Rocky Mountain
1. Rocky Mountain, Rocky Mountain, Rocky Mountain High,
When you’re on that Rocky Mountain, hang your head and cry.
Do, do, do, do, do remember me,
Do, do, do, do, do remember me.
2. Sunny Valley, Sunny Valley, Sunny Valley low,
When you’re in that Sunny Valley, sing it soft and low.
3. Stormy Ocean, Stormy Ocean, Stormy Ocean wide,
When you’re on that deep blue sea there’s no place you can hide.
- Sing the song through for the students, and discuss where the Rocky
Mountains are (in case the kids don’t know!)
- Teach the melody by rote: vocally first with text, and then on the alto
xylophone with note names
- Teach everyone the base line by rote (you may clap the rhythm first
and have them accompany the melody with just the clapped rhythm
before you add pitch)
- Ask students to play A-A-G-G on their instrument, and see if they can
figure out what part of the song their playing; then teach the
soprano part by rote (you can use the text “cry, cry, hang your head
and [etc]”)
- Add the triangle!
Students can also add percussion to each verse that would represent the
theme of that verse. They can play the rhythm of the melody or an
ostinato rhythm, with (for example) a shekere or cabasa for Rocky
Mountain, finger symbols or tambourine for Sunny Valley, and a
boomwhacker (tonic pitch) or cajones for Stormy Ocean.