CMN Conference

I spent this past weekend at the Children's Music Network annual national conference.

Keep in mind that "conference" is merely the best word we've been able to agree on to define the event. It used to be called a "gathering," but my understanding is that people thought "conference" sounded more professional.

Ah, how we have fooled them.

There is a good deal of conference-ing involved. We do go to workshops and discuss issues in children's music. But it is also part "summer" camp, part retreat, part secret society and part family reunion.

I suppose it is unusual when one attends a national conference, to already know about 80% of the people attending. Or to get half a dozen hugs just walking from your hotel room to dinner. Or for conversation at that dinner to include a rhyme-a-thon reminiscent of "The Princess Bride." Okay, I know it is unusual. But I will also bet that we have a lot more fun that way.

Here are some highlights from my Conference Experience:
- As mentioned above, a dinnertime rhyme-a-thon with Steve Zelin (check him out at 0:52)
- Alvin McGovern turning "Billy Boy" into a song about pirates. (Well, it WAS national talk-like-a-pirate day.)
- 9-year-old Taelor regaling us all at the bonfire with tales of her teachers, including one who has spiders and snakes in the classroom. Eww.
- My less-than-successful attempt to teach the "Alley-Alley-O" dance to the Play Party Games workshop group. We got rather tangled. On the other hand, "Head and Shoulders, Baby" and "Draw Me a Bucket of Water" were both big hits - these were songs I taught at workshops in the past year and were requested again. Gotta love that.
- Singing a few of my favorites at the lullaby workshop
- Astounding the crowd with my ability to rhyme the word "purple"
- Late-night Tom Hunter songs and the dance party that followed
- Doing the snowman dance at Fran McKinney's singing and reading workshop
- Getting to sing the "Thousand Legged Worm" at the early childhood songswap
- Singing Bill Harley songs at the Magic Penny presentation
- Kathy Reid-Naiman leading us all through "We'll Pass them On" at the closing circle

And, of course, the unbelievable warmth and support that you feel when surrounded by some of the most loving people on the planet for two and a half days. There's nothing like it. And next year...

"Carolina in '09!"

(Yes, it's already a song. We're CMN - we can't help it!)

A Good Set

I had a really good gig at the Museum yesterday.

Successes never make as good stories as, say, flying microphones, but it is important to acknowledge what one does well. So here goes.

My voice wasn't exactly in rare form, I have to admit. I hadn't been too kind to it over the week, and I was struggling. But the interaction part of the performance was great! Families were singing along, making rooster sounds, waving their hands in the air when prompted, and singing "by yourselves" when it was their turn. Which I took as a good sign.

"Little Peter Rabbit" (starts at 2:20) was fun, although some of the adults didn't seem quite too sure what to make of it. I'm always mildly amused that I get such an enthusiastic response for NOT singing...although, in my defense, I'm NOT singing in a coordinated fashion. (Although it's less impressive than when 3 people are doing it at the same time, as in the video.)

I finally figured out how to sing "Tingalayo" (yes, same video) without losing enthusiasm for the hand motions. I invited the kids up on stage to do the motions with me, and I got about eight helpers. They seemed to enjoy it, and I was loving it too. AND - bonus - the parents in the audience were waving and clapping right along with us, to help their kids remember what to do. They were engaging with each other and the kids, I hope, had a chance to feel empowered. End of buzzwords.

We did "Do Your Ears Hang Low," and one little boy was singing the end of each line as loud as could be! It was great. And everyone was doing the motions along with me.

Most of the crowd dispersed after "Five Little Chickadees," about 20 minutes into the half hour. Which I considered a great sign - at the BCM, most people don't hang around in one place for long. The fact that they stayed that long I took as a huge compliment! So, I had two families for my last three songs. Two little girls, around 3, and two adults each. We did "Tommy Thumb," and the one on my left was loving it. I can't find a video of this one, but one of the verses is:

"Dance them on your shoulders, dance them on your head,
Dance them on your knees, then tuck them into bed."

