This sheet music doesn’t mean much on its own, but when we play or listen to it, it becomes apparent that it is the beginning of a number of different songs, each with a single note missing. For ease in identification, the songs are given in alphabetical order.
| Song | Words | Missing Note | Missing Syllable |
| Happy Birthday to You | “Happy birthday to ___. Happy birthday to you.” | B | You |
| Mary Had a Little Lamb | “Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb. Mary had a little lamb; its fleece was white as ___.” | C | Snow |
| Old MacDonald | “Old Macdonald ___ a farm, E-I-E-I-O.” | D | Had |
| She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain | “She’ll be coming ___ the mountain when she comes. She’ll be coming ’round the mountain when she comes.” | F | ‘Round |
| Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star | “Twinkle, twinkle, ___tle star; How I wonder what you are.” | A | Lit- |
| The Wheels on the Bus | “The wheels on the bus go ’round ___ ’round; ’round and ’round; ’round and ’round.” | E | And |
| Yankee Doodle | “Yankee Doodle went to town, a-ridin’ on a ___ny.” | G | Po- |
The missing notes can be ordered from middle C up to B4 (the next highest B). Ordering the missing syllables the same way gives Snow Had And ‘Round Po- Lit- You. The first letters of each of these missing syllables gives the answer SHARPLY.