Archive for May 17th, 2010
Thoughts on SING
Posted on: May 17, 2010
Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad.
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don’t worry that it’s not good enough
for anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song.
When it comes to Singable Picture Books, these words (and the wonderful tune he wrote to go with it) by Joe Raposo, get it exactly right.
When you sit down and share a moment with a child (or anyone, really…as I believe in the positive power of this activity for EVERYBODY) to sing a song, enjoying a Singable Picture Book, I hope you concentrate on the quality of time and not the quality of voice.
I absolutely identify myself as “a singer,” that’s true, and many people have said to me, “I can’t sing these books because I am not a singer,” or they say, “My voice is awful.” However, I can guarantee you that if you sit down with a kid and sing a Singable Picture Book, sharing your love, time and experience, that child will be enraptured by your efforts, beautiful voice or not. And you will feel great, too!
Music holds a magical power (and I BELIEVE that it is nothing short of MAGIC) that brings people together. If you sing with a kid, you will forge a bond that is loving, fun, and lasting.
Try it! You will not be disappointed.
SING!! Sing a song!
Sing (Sing-A-Song Storybook)
Words and Music by Joe Raposo
Illustrated by Kenn Backhaus
A few friends were sitting around the performance area of Aladdin’s Lamp Saturday morning, so I started singing about 15 minutes early. One cute fella who was there at the very beginning (I’m guessing he was 3) stuck around for the whole 45 minutes of singing. I was amazed!
I have so so enjoyed my year of Singing Books at Aladdin’s Lamp. I will miss that lovely little store. To me, the whole thing of the building’s owner not being flexible with the lease is like a real-life version of that movie “You Got Mail.”
I will miss Aladdin’s Lamp and I will forever be grateful for having had the chance to sing there.
We sang a wonderful stack of songs on Saturday…some of the songs we even sang twice!
- ABC’s (Traditional Words and Tune, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus…me!)
- ZYX’s (Traditional Tune, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus) (The children broke out into this song and sang it all by themselves. Wonderful!) (Sing this traditional tune long with me at: http://www.myspace.com/singbookswithemily)
- I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (Words and Music by John Rox, Illustrated by Bruce Whatley)
- A-You’re Adorable (Words and Music by Buddy Kaye, Fred Wise, and Sidney Lippman, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus)
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat (Traditional Words and Tune, Words Adapted by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by Sir John Tenniel, From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)
- I Love you A Bushel and a Peck (Words and Music by Frank Loesser, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells)
- Knick Knack Paddy Whack (Traditional Words and Tune, Additional Words and Arrangements by Mark Collins, Illustrated by Christiane Engel)
- You’re a Grand Old Flag (Words and music by George M. Cohan, Illustrated by Warren Kimble)
- Puff the Magic Dragon (Words and Music by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton, Illustrated by Eric Puybaret)
- Animal Fair (Traditional Tune, Words Adapted by Ponder Goembel, Illustrated by Ponder Goembel)
- “Dites-Moi” (in French and English!) (Words by Oscar Hammerstein II, Music by Richard Rogers, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Published in “Getting to Know You! Rogers and Hammerstein Favorites“)
- “The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top” (Words by Oscar Hammerstein II, Music by Richard Rogers, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Published in “Getting to Know You! Rogers and Hammerstein Favorites“)
- All God’s Critters (Words and Music by Bill Staines, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson)
- The Marvelous Toy (Words and Music by Tom Paxton, Illustrated by Steve Cox)
- Over the Rainbow (Words and Music by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, Illustrated by Eric Puybaret)