This little girl sang "head" - right out loud, every time! It was marvelous. Then we did "Going to Kentucky" and I got this girl and her family to come up and dance with me. I closed with "Hush Little Baby" and it was lovely.

And get this - I had an actual microphone! And a mic stand - and when I got there, someone was setting up chairs. And they took it all down for me when I was done.

It's really nice to be treated like a professional.

Cue the Chinese Dancers

Today was supposed to be my day playing in the Common. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Boston Children's Museum, the Common is the main area on the second floor.) I was excited - I'd done several PlaySpace gigs in a row, and while those are always fun, I was looking forward to playing for the older kids. I show up, climb the stairs and the performance area was already set up. Couldn't have been for me...I don't think any of the floor staff - or anyone except my direct supervisor - knows my schedule.

Nope. "Oh, we have Chinese dancers coming in."

"What time?" I ask.
"10:30."

Of course. Cause 10:30 is the time I'm supposed to start. So I wander around the floor, looking for a space to set up. Can't set up in the art Gallery, where I used to play before I moved to the Common - there's a weaving exhibit there now and no room for me. So I went to PlaySpace and played for the bitties.

Only about four of them. But still, considering I had no plan except for the program I'd put together for my last PlaySpace session, it didn't go too badly. And, hey...I can use my Common program for NEXT Saturday. Bonus!!

Striking the Balance

This week, I took a two-and-a-half-day vacation. That may not sound like much, but I've been working more or less nonstop lately. So nearly three days off was a BIG deal. I willed myself not to think about work, and trust me, it wasn't easy. I was at the beach. I went swimming, shopping, fell asleep to the sound of the ocean, read books in bed and on the lawn with the waves lapping at the shore.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love what I do, and I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to do it and get paid to boot. But I realized as I was driving home that I have been focusing entirely on my work for a very long time. So much so, actually, that I had forgotten what it was like to just be me. Without the guitar and shaker eggs. I knew that making a success of my career in children's music was still a priority...but light was beginning to dawn that it shouldn't be my ONLY one. I vowed to change that.

It is now 7:15. I got home from work at 4 pm. As soon as I got home, I went straight to my bookshelf and pulled out my songbooks, desperate to find some new songs that would work with the youngest kids - 0 to 3 year olds, my PlaySpace crowd. About 10 minutes ago I looked up and realized that I was still working.

That's right, I had been working since I got home from work. And if I didn't do something soon, I might be working until I went to bed. I went to the computer to write this post...and immediately googled "fingerplays."

Oops.

Make no mistake. I am proud of my commitment to my work. I am proud of the work that I do. And I do everything I can to make each show a success. But I fear that if I don't have a life outside of it, I will place TOO much importance on each show, and my fear of any failure at all will cripple me. Not only will it zap my energy and paralyze my voice, but it will make those inevitable little flops - a missed chord here, a mixed-up verse there - make me feel like a failure as a person.

On the other hand, if I have a life and enjoy it, I can relax and have fun with my music programs instead of freaking out about whether I'm good enough. And if I stop freaking out, I have a sneaking suspicion that the result will be more fun not just for me, but for the kids and parents as well. After all, the songs I do that are the best received are generally the ones I enjoy the most.

I cannot tell a lie. I know I'll do a bit more work before I go to bed tonight. But I promise, that is not all I will do.

My Disaster Story

I don't know much about sound systems. But I do know this.

Your microphone pack is not supposed to fly off of your body in the middle of a performance, hit the floor and split into two parts. I am sure of this.

OK, OK. I MAY have clipped my battery pack to a quarter-inch string of ribbon on the front of my dress. I MAY have had it like that when I got to the part in "Going to Kentucky" where you "turn around and turn around until you make a stop." Only in my case, it was "...turn around and turn around and---- uh oh."

The "uh oh" was the point where the pack spun off of my body, unclipping the lav mic from my collar. The pack hit the floor and split in two.

