Adrian's Top Five
Five call-and-response songs I've used in my classroom.
There is a special feeling in the classroom when, as a teacher, you have planned for and are facilitating a learning experience, and your students are collectively getting it. There is an energy in the room, especially during classroom discussions, when students are sharing ideas that are building on the conceptual understanding of their peers. Each contribution also builds a collective understanding because students are actively listening to each other and expanding on each other’s thoughts. This energy builds to a crescendo, ending with a collective euphoria that resonates with everyone in the room. Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge describes it as the “sharing of understandings that is the glue that binds classroom communities.” I chase after these beautiful moments. When they happen, I seek the next one, and the next one, and the next.
Sometimes, these choreographed moments require me to call everyone’s attention. I hate to break the collective focus, even for just a moment, but sometimes I need to give additional directions or clarifications to students, and then release them back to their flow. Elementary school teachers have a variety of methods for getting 30 students to focus quickly. Some use patterned handclaps. Other teachers use a variety of attention-getting games. I’ve been known to use Give Me Five , which I learned from Harry Wong’s book The First Days of School as a preservice teacher. It has never worked perfectly, but I use it in a knee-jerk reaction because that’s what I was taught.
Over the years, I have practiced different call-and-response techniques using music. Every group of students is different, so each year, I spend time figuring out what works. Here are five of my favorite call-and-response songs that I’ve used in my classroom throughout my career.
1. Can I Kick It? by A Tribe Called Quest
This is my favorite call-and-response song! I show students the music video at the beginning of the year and we play around with me calling out, Can I kick it? and the class responding, Yes you can! each time getting louder and louder. Can I Kick It? is a great way to get students’ attention while slowly building excitement. I use this when I want to lighten the mood in the room or get kids excited about a learning experience.
2. Come and Get Your Love by Redbone
I love this song by Redbone. Our first unit in American History studies Indigenous Americans and the cultural regions of the United States. I teach students that the band named themselves Redbone because it is a Cajun term for multiracial individuals or cultures. The members of Redbone are from Yaqui, Shoshone, and Mexican heritage as well having roots in Texas, Louisiana and California. Most students recognize the song from the opening sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy. The opening is catchy and it works well for getting students’ attention quickly. I usually only need to sing the first word before students reply with their own Hey!
3. I’ll Take You There by The Staple Sisters
When my students get a bit too noisy, even for my taste, I shout out some Staple Sisters and get everyone’s attention. It usually goes something like this:
Mr. N: Somebody, help me now
Students: I’ll take you there.
Mr. N: Help me y’all
Students: I’ll take you there.
Mr. N: Help me now.
Students: I’ll take you there.
The lyric video is a great way to introduce students to the protests songs of the Civil Rights Movement, which united people in the fight to change society. This music is not background music. This music is front and center in the lives of everyday people, social activists, and celebrities, and I love any song that I can use in my instruction.
4. Mickey’s Monkey by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
My voice isn’t always up for some Lum-de-lum-de-la-ey, but when it is, I love singing this Smokey Robinson song to my students. I can guarantee that I sound nothing like Smokey, but I have a lot of fun getting my students’ attention with:
Alright, is everybody ready? (Yes)
Alright now, here we go
A one, a two, a one, two…
Plus, I can’t help dancing, which ALWAYS gets my students’ attention!
5. Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
When all else fails, I pull out Neil Diamond. I use Sweet Caroline sparingly because of its awesome power. All I have to do is sing those magic words, and I can rile up a crowd of students, no matter their age. It is really impressive to me that ten-year-olds in 2024 still know the lyrics to Sweet Caroline. Be warned! If you use Neil Diamond to get your students’ attention, you may have trouble getting them back on task. Just look at Red Sox fans singing it during the 2018 World Series. It’s a musical force!
Not all of these call-and-response songs work with every group of students (except Sweet Caroline, of course; that engages everyone). Some years, I use more traditional attention-grabbers, but I always try to keep it musical. Music is such an important part of my classroom, it feels weird not to use it when I need my students’ attention.
Have a great week!
— Adrian
Resources
Here is a short playlist of some great call-and-response songs. They may not all work with your students, but they are definitely worth a try!
Here are some more traditional call-and-responses you can use with your students. Although they are not my style, most kids have heard them since they were in Kindergarten and will respond to them quickly.
Learning Rhythm Through Gospel | TeachRock
I’m a huge fan of TeachRock. They have incredible resources for teaching history through music. This lesson teaches students about beat, meter, backbeat, subdivision, and syncopation.
Music of the Civil Rights Movement | TeachRock
Another fantastic lesson by TeachRock. I’ve used this one in my class and with my after-school vinyl record club. Each TeachRock lesson comes with free activities, videos, and resources for helping students see the connections between music and history.
This video by teacher, Jerusha Willenborg looks like a fun way to get students’ attention. I want to try this with my students and see how it goes. If we can all learn it, I bet it sounds amazing. I’ll keep y’all posted!
This year, I have 18 boys and 9 girls in my class. My girls have become a tight group considering they are surrounded by a lot of boy energy. Whenever I need to rebalance the energy in the room, I play Chappel Roan. I’m experimenting this year with using H-O-TT-O-G-O as another call-and-response song. My boys hate it. I love it!
Want some more of Adrian’s Top 5? Check out a few of my archived posts1.
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I tried Sweet Caroline after reading this. I thought it sounded great.
I was too great. The kids were so excited to use it that they shouted the damn song! I asked them to do it more quietly and they got louder still. To them, this was the funniest thing in the world.
Back to Bob the Builder and Spongebob Squarepants for now.
This is gold. Thank you.