Let’s Sing! – New CD!

Jenny​ Jenkins –​ ​an​ ​old​ ​musical​ ​game​ ​where​ ​one​ ​singer​ ​suggests​ ​a​ ​color​ ​and​ ​another​ ​singer must​ ​come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​a​ ​rhyming​ ​word.​ ​I’ve​ ​re-imagined​ ​this​ ​as​ ​a​ ​dialog​ ​between​ ​a​ ​mother​ ​and​ ​her daughter​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​get​ ​dressed​ ​in​ ​the​ ​morning.

Waltzing with​ Bears–​ ​We​ ​all​ ​have​ ​that​ ​particular​ ​person​ ​in​ ​our​ ​lives,​ ​the​ ​eccentric​ ​cousin,​ ​the black-sheep​ ​sibling,​ ​but​ ​probably​ ​none​ ​quite​ ​so​ ​“interesting”​ ​as​ ​dear​ ​Uncle​ ​Walter.

The​ Marvelous Toy by​ ​Tom​ ​Paxton​ ​–​ ​a​ ​wonderful​ ​and​ ​whimsical​ ​song​ ​about​ ​a​ ​not​ ​quite describable​ ​toy.

Skinnamarink ​by​ ​Felix​ ​F.​ ​Feist​ ​and​ ​Al​ ​Piantadosi​ ​–​ ​well,​ ​yes,​ ​why​ ​not?​ ​This​ ​song​ ​is​ ​reminiscent of​ ​Tin​ ​Pan​ ​Alley​ ​songs​ ​from​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​20th​ ​century.

I am the Conductor –​ ​I​ ​learned​ ​this​ ​song​ ​from​ ​my​ ​wonderful​ ​2nd-grade​ ​teacher,​ ​Bernie Gittleman.​ ​It’s​ ​what​ ​we​ ​now​ ​call​ ​an​ ​“echo​ ​song”​ ​where​ ​one​ ​person​ ​calls​ ​out​ ​a​ ​phrase​ ​that​ ​is​ ​then repeated​ ​by​ ​the​ ​group.​ ​Bernie​ ​was​ ​so​ ​animated​ ​and​ ​silly​ ​when​ ​he​ ​would​ ​sing​ ​this​ ​with​ ​us.​ ​I​ ​try​ ​to channel​ ​his​ ​magic​ ​whenever​ ​I​ ​teach.

I Had a Rooster ​–​ ​actually,​ ​I​ ​did​ ​have​ ​a​ ​rooster,​ ​two​ ​in​ ​fact,​ ​and​ ​they​ ​were​ ​very​ ​noisy.​ ​There​ ​are many​ ​farm​ ​songs​ ​in​ ​the​ ​folk​ ​song​ ​tradition.​ ​I​ ​love​ ​to​ ​teach​ ​this​ ​to​ ​my​ ​very​ ​youngest​ ​students​ ​as they​ ​all​ ​love​ ​to​ ​moo,​ ​meow​, and​ ​growl.​ ​Come​ ​to​ ​think​ ​of​ ​it,​ ​so​ ​do​ ​I.

The State Laughs by​ ​John​ ​Forster​ ​– follows​ ​a​ ​joke​ ​and​ ​the​ ​response​ ​it​ ​gets​ ​in​ ​different​ ​states​ ​of the​ ​country.​ ​Originally​ ​sung​ ​by​ ​Tom​ ​Chapin,​ ​I​ ​just​ ​about​ ​fell​ ​out​ ​of​ ​my​ ​chair​ ​when​ ​I​ ​first​ ​heard this.​ ​Nyuk,​ ​nyuk,​ ​nyuk!

I am a Pizza ​​by​ ​Peter​ ​Alsop​ ​–​ ​​ ​one​ ​of​ ​those​ ​songs​ ​that​ ​all​ ​pre-schoolers​ ​love.​ ​​ ​It’s​ ​the​ ​story​ ​of​ ​a proud​ ​pizza,​ ​piping​ ​hot,​ ​and​ ​a​ ​careless​ ​car​ ​ride.​ ​Sigh!

The Hokey Pokey –​ ​We​ ​have​ ​so​ ​much​ ​fun​ ​with​ ​this​ ​song.​ ​It’s​ ​a​ ​great​ ​introduction​ ​to​ ​right​ ​and left​ ​sides​ ​of​ ​the​ ​body.​ ​When​ ​we’re​ ​dancing,​ ​I​ ​have​ ​the​ ​kids​ ​mirror​ ​me​ ​so​ ​now​ ​I’m​ ​trained​ ​to automatically​ ​raise​ ​my​ ​right​ ​hand​ ​when​ ​I​ ​sing​ ​“left”.​ ​It’s​ ​very​ ​confusing.

She’ll be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain ​–​ ​originally​ ​an​ ​old​ ​gospel​ ​song.​ ​In​ ​class​ ​we​ ​are​ ​all stagecoach​ ​drivers​ ​handling​ ​our​ ​team​ ​of​ ​six​ ​white​ ​horses,​ ​galloping​ ​around.​ ​It’s​ ​the​ ​type​ ​of controlled​ ​chaos​ ​that​ ​the​ ​children​ ​love.

