The Lead-in
Sometimes a song does not begin on the first beat of a bar. Any notes which come before the first full bar are called lead-in notes (or pickup notes). When we use lead-in notes, the last bar is also incomplete. The notes in the lead-in and the notes in the last bar must add up to one full bar.
There are three lead-in notes at the beginning of this song. On the recording there are five drumbeats to introduce this song.
There are no breath marks written here, so you will have to decide the best places to breathe. Anywhere a rest occurs is usually good. Another good place is at the end of any long note such as a whole note, or at the end of a phrase in the lyrics (where a comma occurs in the lyrics).
Staccato
A dot placed above or below a note tells you to sing it staccato. Staccato means to sing a note short and separate from other notes. To sing a note short, stop your breath as soon as the note sounds.
Watch the notes carefully as you sing this song, as some notes are staccato and others are not. There is one lead-in note at the beginning of the song.
