Aiken Drum | Free Music Lesson Plan (Scottish Folk Song and Game)

Music Lesson Plan

Step 1
Introduce the song Aiken Drum. Tell your students that this is a very old and very silly song from Scotland. It’s about a man who lived in the moon.

Step 2
Teach the main verse and chorus. Start by chanting the words to get the rhythm down. Then add the melody.

Verse
There was a man lived in the moon, lived in the moon, lived in the moon,
There was a man lived in the moon, and his name was Aiken Drum.

Chorus
And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a ladle,
And he played upon a ladle, and his name was Aiken Drum.

Step 3
Now for the silly part! Tell students, "Aiken Drum is made entirely of food." Sing the next two traditional verses.

2) And his hat was made of cream cheese, etc.
3) And his coat was made of good roast beef, etc.

Step 4
Tell students, "Let's get creative by making up a few verses of your own. What are his eyes made of? What is his hair made of?" Write their ideas on the board, and draw Aiken Drum based on their suggestions as you go.

Ideas for Additional Verses
His eyes were made of pepperoni, pepperoni, pepperoni...
His hair was made of spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti...
His nose was made of a pickle, a pickle, a pickle...

Step 5
Sing the entire song with the new verses.