Now, it could have been a lot worse. It could have hit a kid. Or a parent. Or a grandparent. It didn't. It just hit the floor. But I didn't think of that. I simply stared at the casualty that had resulted from my enthusiastic spinning.

I picked up the microphone and a dad in the front row promptly leapt to his feet as well. I turned on the mic and it still worked. Fortunately, the pack had broken where it was designed to; the cover had just come off. But there was a latch on the pack and I couldn't put it back on my own. I had decided to clip the pack to my guitar strap and keep going and deal with the problem later. But this dad was determined to help me, bless him. He fiddled with the pack and I watched over his shoulder as my audience started to leave.

"It's OK, it's OK," I said, "I'll fix it later."

He insisted he could do it. So I waited as he slid the pieces back together and returned the pack to me. I continued with the set, praying that the families who had left would be replaced with more. I did a few songs with hand claps and when I picked up the guitar again, I clipped the pack to the strap.

It lasted for three or four more songs. Then, as I was asking the children if their ears hung low, my microphone decided to do just that. It dropped and shattered again, in the same place.

Engineer Dad to the rescue - he decided to concoct a system where the pack would be firmly attached to the guitar strap. I saw people begin to leave again, so I improvised a few verses of "Ears" as he worked. Seriously - made 'em up on the spot. "Can you clap your hands, can you clap them on your head..." Not too bad, considering the circumstances. (Engineer Dad was still standing to my left, holding the mic to my face as he twisted the cord around.)

When the mic was finished, I decided to go on to another hand-clapping song. Which is when I discovered that I couldn't put the guitar down. The cord was wrapped around the strap. That's where it starts to get blurry. Flustered and embarrassed, I tried to control my wavering voice, at the same time as I attempted to figure out whether or not the microphone was actually working. And at the same time as I prayed that the parents in the back weren't thinking, "What's wrong with this person??"

This happened less than a week ago - last Saturday, to be specific. It's almost funny by now. And it already makes a good performance-disaster story. (Right?) At the time, I wanted to find a nice little hole to hide in for a few hundred years... but I'm getting over it.

And heck - it's kind of like a badge of honor or something. A kind of rite of passage, if you will.

Not at all proof that I forgot all about that silly thing called gravity.

A "Theme" Gig

Today I did my first "theme" gig. As in, "Today is Teddy Bear's Picnic Day, could you sing some bear-related songs?"

Of course I said "sure." Then I went home and thought "Well, I know OF a bunch of bear songs...but I don't actually know how to PLAY them."

This was about a month ago.

Cramming time. Now, if I could devote the bulk of my day to learning new songs, not only would I be thrilled, but things like this would be a lot easier. Unfortunately, I do have at least four other jobs currently, so I have to plan very carefully. And, occasionally, cram.

So, I learned them. I learned "Teddy Bear's Picnic," of course, and several more. Most courtesy of Sandy, at the Musicare celebration. Although my personal favorite of the day, "Waltzing with Bears," I learned at a grownup folk music party recently. All went relatively well, judging from people's reaction and the response I got from the store manager. Granted, I always walk away thinking of where there is room for improvement, but I'm working on that. Cause let's face it, focusing on my shortfalls does not lead to confidence in performance.

So, the verdict on doing a "theme" gig? Good. Good for my work in general, since I learned some new songs I can go on and use in other situations. Good for my programs, since I learned I can take a chance and sing a "new" song, provided I work in openings for participation.

That was another thing I figured out in preparing for this gig. Most of these songs were ones that people don't necessarily know, like "Waltzing." So I did something that I've been hearing others do my whole life - I sang the chorus multiple times, leaving out a word here and there that I knew the crowd would remember and be able to fill in. Like I said, I'd heard people do that a hundred thousand times. But this was the first time I actually tried it myself - and the weird thing is, I didn't realize I had heard it done until I tried it while rehearsing. Bizarre. But you know what? It worked!!

