But this 42-second song has actions that are primarily done with the face. That means it can be done right at students’ desks. And the language is useful and common. So even if students never move themselves, they will benefit from listening and writing down the verbs.

First do a listening activity, see if students can write down the words. Play it several times. You might do some pre-listening, like writing on the board words that students probably don’t know: blink, wink, frown, etc.

After the students are well familiar with the tune, they should write their own words. They don’t have to limit themselves to actions of the face or head. Anything goes. Each group of students can sing their version to the karaoke (Recycle Song!) while other groups listen and write down those instructions.

Close your eyes
Open your eyes
Give a nod
Give a wink
Make a frown
And then blink
Put your hand on your chin and really think
Open your mouth
Close your mouth
Show your teeth
Wrinkle your nose
Brush your hair back
Stick out your tongue
Blow a kiss to someone

Gal is another word for girl. Buffalo is a city. First listen to the song and figure out the words. Once that’s done, you are going to do a dance…

chorus
Buffalo Gals, won’t you come out tonight?
Come out tonight, Come out tonight
Buffalo Gals, won’t you come out tonight and dance by the light of the moon?

verse
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin’
And her heel kept a-rockin
And her toe kept a-knockin’
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin’
and we danced by the light of the moon

Doing the Movement Activity

The principle is this: when certain words are phrases are sung in the song, members of the class take a certain action. Let’s start with the chorus.

buffalo = put your hands on the side of your head, with index fingers pointing up (mimicking, I guess, a buffalo’s ears. Anyway, that’s our buffalo).

come out = use both hands to beckon this imaginary persone towards you.

moon = use your index finger to trace the shape of a big round moon in front of you.

For the instrumental section after the opening chorus, all you do is clap your hands, just as instructed in the song.

There. Now let’s practice the chorus and the clapping section which follows.

The song goes very fast, so let’s not listen to the audio file just yet. Let’s start by just speaking the words with the class and doing these actions. Remember, “come out” repeats three times so we’ll have to do the action three times.

Great. Next let’s take the verse.

a hole in her stockin’ = lift your right leg and point to the sock (where you might have a hole).

heel kept a rockin’ = lift your heel and rock it–i.e., swing it back and forth from left to right.

toe kept a knockin’ = tap your toes onto the floor

Okay, now it’s time to try it with the group. Do it slowly, just speaking the words. Remember to draw the “moon,” which comes at the end of the chorus AND the verse.

Now, if you feel the class can make these moves, you might try it with the audio–which is pretty fast.

If the group succeeds, congratulations! You have performed the easy dance.

The Advanced Dance

Next try adding just a couple more movements for other words. For instance…
dance = do a little dance of your own choosing

gal = do a little curtsy

You’ll find adding these two extra moves makes the dance more challenging and more fun. It’s a workout.

Of course, these movements are just suggestions. You may make up your own. Or better yet, allow students to make up–and then explain to the rest of the class–their own dances.

The Buffalo Gal Chorus features Chelsea, Max, and Kristin Venuti.

Once students know the instructions, students will do the movements along with the song.  (The music, the words, and doing the action, all help to reinforce the language).

It gets better though.  Using the vocal versions as models, groups of students can write their own instructions.  Then they will lead the class in doing the actions.

I recorded this song in June, 2006, in a hotel room in Ufa, Russia.  The next day, students (pictured at the right) at the Ufa summer camp composed their own instructions to the music.  This version is available below too.  There is also the usual karaoke version so that students can write their own instructions.