There are many successful approaches to song leading. Singing is a fun activity in troop meetings, during outings, and especially at a campout. It helps keep girls and adults in a positive frame of mind. You can sing during cookouts, bus rides, waiting for your next activity to start, or walking from place to place.

Select a teaching style that matches the song.

There are three main styles for teaching a song, and each has its own introduction that is easy to understand. Using this introduction consistently will increase your girls’ ability to sing along.

“This is a catch-on song!”

This is perfect for songs with very few lines that repeat. A song like “this is the song that never ends”, “down by the bay”, or other repetitive songs are perfect for this.

“This is a repeat-after-me song!”

This is for songs that are call-and-response and where the girls say the exact thing you said.

“To teach this song, I’ll sing a line, and you’ll repeat it!”

For songs too long to be a catch-on song, this is perfect. Teach the song line by line, with girls repeating you for each practice line. Then, sing it all together at the end.

If there is a rule, or pattern to the song, be sure to share. Common rules include:

• Singing a song over and over, but removing a word each time.
• Singing four lines repeat-after-me style, then all together, then starting a new verse.
• Getting louder, softer, more off-key, etc, each time
• Singing a song over and over, faster each time
• Audience participation, like having someone yell out a topic for the next verse. If you have someone in the crowd who can show off an example, this should help.

Never underestimate how much silliness you can add to a song. Girls like to be silly and see you being silly, too. You can add more flavor to your song with:

• Motions
• Holding a note for a long time
• Making funny voices when you sing
• Keeping your energy high and having an awesome attitude!
• Leading the song with another adult, not just by yourself

What’s your favorite silly Girl Scout song?