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Kathy Sherman Good Folk Songs

Kathy Sherman and the Good Folk Collective

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Let’s Sing! – New CD!

Let's Sing - New CD

“Let’s​ ​Sing!”​​ ​is​ ​a​ ​collection​ ​of​ ​some​ ​of​ ​my​ ​very​ ​favorite​ ​songs​ ​I​ ​sing​ ​with​ ​my​ ​pre-school children​ ​and​ ​their​ ​parents. The new CD collection can be purchased from the links below:


      Amazon logo link image
More Good News!
Parents Choice Recommended Badge‘Let’s Sing’ Wins Prestigious “Parent’s Choice Recommended” designation from the Parent’s Choice Foundation!
Read the Parent’s Choice Foundation review here.
Even More Good News!
Creative Child Award Badge‘Let’s Sing’ Wins the coveted “Creative Child Award” as their pick for 2018 CD of the Year!

Let's Sing! Samples

Jenny Jenkins
http://renuvoo.com/audio/JennyJenkins_sample.mp3
And the Green Grass Grows All Around
http://renuvoo.com/audio/AndtheGreenGrassGrowsAllAround_sample.mp3
The Hokey Pokey
http://renuvoo.com/audio/TheHokeyPokey_sample.mp3

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.

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