Kodály Method · Elementary Music · PreK–Grade 6

Kodály Singing Games
Sequenced, Demonstrated, Ready to Teach

150+ folk songs and singing games organized by solfège set, grade level, and musical concept — every one demonstrated on video with real students.

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

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 in minutes, not an evening.

"I've been teaching Kodály for twelve years and this is the first online library that's actually organized the way I think. I search by solfège set and get exactly what I need."
PH
Patricia H.
Kodály-certified music teacher, Michigan

The game is the lesson — not a reward for the lesson

In a well-chosen Kodály singing game, the musical concept is embedded in the game structure itself. Students don't play the game after learning the concept — the game is how they learn it.

1

Steady beat

Passing games and circle dances where the beat must be kept for the game to work. No explanation required — the game enforces it.

2

Pitch & solfège

Cumulative songs, solo moments, and call-and-response games that develop pitch accuracy in a low-stakes, high-engagement context.

3

Phrase & form

Circle games and longways dances where the game structure maps directly onto musical form. Students feel it before they name it.

4

Inner hearing

Silent beats, echo patterns, and guessing games that develop the inner ear — the foundation of all musical literacy, built through play.

Songs organized the way Kodály teachers teach

Select a solfège set to see songs from the library — tagged by grade level, game type, and concept so you can find what fits your sequence immediately.

Starlight
Grades PreK–1
Sol–Mi

A circle passing game in 2/4 — one of the earliest and most natural sol-mi songs. Simple enough for the very first lesson.

Teddy Bear
Grades PreK–K
La–Sol–Mi

A circle movement game extending the sol-mi set with la. Students experience the new pitch through action before analyzing it.

These Are Grandma's Glasses
Grades PreK–K
La–Sol–Mi

A fingerplay song on la-sol-mi with a clear melodic shape — ideal for inner hearing work with the youngest students.

Pizza Pizza
Grades 1–4
La–Sol–Mi

A body percussion game with call and response — keeps the sol-mi set fresh for older students revisiting fundamentals.

Bounce One Bounce Two
Grades PreK–6
La

A ball-bouncing circle game introducing la — accelerando built in, works at every grade, one of the most versatile songs in the library.

Little Tommy Tucker
Grades K–1
La

A hand-clapping partner game on la — clean melodic contour for inner hearing work and ensemble awareness.

Oliver Twist
Grades 2–4
La

A circle game in 6/8 on the Do-pentatonic scale — introduces compound meter and la in the same song.

Two Four Six Eight
Grades PreK–1
La

A simple counting song that gives la a clear tonal context. Strong for early inner hearing and melodic dictation preparation.

Alabama Gal
Grades K–6
Do pentatonic

A longways set dance on the full Do-pentatonic scale — phrase structure felt through folk dance before it's ever read on the staff.

Gino's Pizza Restaurant
Grades PreK–3
Re

A circle game introducing re in a pentatonic context — solo singing moments make re immediately audible and meaningful.

Oh Row the Rattlin' Bog
Grades PreK–3
Low Sol

A cumulative Irish folk song introducing low sol. One of the most beloved songs in the library — students ask for it every week.

The Hiding Song
Grades PreK–2
Do

A guessing circle game ending on Do — ideal for establishing tonal center with young students through play, not explanation.

Come And Pass The Sticks Around
Grades K–4
La pentatonic

A rhythm stick passing game on the la-pentatonic scale — students hear the tonal shift from Do-pentatonic immediately.

All 'Round the Brickyard
Grades 3–5
La pentatonic

A lively circle game on la-pentatonic with barred instrument parts. High energy, distinctive modal colour, fully engaging.

My Dog Treed a Rabbit
Grades 2–5
La pentatonic

An African-American folk song on la-pentatonic with call and response and solo singing — rich for part work preparation.

Xiao Fei Ji
Grades K–3
La pentatonic

A Chinese folk song on la-pentatonic — introduces world music repertoire in the pentatonic context students already know.

Old Betty Larkin
Grades 3–6
Dorian

A circle dance in Dorian mode — one of the clearest and most musical introductions to modal harmony in any repertoire collection.

Shalom Chaverim
Grades 2–6
Aeolian (minor)

A Jewish farewell song in natural minor — also a round, so it introduces harmonic minor color through part singing.

Jenny Get Your Hoe Cake Done
Grades 2–4
Mixolydian

An American folk song in Mixolydian — students immediately notice the flattened seventh even before they can name it.

The Jolly Ploughboy
Grades 3–6
Aeolian (minor)

An English folk song in natural minor in 3/4 — sophisticated enough for older students, accessible enough to teach in one lesson.

Scotland's Burning
Grades 3–6
4-part round

The classic four-part canon — students hear the harmony they create before they understand why it works.

Shalom Chaverim
Grades 2–6
Round

A 3-part round in Aeolian minor — introduces part singing and modal harmony at the same time.

Let Every Sleeper Waken
Grades K–6
Round

A gentle round with a wide grade range — one of the few rounds that works beautifully from kindergarten through 6th grade.

Thankfulness
Grades 4–6
Round

A Thanksgiving round for upper elementary — simple to prepare, genuinely beautiful when students sing it in parts.

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.

Teaching video with real students

Every song demonstrated step-by-step — from introduction through the game — so you know exactly how to teach it before you walk in.

Notation with solfège & hand signs

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

🔍

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.

🖨

Printable materials

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

Used by music teachers in 100+ countries

★★★★★
"I can search by solfège set and find every song in the library that works for what I'm teaching this week. That alone saves me hours. The videos make it even better."
PH
Patricia H.
Kodály-certified, Michigan
★★★★★
"I was skeptical at first — I have a lot of books. But the searchability and the videos are genuinely different. I use it every week alongside my Kodály sequence."
MR
Margaret R.
Elementary Music, Canada
★★★★★
"The sequence chart alone told me this was built by someone who actually teaches Kodály. Everything is organized the way I need it — not the way a publisher decided."
JL
Jennifer L.
Kodály specialist, Australia

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.
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). Many teachers use more than one approach and find the library serves all of them.
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.

Find the Right Song for Your Sequence — in Minutes

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