Alligator, Alligator, All You Play is A!

Click here to purchase.

I struggled with a poem to go with my alligator drawing. It was so much effort to draw Mr. Alligator that I guess I had nothing left for the poem. Also, I wanted a very easy melody with lots of A’s; something that a 5-year-old can sight-read.

And then, when I was least expecting it, the words and melody came to me. “Alligator, alligator, all you play is A. Can’t you find another note to play for us today?” Even the older brother loves the poem. One of these days I might recycle my poem into a more interesting melody! 

My student wanted to know if all the alligator can play is A, why are there three notes in the song. Students and their questions! I told him he was smarter than an alligator, so he can play more notes. He had never played bass F and G, but since we are using the Notey Noteheads cards, it was not a problem for him. It’s all about learning to read by intervals.

The teacher duet was confusing to play along with. So if I were you, I would not use the duet until your students can play the song confidently. The eighth note rhythm is the problem, so try just playing quarter notes if your student has trouble.

If you are new to this blog, this song is part of a set of pieces I am writing that feature a different animal for each letter of the alphabet. Other songs in the set are D is for Doughnut, E is for Elephant, Pat the Cat’s Patting song, Frogs Wearing Flip Flops, and G is for Giraffe.