Wind Up the Apple Tree

My husband and I drove by an orchard this weekend, and I was reminded of how much I’m looking forward to my first taste of apple cider this season. It also got me wondering why pumpkins seem to receive all the attention in the fall. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of apples than pumpkins, so I thought it was fitting to share a song about them on today’s post, Wind Up the Apple Tree.

Notation

There are other variations of this song, which includes a second verse, “Unwind the apple tree…” Personally, I prefer this version to practice steady beat because of its variety of rhythms. However, the other version would be great for teaching quarter rest. It’s really dependent on what you’re looking to teach that day.

Movement Game

You can probably guess the nature of this movement game by the title of the song. Students stand in a loose spiral with a student on one end as “the winder” and a student at the other end as “the tree”. As they sing the first part of the song, the winder moves clockwise until all students are would up around the tree. Students should continue singing the first part of the song until they’re completely wound up. Then, the winder will signal the start of the unwinding of the tree, by jumping up and down as they sing the second part of the song. Then, the students will jump to the beat as they hop counter-clockwise to unwind.

Free Worksheet for Pitch or Rhythm

Use this simple worksheet to practice rhythm or pitch with your students. They can write rhythms in the spaces, build them with manipulatives, or add solfege to the melody.