Hot Cross Buns

Music is very much a part of special occasions, and Hot Cross Buns is certainly a song heard at Easter.

This song is very appropriate across the age range of early childhood.

Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Bun

One a penny
two a penny
Hot Cross Buns

If you have no daughters,
give them to your sons,
One a penny
two a penny
Hot cross buns.

The History

There has been some superstition in the past, that this brings good luck to those who eat them, and bad luck to those who don’t, and so people were encouraged to make sure everyone ate some (if you have no daughters, give them to your sons).

It does bear the Christian cross and is sold on Good Friday, however, there could be an association with an old Anglo-Saxon festival in Britain. A pagan goddess, Eostre, has her name derived from the same word meaning “east”, and the cross could refer to the quarters of the moon.

Regardless, Hot Cross Buns taste yummy, and the song is a favourite of young children.

From the early childhood music perspective

Whilst for babies and toddlers we may tap the children gently to the beat as we sing the song, older children will clap and tap to the song independently. It’s also a great song to do clapping patterns with a partner.

Hot Cross Buns is a limited range song, with lots of repetition, and an easy song to sing. However, it is a challenging song for children to tap a drum to, as the song has 4 rests. The challenge is to keep the beat going even when the words stop, this comes with experience and maturity. I have even seen adults stop where the rest is.

In the Kodaly method, school aged children are led through experiences which would enable them to write the rhythm in stick notation, then on the staff, and sing the solfa.

The simplest of songs has so much to offer little people.

This article was printed from JillsMusic.com

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