What Makes a Wildcat Wild? from Purposeful Pathways 3 is one of those songs that gives you multiple options so you can meet your students where they are and use only what you need. Instead of a fixed sequence, you can choose what your students need and cherry-pick from the pathways to shape the lesson in a way that makes sense for your class.
You might start with singing and solfa to build pitch awareness, or go straight to movement and body percussion to establish the form. The rhythmic material easily transfers to unpitched percussion, where students can layer some or all of the ostinati for ensemble experience.
If recorder is part of your curriculum, the B–A–G framework fits right in, whether you teach it by rote or connect it to notation. And if you’re ready to expand, barred instruments and layered parts can grow the lesson into a full ensemble without losing the integrity of the song.
At any point, there’s room for student improvisation that allows them to explore and create within a structure they understand.
Again, let your students guide what you use.
This is such a great lesson because it offers so many options, and like all Purposeful Pathways materials, it’s not about doing everything, but using the song as a vehicle and choosing what best serves your students where they are.
Full Lesson: What-Makes-a-Wildcat-Wild.pdf
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