Hippety, Happety, Hoppety!

Hip, Hip, Hip, Hippety (2 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Hap, Hap, Hap, Happety (2 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Hop, Hop, Hop, Hoppety (2 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Hippety, Happety, Hoppety (3 + 3 + 3)
CLAP, CLAP!  (2 + 2))

Did you know this fun-awesome chant we're using for Spring, uses the same asymmetric meter from Dave Brubeck's  "Blue Rondo Ala Turk"?    According to a recent story I heard at my daughter's jazz concert, Dave Brubeck was in Turkey listening to street musicians.  After asking about the origin of this unusual music, the street musicians said, "this rhythm is to us, what blues is to you."  Thus, the name "Blue Rondo Ala Turk"!   

This might seem like a super complex activity for children under age 5, right?  Actually, children's brains are open to learning lots of complex rhythms and meters.  The first five years of a child's live, they are absorbing all that is in their environment.  In class this week, we played with this fun and invigorating HIPPETY, HAPPETY, HOPPETY asymmetric meter chant while bouncing the babies, toddlers and preschoolers on our laps, including some "tickle me" verses and "hugging me" verses as well!  Play can be VERY complex work, but it's always fun.

Watch Dave Brubeck's quartet playing the "Blue Rondo..." song and see if you can hear similar patterns!