I Like the Mountains –​ ​I​ ​just​ ​love​ ​the​ ​feeling​ ​this​ ​song​ ​evokes.​ ​My​ ​students​ ​find​ ​it​ ​magical.​ ​In this​ ​rendition​ ​I​ ​have​ ​my​ ​very​ ​talented​ ​older​ ​singers​ ​demonstrating​ ​the​ ​beauty​ ​of​ ​this​ ​song​ ​in​ ​its “round”​ ​form,​ ​giving​ ​younger​ ​students​ ​an​ ​example​ ​of​ ​musical​ ​complexity​ ​in​ ​a​ ​simple​ ​melody.

How Much is That Doggie in the Window by​ ​Bob​ ​Merrill​ ​–​ ​“…I​ ​don’t​ ​want​ ​a​ ​bowl​ ​of​ ​pretty goldfish.​ ​You​ ​can’t​ ​take​ ​a​ ​goldfish​ ​for​ ​walks!”

And the Green Grass Grows All Around –​ ​is​ ​a​ ​cumulative​ ​song,​ ​one​ ​that​ ​adds​ ​a​ ​detail​ ​with​ ​each verse​ ​and​ ​then​ ​the​ ​details​ ​are​ ​repeated​ ​back​ ​in​ ​reverse​ ​order.​ ​Like​ ​its​ ​predecessor​ ​“The​ ​Rattlin’ Bog”​ ​the​ ​challenge​ ​is​ ​in​ ​remembering​ ​the​ ​details,​ ​and​ ​of​ ​course,​ ​not​ ​running​ ​out​ ​of​ ​breath!

I’ve Been Working on the Railroad –​ ​is​ ​actually​ ​2​ ​songs.​ ​“Railroad”​ ​and​ ​“Someone’s​ ​in​ ​the Kitchen​ ​with​ ​Dinah”​ ​were​ ​put​ ​together​ ​about​ ​100​ ​years​ ​ago.​ ​Do​ ​they​ ​make​ ​any​ ​sense​ ​together? Not​ ​really.​ ​But​ ​I​ ​always​ ​imagined​ ​that​ ​“Someone’s​ ​in​ ​the​ ​kitchen​ ​with​ ​Dinah”​ ​is​ ​about​ ​someone stoking​ ​the​ ​engine​ ​with​ ​coal​ ​or​ ​wood…and​ ​playing​ ​the​ ​banjo.​ ​I’ve​ ​been​ ​known​ ​to​ ​stop​ ​whatever I’m​ ​doing​ ​to​ ​grab​ ​my​ ​banjo​ ​and​ ​play.

Listen to the Water​ ​by​ ​Bob​ ​Schneider ​– is​ ​another​ ​favorite​ ​of​ ​my​ ​very​ ​young​ ​children.​ ​It​ ​not​ ​only gives​ ​them​ ​an​ ​opportunity​ ​to​ ​say​ ​what​ ​they’ve​ ​notice​ ​by​ ​the​ ​water​ ​side​ ​but​ ​also​ ​what​ ​they imagine​ ​to​ ​be​ ​by​ ​the​ ​waterside​ ​–​ ​mermaids,​ ​dragons,​ ​space​ ​aliens​ ​and​ ​of​ ​course​ ​dinosaurs.

Baby Don’t You Cry (The Pie Song) ​by​ ​Adrienne​ ​Shelly​ ​and​ ​Andrew​ ​Hollander​ — ​comes​ ​from​ ​the movie​ ​“The​ ​Waitress”.​ ​When​ ​I​ ​first​ ​heard​ ​this​ ​song​ ​I​ ​had​ ​a​ ​strong​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​deja-vu,​ ​baking​ ​with my​ ​mom,​ ​the​ ​smells​ ​of​ ​the​ ​dough​ ​and​ ​the​ ​filling​ ​coming​ ​together​ ​to​ ​make​ ​a​ ​pastry​ ​full​ ​of​ ​love.

Teddy Bears’ Picnic ​by​ ​Jimmy​ ​Kennedy​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Walter​ ​Bratton​ ​–​ ​A​ ​surprise​ ​awaits​ ​anyone who​ ​ventures​ ​into​ ​the​ ​woods!

Bedtime Round ​by​ ​John​ ​Forster​ ​and​ ​Tom​ ​Chapin​ — ​is​ ​another​ ​one​ ​of​ ​those​ ​songs​ ​that​ ​floored​ ​me when​ ​I​ ​first​ ​heard​ ​it.​ ​Come​ ​to​ ​think​ ​of​ ​it,​ ​it​ ​still​ ​does.​ ​I​ ​imagine​ ​tired​ ​little​ ​teddy​ ​bears​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​get to​ ​sleep​ ​after​ ​their​ ​stimulating​ ​day​ ​out,​ ​not​ ​quite​ ​ready​ ​for​ ​the​ ​day​ ​to​ ​end,​ ​and​ ​–​ ​Mom​ ​–​ ​ready​ ​to get​ ​off​ ​her​ ​feet,​ ​maybe​ ​having​ ​a​ ​nice,​ ​soothing​ ​bubble​ ​bath​ ​and​ ​a​ ​cup​ ​of​ ​tea.