Songwriting for Kids: The Mystery of Nate and the Skate

Well, we had another fabulously fun and creative summer session of Songwriting for Kids! Over the course of the week, my students (aged 4-8) not only learned Rock Island Line, Red River Valley, Oh Susanna, and I See the Moon by heart, they also wrote their own song. Melody, words, tempo...they created the entire thing all on their own.

You can listen to The Mystery of Nate and the Skate at www.songwritingforkids.com.

A few of my favorite moments:

• When we learned Oh Susanna, I asked the kids what they thought it meant when the songwriter wrote contradictory lines like, "The sun so hot, I froze to death." One little girl said she thought he was just trying to cheer Susanna up by making her laugh. I thought that was just about right on.

• The first version of the class song had present tense and past tense all mixed together. I have to admit, I didn't know if the kids would be able to understand tenses enough to be able to fix it. Boy, was I wrong! All I said was something along the lines of, "It looks like sometimes Nate did something in the past and sometimes, it looks like he's doing it right now...does that make sense?" And they zipped through the entire song, replacing "is" with "was" and "don't" with "didn't." I was blown away.

• I loved the concentration and detail they put into their song, throwing out their ideas with abandon, but choosing their words carefully. For instance, all on their own, the group had a short discussion about how the phrase magical belt is more musical and has better flow than magic belt.

• Polka-dot, polka-dot, polka-dot underwear. Need I say more?

Lisa Wheeler: Jazz Baby

I'm always on the lookout for new picture books to use during my summer Songwriting for Kids workshops, and this year I was absolutely elated to come across Lisa Wheeler's Jazz Baby.

Jazz Baby grooves and swings like nobody's business. The rhythms are infectious. The text is filled with bounce and joy. R. Gregory Christie's illustrations of Jazz Baby and his family, hip-hopping and be-bopping around the house practically dance themselves off the page.

The kids in my class had a blast repeating Jazz Baby's parts ("Snap-snap-snap" and "Go Man Go!") back to me. And in the end, when Jazz Baby is gently put to bed after all that dancing and swinging and shouting and jiving, we all took a deep breath and echoed the sleepy, satisfied last lines...."Oh, yeah!"

It's no wonder this book has won awards like the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book (that's Dr. Seuss to you and me) and the ALA Notable Children’s Book. It is a commendable celebration of rhyme, rhythm, and music. Most importantly, it is pure fun.

Grab Bag Friday Movie Vault: Here Comes the Groom

It's been a rainy week here in Maine, and there's nothing like grey, drizzly days to put me in the mood for old movies. So here's a very special one from my movie vault for you.

When I was a kid, Frank Capra was the only movie director I knew by name. And I devoured his movies. I loved his dramatic stories of community, love, and decency triumphing over individual greed. I loved his screwball comedies. I loved the family dynamics and the big, teary-eyed finales. I remember inviting friends over in junior high to watch movies and being somewhat shocked that they had never heard of Meet John Doe or You Can't Take it With You. And I have to say, they were probably equally stunned (and dismayed) that I was suggesting we watch them!

But there is one little known Frank Capra comedy that has a special place in my heart. In Here Comes the Groom, Bing Crosby plays Pete Garvey, a journalist who adopts two orphans while on assignment in France. When he returns to the States, he has five days to win back his ex-fiancee Jane Wyman (who is now engaged to another man) or he will have to give up the children.

This movie can *still* make me laugh until my sides hurt. There's something about the combination of the slapstick comedy, the orphans, Bing Crosby's charm, Jane Wyman's endearing practicality, and the music (be prepared for a great Louis Armstrong appearance!) that is absolutely timeless. As far as I know, Here Comes the Groom can only be found now in a double-feature DVD set with "Just for You" (another Bing Crosby/Jane Wyman flick).

And here's a little secret for any Songwriting for Kids enthusiasts out there. You know how "We Always Leave 'em Singing?" Well, that little gem comes straight from this movie. You'll just have to watch it to find out!

