Tin Whistle Series: 'Fun' Tunes on the Tin Whistle

It can be difficult to engage some children when teaching the tin whistle, especially in older classes. While I teach a lot of the traditional tin whistle tunes to my children, I like to include the odd familiar non-traditional song to motivate them to play.
Below, I have listed some of the more 'fun' tunes I have taught in the past. Some tunes are easier, while some are more difficult, so hopefully there is something in here for every class!

(Note: Click on the 'air' links to hear the tune and the 'notes' links to view and download the notes)

1. We Will Rock You:

This is a very simple tune which even beginners can master and perform to accompany singing. When I taught my class this tune, it was for a school performance. Half the class played the tin whistle, while the other half of the class sang and clapped. I chose a few students to play the drums also. All in all, it made for an impressive and professional looking performance, which took very little time to prepare.

'We Will Rock You' air

'We Will Rock You' notes

'We Will Rock You' notes and children's version feature in The Right Note 5th and 6th Class Teacher's Manual

2. Star Wars Theme:

If you are teaching a class of beginners, this is an easy, short piece by John Williams that they are bound to know the air of:

'Star Wars' air

'Star Wars' notes

3. Olé Olé Olé Olé:

Another very basic tune for beginners is Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé. This would be a nice one to teach them before the Euros!

'Olé Olé' air

'Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé' notes

4. I'm a Believer:

This song is always a popular one with all age groups. Originally sung by the Monkees, they will probably recognise it from the movie 'Shrek'. It is quite simple to learn as it features quite a lot of repetition.

'I'm a Believer' air

'I'm a Believer' notes

5. Ring of Fire

I'm a big Johnny Cash fan so I had to include a song of his in here somewhere! This version of 'Ring of Fire' is suitable for an 'intermediate' player. Note that smaller letters signify high notes and capital letters represent low notes.

'Ring of Fire' air

'Ring of Fire' notes

6. Ireland's Call:

Quite a manageable tune for the intermediate student, 'Ireland's Call' is a great choice if you have any rugby fans in your class. 

'Ireland's Call' notes

'Ireland's Call' air

7. Touch the Sky:

Touch the Sky is a lively song from the Disney movie 'Brave'. I taught this song to my choir and had 5 or 6 children accompany them on the tin whistle using the notes below.

'Touch the Sky' air

'Touch the Sky' notes

8. Songs from Dami's Blog:

Finally, Dami's Blog features a huge bank of 'pop' songs covered on the tin whistle. Not only can you find the notes for songs like 'Let it Go', 'Hello' and 'Firestone', but you can also listen to them being played as well. Some of these are quite challenging, but an advanced class would definitely enjoy learning them!

If you missed the first three posts in this tin whistle series, you can find them linked below:
Teaching Tin Whistle Tunes for a School Mass
Teaching Tin Whistle to Beginners
Christmas Tunes

Tin Whistle Series: Christmas Tunes

Often during the run up to Christmas, teachers spend so much time working on Christmas plays that formal music lessons are a rarity! If you ARE interested in teaching some tin whistle this festive season however, here are some ideas for your class.

Beginners
If your class have only begun learning the tin whistle, you might want to stick to something simple and repetitive. When I am teaching tin whistle to a class for the first time, I focus on the BAGFED notes until they know these very well. A tune like Jingle Bells is ideal for a beginner class as it only features the BAGFED notes.

Intermediate
If your class are familiar and comfortable with all of the notes (including C natural), they could play Oh Christmas Tree or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. These tunes are a little more challenging than Jingle Bells, but are still quite repetitive and easy to learn. Away in a Manger is another short, repetitive piece that is quite easy once your class can play every note.

Advanced/Popular Christmas Songs
If your class have been playing the tin whistle for a few years, they may have played a lot of the more common Christmas tin whistle tunes. If this is the case, try teaching them It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire or Oh Come All Ye Faithful. This version of Silent Night features a harmony that can be taught to more able students for a class performance. You could also teach them Do You Want to Build a Snowman or Let it Go  (if you can bear it!) for something a little different!

These are just a few suggestions of Christmas tunes your class could learn on the tin whistle in the run up to Christmas. If you are interested in more, check out Nollaigshona.ie - you can find a huge bank of traditional Christmas Hymns and carols there too.