PlaySpace, Day 1

Did my first "official" music program at the BCM last Thursday. It started exactly as the first one had - with technical difficulties. See, PlaySpace - the area for 0 to 3 year olds - has a sound system in the "classroom" area. The employees who work there have a key.

And the only people who actually know how to work it are the Music & Movement ladies, who aren't there on Thursdays.

So Rachelle and I fiddled with knobs and switches, and finally we figured out the instructions. I took the battery pack and clipped it to my skirt, which promptly sagged. Oy. I figured out the headset and turned it on, and all systems were go. Time to finish tuning.

The crowd was small, but Rachelle had asked if I wanted more people, and I said things were fine the way they were. It was the first day; a low-pressure situation was fine with me.

And it went fairly well. Most people only stayed for a song or two, but there's a lot to see in PlaySpace, and I was told to expect that. No problem. As always, "Wheels on the Bus" and "If You're Happy" went over big, which they always do with the little bitties. Nothing really fell flat...well, my clever commentary for "Old McDonald" didn't do as well as it did the first time. But if there's one thing I'm learning, it's that a song or a bit can be a big hit one day and go over their heads the next. All depends on the people, I guess, and how they're feeling.

My favorite moment came at the end. I'd done "Hush Little Baby" on the later end of the middle, as usual. It brought a couple folks in, including a pair of grandparents and their granddaughter (I think), who was about 3. The grandma and little girl wandered out somewhere near the end of the next song, but the grandfather stayed. I closed with "Small World," and as always I asked everyone to join in the chorus. The kids remaining were all too little, but the parents sang, at least a little bit.

But the older gentleman sang all the way through, gazing off into space. And he had a lovely voice, deep and rich like my own grandfather's. Maybe that's why this particular moment struck a cord with me. Or maybe it was the honesty of his singing - not for the child accompanying him, not because I asked, but, it seemed, because there was a song to be sung. But it was lovely.

Reader, I hope you will forgive me for so cherishing a moment that didn't involve a child. But one of the things I hope to do through music is bring generations together, help parents and grandparents share songs with their children. And if I can get someone to sing, someone of any age, it will spread. And maybe, just maybe, it's one little step towards bringing back "family music."

Good Stuff and Worries

Patti keeps saying I only post once a month. Well, here's another one, making about 5 this month....so there.

So, the budget was approved for me to do a weekly singalong at the Children's Museum. Yay! Now I just have to figure out scheduling. And possibly how to set up my speaker so that I don't have to be so careful about where I stand.

Had another Musicare demo last week, too - this one just for one big class instead of four smaller ones. It was just as lovely and fun as the first one, although bigger classes are always a challenge as far as control goes. So far, at both my demo sessions I've had the classroom teachers in the room, which helps. Although I have found that the teachers tend to micromanage a bit -

"Play the drum like this, Johnny."
"Susie, she said put your sticks this way."
"Quiet drums while we're passing them, Sammy."

Which is fine, and it does help me to maintain order. But being the worrywart that I am, I become self-conscious and wonder if they think I can't control the group on my own. And I can't exactly tell them that I'm giving the kids a minute or two to see what the group is doing and mirror it. I also worry that the teacher presence will become a crutch and I'll actually forget how to steer the ship on my own.

Then again, maybe they're thinking some of the same thing - guest in the room, gotta show that our kids behave.

Oh, well...gotta focus on the kids. If they're having fun, our grownup insecurities matter very little.

First Demo Class

My first demo was a huge success! I had four classes - 3 preschool, one pre-K. Oh, it was just lovely. I expected it to work, I expected things to go relatively smoothly. After all, these classes are time-tested. But I had never sung a name song with a group of preschoolers who had never had a song "personalized" for them before.


There were eleven of them sitting in the circle, experiencing varying degrees of shyness. But when I got to each one of them, and sang that child's name in the song, each one got the sweetest little smile, and I was thrilled.