Here's a clip of Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman singing In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening:

Jo Stafford: The Gentleman Is a Dope

Jo Stafford, one of the great singers of the big band era, died last week at age 90. She studied opera as a child, and had a brief stint singing with her sisters as "The Stafford Sisters." In the mid-1930's, she joined the popular vocal group, The Pied Pipers, and had the opportunity to sing with Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey's big band.

In her solo career, Jo Stafford was clearly a star. She had a pure, clear voice, and was an incredibly versatile singer, pulling off comedy numbers like Tim-tayshun, traditional American folk songs like Poor Wayfaring Stranger, and pop ballads like You Belong to Me. A video I posted last summer shows her holding her own with Ella Fitzgerald on St. Louis Blues.

Here's a video of Ms. Stafford in concert in the 1950's with her hit song, The Gentleman Is a Dope:

Gary Schmidt: The Wednesday Wars

Well, I'm finally *back* from blog vacation. Well, sort of.

One of the books that I enjoyed quite a bit when I was away from my computer was Gary D. Schmidt's middle grade novel The Wednesday Wars. I was going to write you a nice little review about it, but since my husband already wrote one this morning that pretty much covers what I would have told you, I thought I'd just point you to his.

How about that? First day back, and already I'm passing the buck. :)

You can read K. M. Johnson's review of The Wednesday Wars over at Guys Lit Wire--a new blog about books for guys.

Guys Lit Wire is a great project and it's worth heading over there anyway to see what they're all about. So see? I'm not just passing the buck. I'm giving you more bang for your buck. Ok, I'm off now before the buck stops here. Ouch. That was sad. Really sad.

Blog Vacation and I Wrote a Hit Song!

I am going on a blog vacation until July 21st. I'm going to try to stay off the computer as much as possible during my time off, but I *will* be stockpiling all kinds of great music, books, composting tips, and maybe a recipe or two for my return to cyberspace.

In the meantime, please check out this summer's I Wrote a Hit Song! winner (Ketty, age 9), and leave a comment for her on her song page. And while you're there, scroll down to check out all the other budding songwriters and leave a comment for them as well...they'll appreciate your encouragement, probably more than you know.

Tricia Tunstall: Note By Note

A few weeks ago, Roger Sutton over at Read Roger (the Horn Book blog) mentioned that he was enjoying Tricia Tunstall's Note by Note: A Celebration of the Piano Lesson. So I picked it up from the library and got immediately swept away.

Everyone who has ever taken private music lessons remembers something about their teacher vividly. My father *still* can drum up images of the nun he learned from (and the sharp rap of her ruler on his knuckles!) As Tricia Tunstall so astutely points out, "there are very few occasions when a child spends an extended period alone with an unrelated adult." She proceeds, elegantly and sweetly, to give us an intimate glimpse into that unusual relationship from the perspective of both student and teacher.

I loved this book. If you have ever taken music lessons, or have ever taught a child how to play piano, dance, or read a book, my guess is that you'll probably love it too.

Grab Bag Friday: Dryer Balls, Anyone?

Instead of passing on *my* advice today, I'm going to ask for *yours*. :)

I've been tempted to buy these dryerballs on a number of shopping trips, but every time I see them, I pick them up, read the package blurbs, turn them over in my hand a few times, hem and haw, and then put them back on the shelf.

The idea is that the balls go in your dryer instead of a chemical based fabric softener. They bounce around and soften your clothes and since they keep all the clothes from clustering, they should also reduce your drying time up to 25%.

Have any of you tried these (or something like it)? What did you think? Did it do the trick? Did you have:

• Static?
• Clothes damage?
• Reduced drying time?
• Do they need to be replaced (& if so, how often)?
  

Just curious.

Woody Guthrie: John Henry

After reading Elizabeth Patridge's book on Woody Guthrie last week, I came across this very cool rare clip of Guthrie playing "John Henry" with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. If you believe what you hear/read online, there are only two remaining film clips of Woody Guthrie performing music. (Here's the other one.) Any of you know if that's true?

