Singing with Meaning: What the Song Is About
Primary 1 · Creative Arts
Singing with Meaning: What the Song Is About
Lesson 8 of 8
12 min
Let's begin
Habimana stands in front of his family. He has picked his best song.
He sings it right through and stops. Everybody claps. Then his father asks one more question.
Today you will learn the two jobs of a singer.
Job one is to sing the song all the way through.
Job two is to say what it means, without singing.
Most children do job one and stop. Job two is the one people remember.
Stand tall. Put your feet flat and still.
Lift your head and look at your listener, not at the floor.
Say every word clearly, right to the end of the line.
Then wait a moment. Do not run away.
Say two things, in this order.
First: this song says that ...
Then: it matters because ...
Worked example
Uwase sings her hand-washing song to her aunt.
Step 1 She stands tall and sings it right through.
Step 2 She says: this song says that we should wash our hands before we eat.
Step 3 She says: it matters because dirty hands make us sick.
Two jobs, both done.
Your listener can clap and still not know what the song was about.
If you can only do one job today, do the saying.
Tip
Sing it, then say it
This song says that ... It matters because ...
Stand tall, look up, and wait a moment before you sit down.
Do each one, then tap Show answer to check.
What are the two jobs of a singer?
Answer: sing the song, then say what it means.
Where should you look while you sing?
Answer: up at your listener, not down at the floor.
Byiringiro sings well and then sits down without a word. What has he missed?
Answer: job two. He has not told anybody what the song means.
Finish both sentences about a song you know: This song says that ... It matters because ...
Answer: any two true sentences of your own, one for each.
Pick your best song from this whole course. Sing it to one person at home, then explain it.
Answer: sing first, then say your two sentences. That is the whole task.
What you learned today
These three books are free to read on a phone. Two are in English and the last one is in Kinyarwanda.
Sing to me is in English. It is a picture book about singing to somebody you love. From Book Dash.
Why Birds Sing at Dawn is in English. It is a story about why the birds sing every morning. From Book Dash.
Hari ibyo nshoboye gukora! is in Kinyarwanda. It is about all the good things a child can make and do alone. From Pratham Books, on the Global Digital Library.
Quick check
A singer's jobs. Put them in order.
Tap the cards in the right order.
