seem all very basic, but these are skills that opera singers often use in their warm-up before a concert.
Music Lessons
If the school has music lessons in its curriculum, there is no better way to start. But what songs to sing? Using the same one or two every time would get rather boring. So, what we are going to do here is give you some echo song options. Let’s just make sure we know exactly what an Echo Song is.
What Is An Echo Song?
There is sometimes a little bit of confusion over what an echo song consists of. Let’s just take a minute to explain.
Put in the simplest of terms, it is where the group leader or teacher chants or sings a phrase. Then the group will repeat it exactly as the teacher did, including pitch, rhythm, and tempo. But, let me emphasize that it must be an exact replica of what the teacher or leader sang. No improvisations. That will come later.
Echo songs have some very apparent advantages. There is no teaching required, just copying and repeating. They are often quite happy songs whilst removing the need for any memorization by the children.
Echo Songs and Call and Response Songs
It will help to identify the differences between an “Echo Song” and a “Call and Response Song.” There are some similarities, but there are some important differences between them. We have discussed what an Echo Song is, so let’s just take a quick look at Call and Response.
It is similar to an Echo Song in that there is a song leader and a second part that follows. The difference lies in that with Call and Response, the leader or teacher sings a phrase. But then the group responds in a variety of ways.
Example of Call and Response
The teacher might sing the phrase, and the group can respond with one of three different options. These could be either:
- The same phrase.
- Another recurring phrase that is different.
- Something entirely different.
You will immediately notice that the first option, repeating the same phrase, makes it an Echo Song. Echo songs are a type of Call and Response song. But the other two options are different and cannot be called Echo Songs. Therefore, all Echo Songs can be called Call and Response. But all Call and Response Songs are not Echo Songs.
An Introduction To More Options
Echo Songs are often used as an introduction to Call and Response Songs. This is because they are basic and the easiest kind of Call and Response Songs for the children to master. Once the children have got the hang of Echo, they can move on to other types of Call and Response.
Let’s move on now to having a look at some examples of Echo Songs. Now before starting, these are not the sort of songs you are going to find on YouTube with videos. Most of them are traditional songs that have never been recorded.
Therefore, it might be a good idea if I just list some that I know. At the end, I have enclosed links to some books on Echo Songs that are currently available. These are all popular easy Echo Songs for schools:
1
Purple Light.
2
The Bazooka Bubblegum Song.
3
Kye Kye Kule.
4
No More Pie
5
Red Balloon.
6
I Met A Bear.
7
At The Salad Bar.
8
Down By The Bay.
9
Take A Little water.
10
Snuggling.
11
I Can Cook.
12
Bill Grogan’s Goat.
13
Boom Chicka Boom.
14
Sipping Cider Through A Straw.
15
Charlie Over The Ocean.
More 25 Easy Echo Songs For Schools
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- B-I-N-G-O
- Apples and Bananas
- Down by the Station
- I’m a Little Teapot
- The Wheels on the Bus
- Do Your Ears Hang Low?
- Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
- If You’re Happy and You Know It
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- London Bridge
- Hokey Pokey
- Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
- The Farmer in the Dell
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm
- The Ants Go Marching
- Five Green and Speckled Frogs
- The Itsy Bitsy Spider
- This Old Man
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
- Yankee Doodle
- The Bear Went Over the Mountain
- Hickory Dickory Dock
- Polly Wolly Doodle
- Oh Susanna
There are twenty to be getting on with. You can find many of them on YouTube or in the books I have linked below.
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- The Book of Echo Songs (First Steps in Music series)
- The Book of Echo Songs (Revised)
- The Book of Beginning Circle Games (First Steps in Music series)
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Looking for S0ngs for Children or Other Thematic Music?
We can help you with that. Have a look at our handy articles on the Best Sing-Along Songs, Funny Songs to Sing with Kids, the Top Songs About Home, the Top Karaoke Songs That Anyone Can Sing, the Best Songs About Friendship, or the Best Songs About Dreams for lots of enjoyable music.
You’re going to need to listen to these songs. So, check out our in-depth reviews of the Best Powered Speakers, the Best Bookshelf Speakers, the Best Solar Powered Bluetooth Speakers, the Best Bluetooth Speakers With Radio, the Loudest Portable Bluetooth Speakers, and the Best Wireless Outdoor Speakers you can buy in 2023.
Easy Echo Songs For Schools and The Importance of Music
There are not very many people that do not like music in one form or another. And our love of music starts at a very early age. Even a lullaby sung to a baby in a pram can have remarkable results in terms of how the child reacts to it.
So, when the child starts school, it is important to try and cement that love of music. As I mentioned earlier, not all schools have the funds or the staffing to have dedicated music lessons.
However, all teachers can use Echo Songs with younger children as part of their school day. And the kids are going to love it.“Without music, life would be a mistake.” A quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche.
Until next time, let the music play.
