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 with a chant to get the rhythm down, then add the melody. Since the lyrics repeat quite a bit, they'll pick it up in no time.

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 the class that Aiken Drum is made entirely of food. Sing the next two traditional verses.

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

Step 4
Let's get creative. Ask the students for additional verses. What are his eyes made of? What is his hair made of? Write their ideas on the board, draw Aiken Drum, and practice the new verses as you go.

Suggestions 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. This is a fantastic way to wrap up a unit on Scottish culture and bring a lot of smiles to your students' faces!