There was one little boy who had come in with his arms crossed over his nametag. He was clearly feeling a little bit sulky...I figured he'd probably been dragged away from a favorite toy or game; of course I didn't take it personally. He was to my left in the circle and I started on the right, so his turn would come at the end. Halfway through the name song, I heard him whisper to his teacher, "This is actually kind of fun." One small victory.

I actually remembered to do the "new" words AND motions to "Tommy Thumb" - or "Thumbs Pointing Up," as I must remember to call it for class. And in a few of the classes - by the time we got to the third and fourth verses, the kids were actually singing with me.

Maybe it's because I'm relatively new at this, but the experience of hearing a child sing a song I taught him or her...it still amazes me. Especially if it's a song I've known for a very long time. I can't explain it, and I'm not sure I really want to try. The sense of wonder is enough, and the deep, sure feeling that comes from spreading music like candlelight.

Old Songs, New Tricks

Right now I am on the Musicare website, attempting to learn the "new" words to a song I've known for two-thirds of my life.

The song is "Tommy Thumb." Our company director hates songs that are "gender-biased." (She's really quite sane...this is her only "thing.") So here I am on the website, the day before my first demo, attempting to memorize new names for the fingers.

Thumbs, pointer fingers, tally finger, ringer finger, pinky finger...thumbs, pointer, tally, ringer, pinky...pointer, tally, ringer, pinky...

Oy. I can sing "Tommy Thumb" in my sleep. I probably do. Which makes it that much harder to learn a different set of words. And even harder, to remind myself to sing those words instead.

I wonder what my chances are of actually remembering.

I also have to learn stick motions for "Wheels on the Bus"...I hope Marie calls me back, because I can't figure out a stick motion for the Babies verse that doesn't involve the kids poking themselves in the eye.

Wah wah wah, wah wah wah...

Gig at the BCM...hopefully first of many!

I was, to quote Sharon - well, actually to quote Patti quoting Sharon - "scared out of my tiny little mind."

I arrived at the Children's Museum this morning for my "trial" sing-along show. If it went well, they'd put me on the schedule regularly.

No pressure though.

I had picked out my outfit carefully. Trusting in the tasteful fashion sense of Patti and Lois, I had foregone the hot-pink top and pigtails for a demure salmon-colored fitted tee and knee-length black skirt with leggings. I looked professional, but approachable. Hopefully. Carrying my sound stuff and guitar for 5 blocks had left me with arms twice their usual length, but no matter. I plugged in my new portable amp, turned on my clip-on "lav" mic...and nothing. "Testing, testing." Nothing.

Oh, goody, the "low battery" light is on.

So I had a nearby staffer page the manager, who found me a spare 9-Volt battery. Thank heavens, we have liftoff. I tuned, I turned the mic on and off, testing distances and hoping for lack of feedback. Finally, a half hour later, I began.

I have to admit, I was dreadfully nervous. I know people that work here. If I messed up, I'd have to look them in the eye every day.

I opened with "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain." There was one dad and a baby, and I crossed my fingers, hoping for more. I went into my "Old McDonald" - jazzed up a little, and with added stuffed animals for effect. A few more kids trickled in. I went into "Wheels on the Bus," and bingo (no pun intended), I had a crowd. Yay! My heart was fluttering in my chest and I thought it must show in my voice, but I moved onward.

"Sur Le Pont D'Avignon" was fun, though I was sure my voice was wobbly. I tried "Turkey in the Straw."

Now here's the odd part. I'd done a gig in February and this song had KILLED. Kids were laughing, parents were clapping...this time, they were all looking at me like I had six heads. Oh well. Can't win 'em all. I was sad, though; I adore singing the "donut" verse.

(Ask me about it - it's awesome. Courtesy of Lois, naturally.)

