SHEET MUSIC
TLLOM in G Major – Full Lead Sheet
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Take a sheet of paper. Think of one person, place, or thing you would want to shine your light on. Write that word or name at the top. Private – just for you right now.
"The word or name I wrote is _______________. I chose it because _______________."
Take a sheet of paper. This is your verse sheet for today. Write at the top now.
I can WRITE a localized verse of "This Little Light of Mine" by drafting with a partner and singing it in our Chain of Light.
L47 = Anthem #1 (Lift Every Voice). L48 = the floor (body percussion). L49 = gestures + bilingual rounds. L50 = YOUR verse – you put your world into the song.
45 sec
4-count inhale through the nose. 8-count exhale on a slow "sss." Three cycles. Feel the ribs widen.
45 sec
Lips loose. Trill up from low C to G, then back down. Keep air moving. No squeezing.
45 sec
Tongue to roof of mouth. Siren low → high → low on "ng." Opens the soft palate.
45 sec
Hum the chorus of TLLOM on pitch. Stamp-clap optional underneath. Voice is warm now.
Breath → lip trill → siren → hum the chorus. Same body and voice you performed with yesterday. Different from the Do Now (cognitive) on purpose.
With your partner, read through these three models. Notice what stays the same – that is the formula you'll use.
Hide it under a bushel, NO!
I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel, NO!
I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel, NO!
I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine.
Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine.
Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Tell Jim Clark we're not afraid,
I'm gonna let it shine.
(repeat ×2)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Betty Mae Fikes, 17 years old, Selma Youth Freedom Choir, 1965. She named what stood in the way – and the singing turned it into strength.
_____________________, I'm gonna let it shine.
_____________________, I'm gonna let it shine.
_____________________, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
What does every verse have in common? What changes? Tell your neighbor.
Look at the word at the top of your sheet. That is Line 1. Write: "[your word], I'm gonna let it shine."
Repeat that line two more times. Lines 1, 2, and 3 are the same – or vary it slightly if the word calls for it.
Line 4: "Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." That's your refrain. Same every verse.
Read it to your partner. Try singing it softly. Does it fit the melody? Revise if needed.
Write on your sheet of paper:
________________________, I'm gonna let it shine.
________________________, I'm gonna let it shine.
________________________, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Pairs share one sheet of paper (whoever has better handwriting writes it out). Both names at the top. I circulate with the clipboard – 1 pt when your sheet has all 4 lines filled in.
Each pair sings their verse softly (no piano, no track). After each pair: whole class sings the chorus together. Listen for the melody to land.
The "find your floor" round. No pressure. Voices low. Just see if the words fit.
Same format. I play piano on the chorus and the verse. Each pair sings full voice. Whole class comes in on the chorus after each verse.
The "lock it in" round. Piano gives the pitch. Use it.
No piano. No track. I step to the side. Each pair sings their verse, room sings the chorus. Body percussion optional underneath.
If the room holds the pitch through Round 3 without piano – we have something for the showcase.
This is what Betty Mae Fikes did at every mass meeting in 1965. Every person brought their verse. The room sang the chorus between. That is exactly this.
If we added your verse to the showcase set, what would the audience understand about this room that they couldn't understand from the chorus alone?
"What did you name in your verse? Why that word?"
I'm listening for: a specific word, a reason that is personal, not vague. No wrong answers here.
I write 3 words on the SmartBoard as scholars share. Those three words go on the board for the exit ticket.
In 1965 in Selma, Betty Mae Fikes was 17. She put the names of what stood in her way directly into the song – and the whole room sang back the chorus. That was the power. The song made the room.
You named your word today. Different context. Same shape: a young person naming something, standing in a room, singing it into the air.
That is not nothing. That is the tradition.
"The song was the spine of the movement. When you sang it, you were not afraid." – Rutha Mae Harris, SNCC Freedom Singer
Check the box for each task you completed today (1 pt each):
☐ I wrote a 4-line verse following the pattern on my sheet of paper
☐ I sang my verse with my partner during the Chain of Light
☐ I can name the word I chose and say why in one sentence
1 pt per checked box • Max 3 pts
What word did you put in your verse, and why did you choose it?
"I chose ______________ because ______________."
1 pt = names the word • 1 pt = explains with personal detail
📝 ON YOUR SHEET OF PAPER. Check the 3 boxes (Q1) and write one sentence (Q2). Turn the sheet in to me when you leave.