Books for Teen Boys: Guys Lit Wire

Thank goodness, as of this summer, there's a much-needed and very cool new blog out there for teenage guys. Guys Lit Wire is dedicated to posting literary news and reviews specifically for teen boys.

What a great project. And what makes it even cooler is that my husband is one of the regular contributors. You should definitely stop by and read his post about Richard Ford's masterful yet relatively unknown book, Wildlife.

Here's a blurb from the Guy's Lit Wire About Us page that sums up their mission quite nicely:

There seems to be a perception that boys don't read as much as girls, especially teenage boys. As the YA Columnist for Bookslut it has been especially clear to me that whether or not boys want to read more, finding books for boys is not so easy. There are so many more books targeted toward female readers than male that it is really quite amazing - and also very disturbing.

So we decided to do something about it.

And do something they have! Looking for summer reading? Head over to Guys Lit Wire and browse their reviews, booklists, and more!

Grab Bag Friday: Somebody Give This Man a Medal

First off, if you're looking for a last-minute Father's Day gift, Have Fun Do Good posted a great list of Do-Good Gifts for Dad.

Now here are just a very few of the things that make *my* dad great:

He loves the outdoors.

He counts his blessings.

He always finds a way to be happy, no matter what the odds.

He lets the small stuff go (as he puts it, "Like water off a duck's back").

He lets the important stuff count.

When I wanted to spend an entire summer perfecting my running stride (don't ask why, it's inexplicable even to me) he was there every day with the harness, the timer, the pep talks, and (thank God) no camera.

He always forces you to do things when he *knows* you'll feel better afterwards. (Usually waterskiing, running, pushing through that last twilight hour to finish a project.)

He never makes you feel bad about quitting when he knows you gave it your best shot (like in 5th grade when I gave up on trombone after using my toe for 6 months to reach the low notes...when the band teacher refused to let me switch instruments *or* leave band, my dad strolled in, handed him the trombone and said "She's done.")

When Kevin & I bought our house in Maine and the basement flooded in the first week, he came all the way out from Wisconsin and in *five* days put in a new sump pump, installed a dishwasher, put in kitchen floors, a new venting system in the bathroom, did something useful to our circuit board, and helped pack and unpack our gigantic U-Haul (mostly books). Plus, somehow found time to secretly plant three trees in the backyard. Like a superhero.

There are a million other small but important things that I could never fit in a blog and he would be embarrassed about anyway because on top of it all, he's truly humble.

Happy Father's Day, Padre! I love you!

Sam Phillips: Don't Do Anything

So after listening to Sam Phillips' new album Don't Do Anything all week, I sat down this morning to compile a list of a couple highlights. After about a half hour's contemplation, I sheepishly realized that I had written down almost every song on the album. :)

For me, Can't Come Down and Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us are clear stand-outs, but the entire album has a lyrical, human, down-to-earth quirkiness to it. I love the raw energy that is pent-up in these songs...the boomy drums, the violins-run-rampant, the moments of old-timey swing and pop.

What I like so much about Sam Philips is how she can make a song that seems so light and airy and simple, and yet with each listen, you uncover new layers, both musically and lyrically. When I first heard Little Plastic Life, I only noticed the catchiness of the chorus. But with each consecutive listen, I started to hear how the song begins as a very organized, rigid march, a perfect intro to the theme of the "little plastic life" we build around ourselves. But with the lines "I detected fire in myself before the flame," the electric guitar comes in and suddenly the chorus becomes a celebration and release, letting go and allowing the little plastic life to burn. I think this careful craft is why Sam Phillips songs always grow on me incrementally, and I like them more and more with each listen.



The title song, Don't Do Anything, is a love song in the truest sense. On her MySpace page, Sam Phillips writes:

In one of the most important election years in the history of our United States, I am bringing out a record called Don’t Do Anything. This is not a political statement. The line of the song it’s taken from is “I love you when you don’t do anything”. I might have written this to my child, a lover, a friend, a dead person, or all of these. Maybe I wanted someone to write it to me. Maybe an extravagant expression of faith is the last thing we need this year. Maybe it’s the first. There is a lot to do in between.