My slow song was "Hush Little Baby," and I felt my voice coming back. Thank heavens for lullabies. I put down the guitar for "Itsy Bitsy Spider"...it's no fun without the hand motions...and it was a hit. Of course, that's when my speaker decided to feed back at me. The kids loved the "teensy weensy spider." The amp did not. Squeeeeak. I ended up inching to the left away from the amp, resulting in a very interesting sideways-walking spider. The itsy bitsy crab went up the water spout?

The audience was very forgiving.

I had planned to close with "Meetin' in the Buildin'," a fun spiritual sort of song, but I was too nervous. I knew I couldn't get the power I needed. So I wound down with "Small World" and it seemed to go over well.

After the show, the program director said she'd like to have me on once a month or so. (She also gave me a plastic carnation.) I was thrilled...and, bundle of confidence that I am, prayed that she wouldn't change her mind. Fortunately, another staffer (who's also a mom) also said she enjoyed it a lot.

So, here's hopin' it goes through. I could really use the experience, and a paying gig is always nice.

Skinnamarink!

It was just like old times...only completely different.

At 10:45 or so on Sunday, May 4, the ushers for the Sharon, Lois and Bram show opened the doors to the theater. Now, in the old days, I would have already been there. In fact, I would probably have escaped into the backstage hallway long before the door even opened, so as not to get trampled. But this time, I hadn't come by myself as I used to. I'd come with eight other people, only two of which I'd met as of thirty-six hours earlier. The rest I'd met on a Yahoo group run by one of their other old friends, Paul Leary. We'd all met the night before and had wandered over to the theater early.

Very early. Bram, upon arriving at about nine-fifteen or nine-thirty, deemed us completely insane. "Aren't you COLD?" he asked. But with a smile on his face, of course, as he greeted us all before heading into the theater to tune and prepare.

A photographer at the theater took pictures of our group, and taped us singing "Skinnamarink." This was already more attention than I was used to at one of these... but then again, there were nine of us. I was no longer a fly on the wall.

Sharon was already in the theater when we got in...I ran down to greet her, then introduced her to Patti. Patti got the hug she had been waiting for for twenty years, and I was so happy - after having my own dream come true in much the same way, it felt wonderful to help make it happen for my friend.

Then Lois arrived with her standard accessories - big sunglasses and an assortment of black tote bags. I hadn't seen her in nine years, and Sharon smiled as she ducked out of the way so that I could run over and hug her. It was wonderful to see her again - just wonderful.

It was chaos, but it was fun. At one point, I found myself perched on the stage left stairwell, conversations flying through the air behind me, as I pulled out my hairbrush to tame my windswept hair. Lois' glasses were sitting on the stage, Bram's guitar waiting patiently by the microphones.

I was home. After so many years, so many ups and downs in my life, drifting so far away I never thought I'd return... I had come home.

The concert was lovely; they opened with "Tingalayo." I remembered Sharon and Bram singing it last year in Winona. Lois jumped in with the first verse...except it wasn't her turn. I giggled...I can't even count the number of times I've done that in just the last month, at KidStage. They sang "Once I saw Three Goats." We all laughed at the turtles wearing girdles verse. We'd just been talking the night before about how no one knows what a girdle is any more, but it rhymes with turtle, so no matter. :) After the "25 Years" film it was "Hey Dum" and "Skinny"...or, in layman's terms, "Hey Dum Diddley Dum" and "Skinnamarink."

I still remember how I learned those "shorthand" titles. My first time meeting them - the Syracuse Symphony show, February 99. Lois sent me off exploring as she got ready, and I was twirling about onstage when the stage manager taped the set lists to the mic stands. I felt like I had been let in on a very important secret.

The festival people kicked us out pretty quickly after the show, and we took pictures in the lot behind the theater. Lots and lots of pictures. And we talked some more, and Lois showed us pictures of her lovely new granddaughter, Tessa, and I showed pictures of Anthony. Then we all split off.

It went so quickly. I felt like I had blinked and the whole morning had gone by... but it had been wonderful.

