Singing with Meaning: What the Song Is About
Primary 1 · Creative Arts
Singing with Meaning: What the Song Is About
Lesson 7 of 8
11 min
Let's begin
Mutesi sings a thank-you song for her grandmother. Every word is right.
Her grandmother smiles and says something odd. The words were awake, but your face was asleep.
Today you will learn to let your face agree with your words.
People do not only hear you. They watch you.
If the words say glad and your face says nothing, the message gets lost.
So let your face and your hands agree with the words.
A song of thanks is a glad song. Lift your face. Open your eyes. Let yourself smile.
A song about somebody who is unwell is a gentle song. Slow your words down. Let your face go soft.
The words tell you which one you are singing. Find the message first.
Sing with more feeling does not mean sing louder.
Gatete shouts his gentle song. Now it does not match the words at all.
Feeling lives in your face, your hands and the way you say each word.
Worked example
Take one line: thank you for our food.
Step 1 Sing it with your face down and your hands still.
Step 2 Sing it again. Lift your face, open your hands, and smile.
Step 3 Ask somebody which one they believed. They will pick the second one.
Same words. Same tune. A different message got through.
Tip
Let your face agree with your words
Glad words, lifted face. Gentle words, soft face.
Feeling is not loudness. Look at a listener and mean what you sing.
Do each one, then tap Show answer to check.
You are singing a song of thanks. What should your face do?
Answer: lift up and smile, because the words are glad.
Ishimwe sings a gentle song about a sick friend as loudly as he can. What is wrong?
Answer: feeling is not loudness. A gentle song needs a soft face and slower words.
How do you know whether a song is glad or gentle?
Answer: find the message first. The words tell you.
Sing one line with your face down, then sing it again with your face up.
Answer: the second one is believed. Same words, different message.
Where does feeling live when you sing?
Answer: in your face, in your hands, and in the way you say each word.
What you learned today
Quick check
Match each song to its face.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