Ok, now I'm getting tempted to go through my entire list of "highlights," but instead, why don't I just leave you to go enjoy the album and make your own decisions. :) Then let *me* know what *you* think!

Elizabeth Partridge: This Land Was Made for You and Me

I just finished Elizabeth Partridge's biography of Woody Guthrie: This Land Was Made for You and Me. The book is geared for kids ages 12 and up, but there is enough detail and depth there to hold the attention of any adult interested in Woody Guthrie's music. Pete Seeger calls it "The best book about Woody ever written!"

In my "Stories behind the Songs" post about This Land Is Your Land, I wrote that Woody wrote over 1400 songs in his lifetime. Elizabeth Partridge says the number is over 3000, which is incredible especially when you consider that he only lived to be 55 years old.

The story of Woody Guthrie's life is fascinating, filled with moments of optimism, despair, redemption, and unthinkable tragedy. Elizabeth Partridge places Woody's story firmly within the events, places, and people who were so important to him and shaped who he was. The Dustbowl, Great Depression, migrant farms, New York City folk scene, and the Cold War all play a major role in the development of his songs.

And all the folk music greats show up: Ledbelly, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Bob Dylan...the list goes on and on. The tragedies in his story are so heavy, and would almost be too much to bear if it wasn't for the stories of the people he loved and who cared about him and took him in and forgave him his weaknesses and idiosyncracies time and time again. Through good times and bad, it is clear that those relationships were influences on his music. Woody famously said:

"I hate a song that makes you think that you're not any good. I hate a song that makes you think you are just born to lose. I am out to fight those kinds of songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood."

The one question that is still burning in my mind after closing the book is, whatever happened to Mary? His first wife who dropped out of high school to be with him and endured all his wayward, rambling ways while she tried to take care of three children with little to no sporadic income. Halfway through the book, I started to hope that after their divorce, she went on to have the happy, stable life she probably dreamed of. But from the notes in the back of the book, it looks like two of her children contracted Huntington's Disease (the disease that tragically killed both Woody and his mother) and the third died in a car accident. There should be a song for Mary. Maybe there is, but there should be more.

There is much more information on Elizabeth Partridge's website, including an interview with Arlo & Nora Guthrie (two of Woody's children from his second marriage with the incredibly talented, patient, and giving dancer Marjorie Mazia).

Grab Bag Friday: Sun Mar 200 Compost Update

I've had a number of requests for a Sun Mar 200 continuous composter update, so here's what I've got for you:

My composter is about 3/4 full. When I open it, steam comes out and everything appears to be moist and breaking down, so something has to be working.

But. (You knew it was coming, didn't you?) In the inner drum where the compost is supposed to be gathering, there is still a bunch of dried garbage collecting there. Even when I push it back into the main composter (as suggested by Sun Mar), more dried garbage still falls into the inner drum. Let me be clear: everything in the inner drum is not composting because it is completely dried out. Got it?

So I chatted with the friendly folks at FW Horch this week (rather than try to duke it out with the Sun Mar folks again), and they suggested that instead of pushing the dried garbage from the inner drum back in, to pull it out and put it back in at the top. In case it is the same dried garbage that keeps falling in?

So that's my next plan of attack. In the meantime, Brett at FW Horch pointed out that at least it's working like a bottomless garbage can. Which, I suppose, is something. As always, I'll keep you posted.

If you've missed any of this riveting food-disposal drama, you can catch up here.

Here is the complete How to Compost series in case you'd like to catch up or review:

Step 1: Make it a Priority
Step 2: Choose a System
Interlude: Nature Tried to Kill My Composter
Step 3: Collect Organic Material
Step 4: Mix the Materials
Step 5: Moisten the Mixture
Step 6: Wait
Interlude: The Lightbulb Change
Interlude: The Yogurt Change
Interlude: The Sponge Change
Interlude: The Leftover Change
Interlude: The Napkin Change
The Sort-of Sun-Mar 200 Review Part One
The Sort-of Sun-Mar 200 Review Part Two
Sun-Mar 200 Compost Update
Sun-Mar 200: Starting All Over Again
Step 7: Use Your Compost
Step 8: Sun Mar 200 Garden Composter Review

Sam Phillips: Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us

The new Sam Phillips album is out! Normally, I would listen to the album straight through from start to finish, but this time I had to go straight to Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us. Alison Krauss and Robert Plant covered the song on Raising Sand, and if you remember, I was pretty wild about it. So I was dying to hear the Sam Phillips rendition.

