HAPPY by Pharrell Williams
Everybody knows the pop song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and also made popular by the movie Despicable Me. I can barely contain myself from dancing every time it comes on the radio or television. “Happy” is definitely a peppy song with exciting lyrics that your kids are sure to know. It is a great song to use in the classroom to teach rhythms, instrument playing, and form Your students’ attention will definitely increase with an activity that makes them happy!
5 Classroom Activities to Make Your Kids Happy!
Classroom Activities for “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
Because “Happy” is one of my favorite pop songs, I was just dying to think up with some ways to use the song with my elementary music classes. Here are a few of the ideas that you could use with your students and the song “Happy.”
BEAN BAG PASSING Activity to “Happy”
Bean bags work well with just about any folk song or pop song. They are perfect for younger students needing to practice moving to the steady beat. Whether with just one partner passing back and forth to each other or with a large circle of people passing it around, your students will love it.
DANCING to “Happy”
Adding some dance and movement activities work so well with such a peppy song as Happy. Your students will not be able to sit still, so why not just get them up and moving anyway! You can make up your own dance for the students to practice or you can just encourage “freestyle.” Another option for adding movement to this pop song is to use a choreographed suggestion, such as the video below:
PLAYING Instruments to “Happy”
Next, you could have fun adding rhythmic instruments to the recording of “Happy.” This can be a great rhythm review activity, and it will stretch your students to work together and focus on their specific rhythm job as accompaniment to the pop song. Use the following suggestions as a guide to teaching an arrangement like this:
- First, listen to the song, “Happy” with your students. Help them listen for and determine the different sections, repeated phrases, instruments used, etc.
- Sing along with Happy. Your students will probably know the lyrics better than you do!
- Introduce rhythmic arrangement for “Happy.” Explain to students that they will be adding rhythmic instruments to the song.
- Practice the rhythms of each of the percussion instruments separately first. Then practice all of the instruments together for that section.
- Finally, press play, and let your students make you happy!
Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” with rhythmic instruments added
Adding instruments to “Happy”
That’s all there is to it! Okay, so maybe it’s not quite that easy. But if you’re interested in checking it, click here to find my rhythmic instrument arrangement of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams that is available for purchase.
CUP GAME to “Happy”
Upper elementary students will probably be familiar with the cup game/song, and it will totally work with the song, “Happy.” Although the tempo is pretty fact, with some practice students should be able to manage it. You could also do a simplified cup passing game where younger students can just move their cup back and forth from right to left before passing it onto the next person.
PARODY WRITING Project to “Happy”
With upper elementary and middle school grades, a great learning activity could be a parody project for your students to write to the melody of “Happy.Decide on the method that students will present their parody song, how much of the song needs to be changed, etc. If you’re looking for more information on writing a parody project in the music classroom, click here for lots of helpful information on writing a parody song with your students.
Here is a great example of an educational parody written to the pop song, “Happy.”
Do you have a favorite pop, folk, Broadway, or country song that you use with your students? I’d love to hear about it! You can e-mail me at bethsmusicclassroom@gmail.com
I’m so happy you stopped by today and thanks for reading!
