Spirituals are so great! They are usually upbeat and their repetitive lyrics and (usually) pentatonic melodies make them easy to learn and useful as teaching tools for lots of things:
- Recorders (there are lots of B-A-G patterns).
- Melody lessons with pentatonic scale
- Several of them lend themselves to using a bordun on xylophones
- Steady beat - it's easy to find the strong beats in most of these songs - so that lends itself to moving and playing to the beat
- Rhythm - some of them work well to introduce half notes or whole notes
- Adding sign language
- By the way, whenever you see eighth notes notated in the spirituals, feel free to swing them.
- Other related posts: Train Songs, Sacred Music in Public Schools, Do Re Mi Songs, Follow the Drinking Gourd, BAG Songs, More BAG Songs
All Night, All Day
Angel Band
Chatter with the Angels - lesson ideas
Come and Go with Me to That Land - 3rd grade program
Do, Lord
Down By the Riverside
Dry Bones
Ezekiel Saw the Wheel
Follow the Drinking Gourd - lesson idea
Free At Last
Git on Board
Go Down, Moses
Goin' to Shout
Good News
Great Mornin'
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
I'm Gonna Sing When the Spirit Says Sing
I Want to Rise in the Early Morn
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
Mary and Martha
My Father's House
Oh, Freedom
Old Ark's a Moverin'
Oh Won't You Sit Down - lesson ideas
Peace Like a River
Rock-a-My Soul
Rock a My Soul
Roll the Chariot
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Standing in the Need of Prayer
Sun Don't Set in the Mornin' - lesson ideas
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
This Little Light of Mine
This Train - lesson ideas
Uncle Jessie
When the Train Comes Along
Who Built the Ark?
Woke Up This Mornin'
