Games Children Sing... China: Songbook with Online Audio

Kiester's direct fieldwork in schools across China gives these songs an authenticity that secondhand collections simply cannot match. The melodies remain unchanged from their original forms, and the English texts were developed on site to preserve meaning rather than forcing rhymes. You're getting genuine children's repertoire with cultural context woven in, not adaptations smoothed over for Western ears.

These songs carry the directness and playfulness of children's voices. They range from spirited games to gentler pieces, with melodies that feel both fresh and timeless. There's an immediacy to them, the sense that you're hearing what kids actually sang in courtyards and classrooms, not what adults decided they should sing.

General music teachers seeking substantive multicultural repertoire that doesn't sacrifice authenticity for accessibility. Elementary and middle school classrooms, school assembly programs, and music teachers who want children to experience genuine play songs from another culture, not commercialized versions.

• Explore the supplementary cultural notes before teaching. Understanding the context behind each song transforms it from a novelty piece into a genuine window into childhood across different regions.
• Use the online audio to establish accurate melodic contours and phrasing. These songs deserve the same care for authentic interpretation you'd give to any folk tradition.
• Invite students to learn the songs in both languages. The bilingual experience deepens engagement and models respectful cultural exchange rather than translation as mere convenience.

Anchor a concert celebrating world cultures, or use individual songs throughout the year as cultural studies intersect with other subjects. The songbook's format and scope make it ideal for creating a dedicated unit on Asian music, or simply rotating selections into your regular classroom singing repertoire as a way to expand students' musical horizons.

• Listening to and performing authentic melodic contours from oral traditions
• Understanding cultural context and its relationship to musical expression
• Cross-cultural communication through music and bilingual singing
• Rhythmic accuracy in unfamiliar pitch and rhythmic patterns