Kodály Method · Elementary Music · PreK–Grade 6

Kodály Songs for Your Classroom
Sequenced, Demonstrated, Ready to Teach

A library of 150+ folk songs organized by solfège set, grade level, and musical concept — every one demonstrated on video, exactly the way Kodály teachers need.

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150+
Folk songs
PreK–6
Every grade
Video
Every song
100+
Countries

The Kodály teacher's problem

You know your sequence. Finding the right song for each step is the hard part.

You have a carefully built scope and sequence. You know the solfège set you're introducing this week. But hunting through books, binders, and YouTube to find a song that's the right pitch set, the right grade, and actually demonstrated well — that takes far longer than it should.

The Singing Classroom organizes its entire library by solfège syllable set, grade level, and musical concept. Search for what you need and find it in minutes, not an evening.

See it for yourself

Watch a song demonstrated the Kodály way

Every song in the library is demonstrated on video like this one, through Deborah's teaching videos or the bunnies animations. Here's Apple Tree, a do-pentatonic circle game for K–2 — quarter notes and paired eighths throughout, with do arriving just once, at the very end.

Animation by Deborah Skydell Pasternack

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Browse by solfège sequence

Songs organized the way Kodály teachers teach

Select a solfège set to see songs from the library — with grade level, game type, and concept tags so you can find what fits your sequence immediately. You can also browse by circle games, rounds and part singing, animal songs, or the songs that still work in 6th grade.

The falling minor third — the first pitch set, where the singing voice and inner hearing begin.

Pizza, Pizza
Grades 1st-4th
Sol-mi

United States · Eighth, Quarter, Eighth, Three Eighth Tuplet

Starlight
Grades K-1st
Sol-mi

United States · Quarter Note and Two Eighths

Teddy Bear
Grades K
Sol-mi

United States

Adding la above sol — the pitch set opens upward and prepares the full pentatonic vocabulary.

Bounce One, Bounce Two
Grades K-6th
La

United States · Quarter Note and Two Eighths

Draw a Bucket of Water (Hippopotamus Version)
Grades K-3rd
La

Do-Based Pentatonic · United States · Five-Eighths, Sixteenth, Half Note

Little Tommy Tucker
Grades K-1st
La

Do-Based Pentatonic · England · Quarter Note and Two Eighths

Oliver Twist
Grades 2nd-4th
La

Do-Based Pentatonic · England

Plus 7 more in the library tagged La.

Establishing the tonal center — songs that land on do and make the home tone audible through play.

Apple Tree
Grades K-2nd
Do

United States · Quarter Note and Two Eighths

Miss Sally's Goodbye Song
Grades K-4th
Do

United States

Sorida
Grades 2nd-3rd
Do

Full teaching video plus bunnies animation.

The Birdies Fly Away
Grades K-1st
Do

Germany

Plus 2 more in the library tagged Do.

Filling in between do and mi. The largest early group in the library.

All Around the Buttercup
Grades K-2nd
Re

Quarter Rest

Gino's Pizza Restaurant
Grades K-3rd
Re

Do-Based Pentatonic · United States · Quarter Note and Two Eighths

How Many Miles To London Town?
Grades K-3rd
Re

England · Eighth, Eighth, Sixteenth, Two Eighth Anacrusis

Hush Little Minnie
Grades K-3rd
Re

Do-Based Pentatonic · United States · Quarter Rest

Plus 10 more in the library tagged Re.

Extending below the tonal center — folk repertoire where low sol is approached from low la.

Alabama Gal
Grades K-6th
Low sol

Do-Based Pentatonic · United States · Eighth, Quarter, Eighth

All 'Round the Brickyard
Grades 3rd-5th
Low sol

United States · Eighth, Quarter, Eighth, One-Eighth, Five-Eighths

Come and Pass the Sticks Around
Grades K-4th
Low sol

La-Based Pentatonic · United States · Quarter Rest, Sixteenth, Five-Eighths

Oh, Row the Rattlin' Bog
Grades K-3rd
Low sol

Do-Based Pentatonic · Ireland · Five-Eighths, Sixteenth

Plus 9 more in the library tagged Low sol.

Moving beyond pentatonic into the full diatonic scale.

A Thief Came and Stole Two Sheep
Grades K-4th
Fa

Caribbean

A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Southern U.S. Version)
Grades 1st-4th
Fa

African-American

Bim Bum
Grades 3rd-6th
Fa

United States · One-Eighth, Five-Eighths

Sarasponda
Grades 4th-6th
Fa

Netherlands

Plus 15 more in the library tagged Fa.

The leading tone below do — upper-elementary repertoire and the doorway to minor tonality.

A Capital Ship
Grades 3rd-5th
Low ti

Five-Eighths, Sixteenth, Two Eighth Anacrusis

Flow Gently Sweet Afton
Grades 4th-6th
Low ti

Ionian (major) · Scotland

Shalom Chaverim
Grades 2nd-6th
Low ti

Aeolian (minor) · Israel

Four White Horses
Grades 4th-6th
Low ti

Caribbean

Plus 15 more in the library tagged Low ti.