If you are interested in previous posts from my tin whistle series, you can find them by clicking on the following links:
Teaching Tin Whistle Tunes for a School Mass
Teaching Tin Whistle to Beginners

Merry Christmas!

Tin Whistle Series: Tin Whistle Tunes for School Masses

For the second post in this ‘Teaching Tin Whistle’ series, I am focusing on tunes suitable for school masses.
A few members of my choir play tin whistle at various points during our school masses. I find it makes the mass more personal and child centred, and they really enjoy being given this responsibility.

(Note: The tin whistle notes for these tunes are Dropbox files that can be downloaded, edited and printed.)

1. As I Kneel Before You: My choir usually sing this song during Communion. The air to this hymn can be found here. You can download the tin whistle notes from here.
2. Inis Oírr: This is a nice instrumental for playing during the Offertory Procession, during a First Penance ceremony or during the reception of Communion. You can find the air here and the tin whistle notes here.
3. Blind Mary: This is another instrumental suitable for the Offertory Procession, a First Penance ceremony or Communion. This is the air and here are the notes.
4. Bí, A Íosa, Im Chroí-Se: Another instrumental suitable for a mass is Bí, A Íosa, Im Chroí-Se. These are the tin whistle notes.
5. Here I Am Lord: I like to use this Alive-O song as a Responsorial Psalm in the mass. Various soloists sing the verses, while the choir sing the chorus. Here are the tin whistle notes.
6. We Sing a Song to Brigid: This tune can be sung by a choir at a St Brigid's Day mass. Here are the notes.

I hope you find these ideas and resources useful. If you are looking for some tips as to how to teach tin whistle to beginners, check out the first post in my tin whistle series: Teaching Tin Whistle to Beginners. Until next week!

Tin Whistle Series: Teaching Tin Whistle to Beginners (Key of D)

This is the first of a series of posts based on teaching the tin whistle to children in primary school.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting tunes to teach beginners, intermediate and advanced students, tunes suitable for a school masses, 'child friendly' songs and some extra resources you might find useful.

This week, I will be focusing on teaching the tin whistle to beginners. 

Step 1: Holding the Tin Whistle:

• It is important to show the children how the left hand is placed at the top of the tin whistle (whether the player is right or left handed) and how they need to rest their thumbs underneath the tin whistle to hold it.
• It is also important to get the children to practice covering all of the holes fully before they start playing anything. Get them to practice 'going up the stairs, and down the stairs' to practice the muscle movements of playing. 
• Emphasise the importance of blowing gently.
• Finally, tell them that when you put your hand in the air you expect silence and tin whistles on the table ('give me 5' also works for this!).

Step 2: Teaching the notes B A G:

• Without them blowing into the tin whistle, teach them the notes B, A, G (using their left hand). Point out how this makes the word 'bag'. 
• Call out a note for them to show you and get them to test each other in pairs (without blowing).
• Get them to try and play the notes, by blowing gently and covering the notes fully.
• Put various combinations of the notes on the board and get them to play these for you slowly. You could also get them to test each other in pairs too, by getting them to write note combinations for their partner to play. 
• Don't worry too much about funny sounds at this stage, as a lot of children need a considerable amount of practice before the notes sound 'right'. Make sure they are covering all the holes and blowing as gently as possible however.
• When they have spent some time practicing these notes, in your next lesson you can teach them the song: 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'.

Step 3: Teaching the notes F E D:

• Without them blowing into the tin whistle, teach them the notes F, E, D (using both hands). Point out how this makes the word 'fed'. 
• Repeat the above activities with the new notes.
• When they have practiced and mastered these notes, teach them the song 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'.

Step 4: Teach them some more simple, repetitive songs:

• The Whole World In His Hands
• Oh Susannah
• Fáinne Geal an Lae

Step 5: Homework Sheet:

• As they start building up tunes, they can use a homework sheet to keep a record of the pieces they have played. 

Finally, if you are a little rusty on the tin whistle yourself and would like to brush up a little on your skills, tinwhistletutorials has some excellent lessons, for all ability levels. I hope you found this post useful and keep an eye out for future posts on teaching the tin whistle!