Oh, and there was more to the weekend. Much more. Sharon's stories of her trip to Africa. A pair of elephant earrings that we thought we'd have to mail to her, until we saw her passing right by us on the street. An afternoon wandering through Kensington with Patti, and a giant orange sign saying "Kensington Market" that led to a long-running joke.

Hey, Patti, where's Kensington Market? It should be around here...

Now, you may be wondering why I'm writing all this in a blog that is supposedly about my work in children's music. But I wouldn't have found my way into this business if it weren't for Sharon, Lois and Bram - they are my inspiration, my roots and my musical heritage. They are a part of my heart and a part of me. They belong here, just like I belong on the side of the stage, brushing my hair as Lois gets ready to perform.

They are my home.

My First Show

There was a little girl in the audience today at KidStage. Probably about 3 years old, maybe not quite. She sat there long after everyone else had left, watching as we took down the set and put up the one for the next show. As her father was putting her in the stroller to leave she was still watching me, so I went over to say hello. Her face lit up and her dad told me that it was her first show ever. In her whole life.

My work is so amazing.

CMN Regional Gathering

This past Saturday was the Children's Music Network regional gathering for New England. We met in Amherst, an absolutely lovely area in western Massachusetts. The drive there was less than lovely, though...it was raining when I left the Boston area, and the rain turned to snow by Concord. I arrived in one piece, thankfully, though it was touch and go for a while. My car doesn't do well in snow.

My friend Alison was running late, but so was the Gathering. When she arrived, we had just ended the opening circle and had moved into the Rescheduling portion of the program. This is the part where we decide how to change the times for the workshops so we get back on track after starting late. (It's not actually a part of the scheduled day, but it should be.) Once we'd agreed on a solution, we finally moved onto workshops.

The first workshop I went to was a Preschool songswap. Always good fun, and I got to lead "Horsey, Horsey". It's a lovely partner song that works very well as two separate songs. (Someday soon I'll figure out how to do links here, and include songs that I mention. Stay tuned!!)

Then came lunch - spaghetti - and then the next two workshops. Music and Movement was probably my favorite of the day, since we got to do circle dances and singing games. I'm madly in love with these songs. Could be my dancing years. We did "Going to Kentucky" with egg shakers, "Hokey Pokey" with instruments, and I got to teach "Draw Me a Bucket of Water." "Water" is a four-person singing game with a London Bridge-esque element where you duck under people's arms, but in this one you stay there until everyone has ducked under. Then you jump around in a circle like that. It's much more fun to do than to read about, and much easier to demonstrate than describe. If I hadn't seen it on "Skinnamarink TV" years ago, it would never have caught my attention. But it's one of my favorites; we did it at Musicare too. The CMNers loved it! My demo group especially had a good time; we had at least two contra dancers who went to town with the spinning part.

(Here's a hint for anyone who teaches or leads games with partner twirls: use cetrifugal force! Lean back into your partner's arm as you spin and you'll have lots more momentum! Just don't let go.) :)

Just before the workshop ended we did "Cheerio," another singing game. This one is done in two lines, and everyone but me calls it "Zudio" or "Zodiac." Well, I guess I shouldn't say everyone but me - Sharon, Lois and Bram call it "Cheerio" too. That's how I learned it and it will always be "Cheerio" to me. I like that version better anyway - kids know the word "Cheerio." It's easier to remember. Anyway, the version we did was one I didn't know, so it was exciting to learn the little differences. There are so many versions of this song, it's unbelievable. We also talked about other games that are similar, like "Down in the Valley Two By Two" and "Down, Down, Baby." I really want to do a workshop all about these games. Maybe next year...


The last workshop was about healthy food songs. We did a couple songs about bananas; I did "Apple Picker's Reel." I think I got the chords backwards. :( What can I say - it's been a while since I've done fall songs!

Well, time to go eat lunch. If you're reading this, and you want to see a particular entry, let me know. Like, if you want an entry all about singing games and the different versions people know, I'd be more than happy to do one. It's all about keeping the songs alive!!