The sequence at a glance

How the library maps to a Kodály sequence

The library doesn't prescribe a sequence, but it's organized so your sequence drives the search. Here's how the solfège tags map to a typical K–6 progression. The full elementary music scope and sequence is free to read, and how to teach solfège lists the songs for every step.

Grade Typical pitch focus Rhythm focus Songs in library
PreK–K Sol–Mi La Steady beat, fast/slow Starlight, Teddy Bear, These Are Grandma's Glasses, Tick Tock, Bounce One Bounce Two
Grade 1 La–Sol–Mi Re Quarter note, eighth notes Pizza Pizza, Two Four Six Eight, Little Tommy Tucker, Gino's Pizza Restaurant
Grade 2 Do pentatonic Low Sol Half note, rest, 2/4 Apple Tree, The Hiding Song, Oh Row the Rattlin' Bog, Oliver Twist, Bate Bate Chocolate, Come And Pass The Sticks Around
Grade 3 Low La Low Ti Dotted rhythms, 6/8 Alabama Gal, My Dog Treed a Rabbit, Scotland's Burning, Paw Paw Patch, I Know A Washer Woman
Grade 4 La pentatonic Fa Syncopation, compound meter Four White Horses, Shalom Chaverim, Old Betty Larkin, Sarasponda, Come And Pass The Sticks Around
Grades 5–6 Modal Diatonic Advanced syncopation, mixed meter Jenny Get Your Hoe Cake Done, The Jolly Ploughboy, Noel Nouvelet, Flow Gently Sweet Afton, Bim Bum

What's included

Everything a Kodály teacher needs — not just the song

Every song in the library comes with a full set of teaching materials built around Kodály principles.

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Video demonstration

Every song is demonstrated on video, through Deborah's teaching videos or the bunnies animations, so you know how to teach it before you walk in.

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Notation with solfège & hand signs

Sheet music with solfège syllables, Curwen hand sign reference, and rhythm syllables included for every song.

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Searchable by solfège set

Filter the entire library by solfège syllables — sol-mi, la-sol-mi, do-pentatonic, la-pentatonic, modal — to find songs that fit your sequence immediately.

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Printable materials

Song cards, posters, manipulatives, and teaching notes ready to print — including materials for substitutes who don't know the Kodály approach.

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Concept & grade tags

Every song is tagged with grade level, musical concepts, game type, and cultural origin so you can find what fits your plan in seconds.

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The complete library, all year

All 150+ songs, teaching videos and bunnies animations are available any time, for one subscription price.

Why The Singing Classroom

A Kodály resource library that's actually organized for Kodály teachers

How it compares to the other ways Kodály teachers find songs.

FeatureBooks & OAKE resourcesThe Singing Classroom
Searchable by solfège set✕✓
Video demonstration for every song✕✓ Every song
Filtered by grade level✕✓
Solfège & hand sign notation includedSometimes✓
Printable materials includedSometimes✓ Every song
Also covers Orff & Dalcroze✕✓
Time to find a song for a specific solfège set20–40 minutesUnder 2 minutes

Questions

Frequently asked

It's a song library — not a prescribed curriculum. The Singing Classroom gives you a searchable collection of 150+ folk songs and singing games organized by solfège set, grade level, and musical concept. You bring your own sequence; the library gives you the songs that fit it. It works alongside any Kodály sequence you're already using — whether that's one you built yourself or one from your certification training.
No. The library works for Kodály-certified teachers who want a fast way to find method-aligned repertoire, and for teachers who are Kodály-inspired but not formally certified. The solfège and concept tags make the methodology transparent — you can engage with it at whatever level of depth you have.
Every song is tagged with its primary solfège syllable set — sol-mi, la-sol-mi, do-pentatonic, la-pentatonic, or the specific new syllable it introduces (re, fa, ti, low sol, low la, low ti, high do). You can filter the library by any of these tags to see all songs that work for that pitch set.
Yes. The same library supports Orff teachers (body percussion, movement, pentatonic songs) and Dalcroze teachers (movement response, meter and phrase, listening). If you use more than one approach, the concept tags make it easy to find what fits regardless of method.
The 7-day free trial gives you complete access to the full library — all 150+ songs, every teaching video, all printable materials including notation with solfège. Cancel anytime before the trial ends and you won't be charged.
Both plans give you identical access to the complete library. The annual plan ($199.95/year) works out to $16.66/month — a meaningful saving compared to monthly ($22.95/month).
Free guide for music teachers

8 Mistakes Even Experienced Music Teachers Make

From Deborah Skydell Pasternack, Kodály-certified educator with 30+ years in elementary music — the subtle patterns that creep into any teacher's practice, and the specific fixes that make an immediate difference in the room.

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Find the Right Song for Your Sequence — in Minutes

Try The Singing Classroom free for 7 days. Search by solfège set, watch any video, download any printable.

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