How To Draw A Pig Song - The Singing Classroom

Back to Song Library How To Draw A Pig Song, (Little Circle, Little Circle) Audio Solo Voice 0:00 Printable Resources

• Score

Grades K-6th Classroom Activity Materials Used

Whiteboard

Skills & Concepts Culture/Country/Language

United States

Genre

Picture Drawing Songs

Meter

2/4

Other Music Concepts and Skills

Form

Rhythms

• 
• 

Solfege

Low ti

Topic

Animals

Lyrics

Little circle, little circle, bigger circleLittle circle, little circle, bigger circleHalf circle, half circle, bigger circleW, W, E, E, E

Recommended Grades

1-6

About the Song

Songs that describe how to draw a picture are very popular in Japan--they're called "Ekaki Uta." This American drawing song is almost certainly a variant of "The Teddy Bear Drawing Song," versions of which are common in Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Japan. This one was collected in Chicago in 2012. Nearly every child in the school knew it! It seems to be popular everywhere in the U.S. The melody is almost identical to "Paw Paw Patch."

Teaching Suggestions

• PreK-K: Draw the picture for the kids.
• Grades 1-3: Have the kids draw on their own pieces of paper while they sing. You can also have crayons or markers for the kids to color the pigs when they're done with the drawing.
• See if the class can invent a song about the pig they've just drawn. You can encourage details like the pig's name, where he's going, what he's doing that day, and who his friends are.
• Grades 4-6: Try teaching it alongside a number of other drawing songs. (You can find more drawing songs on the search page under "Genre.") They will be excited about the concept and learn each one very quickly. You can challenge the kids to make a simple drawing and then invent a song about how to recreate it!

Skills and Concepts

• (tiri-tiri): Use just the first two lines (little circle, little circle) for great examples of tiri-tiri!
• (ti-tiri): the words "half-circle" perfectly demonstrate the ti-tiri.
• Low Ti: The "ti" in this song is part of a clearly outlined dominant chord
• Form: The text are in AABC form. With the melody, the form is ABAC.
• 2/4 Meter: This is a great example of 2/4 meter, since it has no pick-ups.