Playing Catchup

OK, sorry...I know it's been a couple of weeks and I haven't finished writing about my training. I had to finish up, though, then travel back here, then attempt to settle back in, then leave again for a house-sitting gig. I kept thinking "I'll get to it"...so here it is.

Second day of "student teaching" was really great. My second toddler class went much better than my first, and my Friday four-year-olds were just AWESOME!! They were so into it; a few of them were singing right with me on a few of the songs, even though the kids had never heard those songs before. "Ticka Tacka" was a big hit again, and I couldn't be prouder. Then again, I plucked it out of a sea of songs to make it my favorite, all those years ago, so it must be catchy. (When a song has been living in your head for two decades, though you love it dearly, you forget it's a "catchy tune." Or so it happens with me.)

I even remembered to sing the right words this time! Some of these songs I know so well, I sing them on autopilot...which is easy on the nerves, but tough if a word has to be changed to make it work as a classroom song. Or a motion...good gracious.

So, Marie wanted me to make a circle motion with my hand during the verse of "Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley." The words are "He stamps his feet and claps his hands and turns around to view the land." The way I learned the song, you act it out. Well. Try making a little circle on the top of the drum when you're used to stamping and clapping. It turned into beating the drum instead, and I just couldn't stop it!!

Saturday we had our celebration...almost all the teachers in the company showed up, and we had songswaps and mini-workshops and learned lots of new stuff. We had FOUR songswaps...that's a lot of songs. My head was spinning by the end. I was awfully proud of myself, though. A lot of the songs people shared were mutations of old songs, so I would sing along. People seemed to think it was some kind of musical magic trick.

I remember one time, the woman sitting two seats away from me started to sing a version of an old Scottish tune, "Three Craw." I recognized the tune (Bram used to sing it, in cryptic Scottish dialect no less) and picked up on the lyric changes, singing along after only a few words. The woman sitting next to me started to stare and asked me, "How do you know this???" I smiled. In the lunch line, we started to talk about a song I'd shared, "Cheerio," and all the different versions. Someone turned to Marie and said "She knows so many songs!"

I explained to a few of them that it's all thanks to Sharon, Lois and Bram...they planted so many songs in my head, I'm starting out with a huge advantage. I even got to jump in later on a singing game, "Draw Me a Bucket of Water," and knew the steps from watching it on Skinnamarink TV.

It's fun to impress people. Especially when what they think is so impressive is so darn much fun.

Musicare, Day One

Greetings from the South! I'm down in Greensboro, NC this week, training with Musicare. The company offers preschool music classes for kids ages 18 months to 5 years old. The owner is a friend from CMN (the Children's Music Network - www.cmnonline org) Anyhoo, today I taught my first classes.

My very first class was a totally wild group of about 10 two-year-olds. Yep, ten two-year-olds, and me. And Marie, and the other girl training, Kelye. My goodness. It was a challenge, let's just say that. Now, don't get me wrong, it was a fun challenge! I loved all the songs I taught, which made it even better. The three- and four-year-old class was much smoother...but then again, I was one class more experienced. Same songs for that class, too, which was neat!

The first song I taught was one that is very near to my heart. It's called "Ticka Tacka Telephone," and I've been singing it since age seven. My friend Ashley and I would sing it on the playground, copying what we heard on our favorite TV show. Then at age eleven, I taught it to my then six-year-old neighbor. Well, Kelye helped me simplify the words for the kids - instead of two names per verse, we made it one - but the song was the same, and the chorus was EXACTLY the same, and I can't express how exciting it was to teach it. To share it with kids, who might some day go out on the playground and sing it like we did. Awesome.

The rest of the songs were the same in a lot of ways, in that I had to do some cutting and editing to make the song fit the activity - for example, to make a song about food fit as a regular zipper song instead of a cumulative song. (Translation: say only the food for that one child whose turn it is, rather than listing everyone's.)

Good fun. Tomorrow, more of the same, different kids!