Teachers spark controversy over 'Alphabet Song' tune changes: 'Sounds off-key'

Educators are disclosing online how they are modifying their approach to teaching young students the "ABCs," while social media users seem to be split on the issue.

The new version of the "Alphabet Song" is different from the classic one as it separates the letters into different groups and ends with, "Now I will never forget, I know how to say the alphabet."

Jessica Farmer, a literacy advocate from Florida, posted a video of herself singing the "new" song on TikTok under the username @Farmerlovesphonics.

Her video garnered more than 13,000 reactions.

A Rainbow Phonics lead professional trainer, who is also a farmer, believes the updated version of the song will be beneficial for literacy development.

Farmer said there are certain aspects of the ABCs that could cause confusion.

The traditional alphabet song has some problems. When sung quickly, the letters 'LMNOP' can blend together, causing many young children to incorrectly believe 'elemenop' is a single letter. Furthermore, the way 'Y and Z' is sung can sound like 'Y N Z,' which adds an extra, unintended letter to the song.

Farmer said the revised version addresses and eliminates problems.

This version is not new; it has been around for decades but hasn't been as popular as the well-known alphabet song.

Many users on TikTok did not seem too fond of the change.

This is a nightmare for a dyslexic person, one woman remarked.

A parent wrote, "I am never teaching my kids that."

"What's the point of changing something that's working well? I don't like the way it sounds," another user remarked.

One woman said, "ELEMENOPEE FOREVERR."

Others came out in support of the change.

One woman remarked, "I prefer this version greatly."

Another said, 'I love this better actually. I was so confused as a child about what we were saying at 'LMNOP' ... English is my second language too.'

An Instagram Reel with over 230,000 likes highlighted the confusion surrounding the "original" song's "LMNOP" lyrics.

Rachel, a first-grade teacher, posted a Reel singing the "new" way and shared new groupings to help eliminate uncertainty. The Reel received more than 10 million views.

She captioned the video, "They changed the alphabet song, but it was for a good reason."

The most exciting part of the alphabet is LMNOP, according to an Instagram user who commented on @mindfulteacherrachel's Reel.

Another woman said, "Oh I understand lol."

Planet Chronicle Digital reached out to @mindfulteacherrachel for comment.

The farmer stated that the song change is a positive move towards improving children's literacy.

She stated that although the effects may not be noticeable right away, the objective is to implement modifications that will eventually enhance literacy levels nationwide, beginning with young children.