Issue 10: The Lokey-Cokey (Or “Left hand on Top”)

Hands up if you know the “Hokey Cokey”?

Here’s a version to sing as a warm-up before clarinet and recorder lessons:

WORDS ACTIONS
You put your Left Hand in Put your left hand in
You put your Left hand out Put your left hand out
In, Out, In, Out, Shake it all about Put your left hand in and out and in and out and shake it all about
You do the Lokey-Cokey and you turn around Wave left hand in the air, then turn round on the spot
That’s what it’s all about Hands down by sides
Oh, Do the Lokey-Cokey (dramatic pause) All raise left hand and wave it about, hold stil during the pause so you can check which hand they are using
Oh, Do the Lokey-Cokey (dramatic pause) All raise left hand and wave it about, hold stil during the pause so you can check which hand they are using
Oh, Do the Lokey-Cokey (dramatic pause) All raise left hand and wave it about, hold stil during the pause so you can check which hand they are using
Knees Bend, hands up, Ra Ra Ra Bend your knees and straighten up, raise both hands. Then hands down ready to sing again

Usually the children work out why I call it the “Lokey-Cokey” and not the “Hokey-Cokey” by themselves.

Once you have sung it through a couple of times, you can make it more competitive by saying anyone who uses the wrong hand “out”.

“Teacher Moment” – I started a year 3 beginner recorder class by singing the “Hokey Cokey just as a warm-up activity.  It kind of evolved into the “Lokey Cokey” as we went along; I encouraged the children to secretly check which hand is which by holding their hand out, palm down, and seeing if it formed a letter “L” when they stuck their thumb out at right-angles.  The “teacher moment” occurred when one bright lad cried out “Ah, that’s why we were singing the “Lokey-Cokey!” when I reminded the children to make sure they had their left hand “on top” when we started to play the recorders.  I was so pleased that I forgot to remind him he hadn’t put any of his hands up before calling out!

This entry was posted in Clarinets, Recorders, Songs, The organised teacher, Uncategorized and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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