Are you looking for a fun pentatonic song to include in your classroom?
The song, Old King Glory on the Mountain, has been a staple in my classroom for years.
Old King Glory is a great song and game for younger students, while having applicable music literacy concepts that can be applied with older students as well.
Look ahead for the notation/sheet music, brief origins, and activity descriptions.
Table of Contents
Old King Glory On The Mountain Sheet Music And Analysis
Here is the notation I learned earlier in my career for this song.
Here is a quick analysis of the song broken down by concept.
Grade Level: K-1 for game, 2-5 for concepts
Tone Set: low sol, low la, do, re, mi, sol
Melodic Ideas: low sol** and low la
Rhythm Ideas: dotted eighth-sixteenth, eighth rest, single eighth, half note, quarter rest, quarter note
Activity: See below
Other Notes: There are multiple variants out there of this song. Most of them use the same game.
For another version, check out this variant at the American Folk Song Collection.
Old King Glory Origins
As with all research, there is always more work to be done.
With some research, the source for this song seems to be a child informant from 1970 in Harlem, New York. The song was collected by Margaret Hodgkin.
The song was published and titled, Glory To The Mountain, in the Christmas Revels Songbook by John and Nancy Langstaff in 1985.
The connection with many historical stories about famous figures going up to the top of a mountain and then leading a people may have been the inspiration for the song.
I would speculate (and have more feelers out there for research) the song in some form is older than this. But without firm data I cannot say for sure one way or the other.
Still, with a child informant and recording, this song can be considered an authentic folk song.
Old King Glory Activity
There are 3 different versions of this game you may like to try. I’ve done them all, but my favorite one is the third one I’ll teach (so make sure you read until the end).
Adding Activity
Students sit down in a circle and sing the song.
While they sing, one student (the king) walks around the outside of the circle.
At the end of the song at the words “1, 2, 3 follow me”, the king taps three other students.
The third one stands and the former king joins behind them as the new student becomes the new leader.
The song continues until all students have been chosen.
Pro-tip: If you want the game to go faster, it’s OK to have multiple leaders and multiple lines. I wouldn’t go more than 3 or 4 at the most.
Adding Faster Activity
Similar to the previous version, in this one, all students are sitting in a circle while one walks around the outside.
At the same words “1, 2, 3 follow me”, all three students who are tapped by the king stand. This time, they all follow the king instead of switching leadership roles.
When all students have been picked, the game may continue with the last one picked becoming the new king or queen.
Opposite Concentric Circles
This is my favorite version of the game. It may seem a little trickier at first, but once the students get it down, it looks really impressive and is a lot of fun.
The whole class is in a circle with hands joined (check out more circle music games). They all walk clockwise while they sing the song.
On the outside of the circle, the king or queen walks counterclockwise.
At the words “1, 2, 3 follow me”, the leader taps three students who leave the circle and join the leader in going the opposite direction.
The inside circle reforms to fill in the gaps.
The song repeats until everyone is going in the opposite direction. The last one picked may become the new leader if time allows.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed learning about Old King Glory on the Mountain. This song is a blast to play, and the low sol and low la concepts are isolated for easy learning.
Plus, what kid doesn’t want to sing about royalty like this?
Have you tried this song before? Let us know how it went for you.
