Teaching East Asian Music in the Elementary Classroom

Lesson Plans from 2005 Workshop

“Tsuki --A Song from Japan”
(Second Grade, two 30 minute class periods.)

Teacher: Karen Nystrom

Objective:

The goal of the lesson is for students to learn a song in Japanese. Students will also learn about the culture of Japan through a short folktale.

Materials:

World map to show location of Japan
Orff instruments

Procedure:

1.) Teach the English verses of “Firefly” by rote. The second verse refers to the legend of the rabbit on the moon.

2.) Locate Japan on the map.

3.) Tell students about the Rabbit legend.

4.) Make an overhead or chart with song words and teach words of “Tsuki” (same melody)

5.) Create a simple pentatonic accompaniment with Orff instruments.

6.) Have a few children act out the words to the song. (Moon hiding behind clouds)

Firefly	Melody
Firefly, firefly, in the night	s m s m d r m
With a yellow, with a yellow, with a yellow light	sl sm sl sm sl sm r
How I love to watch you shine tonight.	dr ml s m r m d

Deta, deta, please be nice,
If I see the rabbit who is pounding up the rice,
When he makes a cake, I'll have a slice.

Tsuki (Moon)	Approx. Translation (not to be sung)
Deta deta tsuki ga	The moon has appeared
Marui, marui, man marui	Round, round, totally round
Buon no yo-una tsuki ga	The moon looks like a round tray.

Kakuleta kumoni	Hiding in a cloud
Ku-loi, ku-loi, maku lo-i	Black, black, very black
Sumi no yo-una kumoni	In a cloud as dark as ink.

Mata deta tuski ga	Again appeared the moon.
Marui, marui, man marui	Round, round, totally round
Buon no yo-una tsuki ga	The moon looks like a round tray.

Notes:

I have used the song Firefly for many years because I love the Japanese melody, but I am really not sure where I first learned it. Several years ago, a student (with very little English) taught me the traditional Japanese words (which have nothing to do with fireflies!)

In the US we have a legend that there is a man that lives on the moon.

In Japan, there is a legend that a rabbit lives on the moon, and pounds rice to make it into flour for rice cakes (mochi). If you look closely at a full moon, you might just see the rabbit. It is still a favorite customary event to enjoy a night under the full moon by eating dumplings and thinking about the rabbit on the Moon.

"The Rabbit in the Moon" as told by Florence Sakade

Summary: Once, the Old man of the Moon saw a rabbit, a monkey and a fox all living in the forest as very good friends. He wanted to know which one of these animals was the kindest. He changed himself into a beggar and asked for some food. The monkey brought him back some fruit, the fox brought him some fish, but the rabbit did not bring anything back. Instead, he offered to have himself cooked over a fire. Just as the rabbit was about to jump in, though, the beggar changed himself back into the Old Man and declared the rabbit to be the kindest. He then took the rabbit up to the moon to live with him.

References:

Japan International Cooperation Agency

Moon Folktales

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