These rounds were originally written for my teacher trainee students in Bendigo. Being faced with a group of 170 1st year teacher trainee students every year, most of whom had little or no previous music education, and who were going to be expected to teach music to classes themselves in less than 3 years time, I had to think of something quickly. I became very aware of the fact that there were very few collections of 'indigenous' songs suitable for the Orff music classroom. There were any number of fine American anthologies, many of which contained the same songs in different orders. I needed songs which would fulfill four needs at once 1. To offer a basic grounding in music literacy. 2. To show what type of material is suitable for children. 3. To show the many different means of musical expression possible in the classroom, and ways of going about each. 4. To show how much fun music making can be, given the right ingredients.

Looking around, I realized there were dozens of classroom and playground chants which were ripe for setting to music. That is how I started. I began writing songs which contained opportunities for teaching singing, rhythm reading, harmonising, tuned & untuned classroom percussion playing, arranging, improvising, movement and recorder playing all at the same time. In other words a crash-course in music. That is basically what these tunes are all about.

They are modelled on the Orff music teaching principles. I am very indebted to many excellent Orff instructors whom I have had the good fortune to learn from, such as Carol Richards, Christoph Maubach, Richard Gill, Andre de Quadros, Heather McLaughlan, Felicia Chadwick and others. Following on from the very favourable response I received from my first collection of rounds 'Hickety Pickety', I have decided to publish further volumes.

This set of 12 is very similar to the last. You will find lyrical tunes, rock songs, jazz, gospel and the usual nonsense songs all included. Their primary purpose is to give pleasure and enjoyment. If I fail in that regard, then I can be assured that all the underlying 'educational' aspirations are of no value whatsoever.

The CD has a recording of each song in the same order as the book. You can hear the sung version on side A, and the accompaniment alone on side B. By turning the balance knob to the left on side A, you will hear the melody in unison. Turn the balance knob to the centre or right to hear the other parts.

You will find the teaching suggestions for each song very interchangeable. They are by no means mandatory. Feel free to invent your own actions and activities. I'd be interested to know what you come up with. The students invariably come up with very novel and innovative ways of performing such songs themselves.

If you know of any wonderful children's rhymes that are crying out to be set to music and you can't do it yourself, then send them to me. I'm forever ransacking poetry collections to find new material. There are several dozen songs and rounds besides these sitting on my desk, waiting their turn to be published. In the meantime enjoy yourselves with these ditties.