Songs for 2020
HERE is the link for the 2020 songs for Primary music.
Notice that there are 3 songs listed each month. What could seem overwhelming turns into manageable with these few principles.
The best way to learn something is with flow and contrast. Introduce a high concentration activity (can you figure out this puzzle, this code, this movement pattern, etc.), follow it with a change of pace, and then introduce a medium concentration activity. In a Primary setting, choose one song that is full of beat and high energy, and two that are of lower energy. Choose one activity that is moving to the beat or rhythm, one activity that is figuring out which picture comes first, second, third in the song, and one activity that is action word movements to certain words.
The best way to reach is child is to choose activities that appeal to different learning modalities. Some children need to move to a steady beat to learn, some children need to solve puzzles to challenge them, and some children need to act out words to learn. Some children need to interact with pictures (put them in order or put together a simple puzzle to see the picture), some children need to see a melody map to sense when the melody goes up or down, and some children need to sing silently in their head for a phrase and then out loud for a phrase to learn. Choose activities that vary and give contrast every Sunday.
The best way to utilize a children's attention span (based on brain research) is to change activities every 5 to 7 minutes. In a Primary setting, it works wonderfully to choose your contrasting songs (contrasting moods and tempos) that you will concentrate on 5 minutes each, then choose varied activities that appeal to different learning types (movement, music maps or rhythm bands, codes, picture puzzles, etc. See ideas on this blog listed under the different songs.) Change the song and the activity every 5 to 7 minutes.
Teach 3 songs every Sunday.
Use 3 different activities every Sunday.
Because some of the songs are well known, you may think you don't have to "teach" them. Let's change perspective a little and realize that we are giving children different experiences with time honored songs. They may already know them, but the activity you present and they experience will give them a deeper understanding of a unique aspect of that particular song.
Keeping those contrasting songs in mind, here is my teaching schedule for the first eight weeks of 2020. Yours will be different as you plan what is best for you as the teacher, and your individual children.
Dec. 30 - 1. Book of Mormon Stories, 2. Keep the Commandments, 3. Verse 1 of Nephi's Courage.
January 6 - 1. Book of Mormon Stories (review), 2. Keep the Commandments, 3. Verse 1 of Nephi's Courage and 4. Silent Video intro for He Sent His Son.
January 13 - 1. He Sent His Son, 2. The Iron Rod, 3. Chorus of Search, Ponder, and Pray. Use Keep the Commandments as an opening song for Review. Use Verse 1 of Nephi's Courage as a "wiggle song" or a song as the children are coming in.
January 20 - 1. Verse 1 of Search, Ponder and Pray, 2. The Iron Rod, 3. He Sent His Son, 4. Intro only to Verse 2 of Nephi's Courage if time
January 27th - 1. The Iron Rod, 2. Verse 2 of Nephi's Courage, Silent Video intro to I Feel My Savior's Love, 3. *Choose the Right Way (*The teachers are being asked to sing this song in their classroom on week 7 and 10. It is a great contrast song so I included activities to experience it and become more familiar with it.)
February 3 - 1. Verse 2 of Nephi's Courage (review), 2. Choose the Right Way, 3. I Feel My Savior's Love, and 4. Intro into I Love to See the Temple
February 10 - 1. Choose the Right Way (review), Verse 2 of Nephi's Courage as the children are coming in, 2. I Feel My Savior's Love, 3. I Love to See the Temple, 4. intro to Faith
February 17 - 1. Faith, 2. I Love to See the Temple, 3. *I'll Walk With You (*The teachers are being asked to sing this song in their classroom on week 10 and 22. I included activities to experience it and become more familiar with it.) 4. Nephi's Courage, both verses (review - maybe as the children are coming in or as contrast song).