It's always so interesting to hear how a writer interprets their own work. A poet, for instance, might put completely different emphasis on line breaks when reading their work outloud than I could have ever imagined in my head. Alison Krauss & Robert Plant's version of "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" is dreamy, introspective, eerie, polished. Sam Phillips takes a completely different approach to her own work. In comparison, it's messy, rushed, untamed...all in the best of ways. The way Alison Krauss sings the song, Sister Rosetta's music comes to the singer like a strange gift from above, supernatural, beautiful, and detached. In Sam Phillips' version, the music is a down-to-earth personal revelation, a tangible refuge, a place of abandon and release.

Ok, off to listen to the rest of the album. Tune in for more gushing next week...

Alison Krauss & Robert Plant version:


Sam Phillips version:

Hope is the thing with feathers

This morning, I read Jacqueline Woodson's Newbery Honor Book, Feathers. It's this slight little middle-grade book that fearlessly delves into weighty issues like hope, faith, race, belonging, and family without being heavy handed or overbearing or preachy in any way. That's no small feat.

On the very surface, Feathers is a classic story of the new kid in town who doesn't fit in. But Ms. Woodson takes that simple story to entirely new depths, so it truly becomes the story of how we are *all* that kid, trying to find our place in the world.

On her website, she sums it up simply:

Feathers is a book I wrote because I wanted to write about the many ways people find Hope in the world.

Here is the Emily Dickinson poem that is the heart of the story. The first stanza is both the epigraph and an integral part of the book. I hadn't read it in a long time, and Ms. Woodson's book has set it in a fresh light.

XXXIII

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Grab Bag Friday: Patriot Guard Riders

Ok, I'll admit it. I had more than one teary-eyed moment at our town's Memorial Day Parade on Monday. The Veterans for Peace got me. The Navy's unaccompanied singing got me. Even the shy girl leading the tiny horse got me. Ok, so I was feeling a little emotional.

But I almost lost it when the Patriot Guard Riders came by and parked right in front of us for a few minutes. These guys are true heroes.

A couple years ago, when Westboro Baptist Church members traveled to Maine to protest and spread anti-homosexuality hate messages during Sgt. Corey Dan's funeral, the Patriot Guard Riders came to the funeral and created a human shield.

Groups of Riders have been doing this all over the country, and on their website you can read seventeen pages of heartfelt thank you letters. It's pretty amazing.

You can see them in action here. Don't be surprised if you get a little choked up or extra-proud. It's almost impossible not to.

American Songs 2 on Zooglobble

Thanks to Stefan over at Zooglobble for his Memorial Day review of American Songs vol. 2! If you haven't yet been to Zooglobble, it is *the* place to go for kids and family music reviews. That said, I'm pleased as punch to see American Songs vol. 2 reviewed on the site and considered "a good folk song primer for slightly older kids."

Also just up at Zooglobble, and worth a visit, is an interview with Frances England about her much-anticipated new album, Family Tree, and the surprise success of her first, truly lovely album, Fascinating Creatures.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Since I'm planning to be outside as much as possible this weekend and hope the same for you, I'm not even going to post any links for you to peruse.

Instead...get your work done as fast as possible, shut down your computer, go home early, and enjoy the long weekend! Maybe even leave the computer *off* all three days!

I'm planning to work in my garden, read a book or two, take in a parade, soak in the sun...oh, and this little project of building a set of stairs into our house. (Wish me luck!) I'll be off on Monday, but back with some sort of musical post on Wednesday. Enjoy the weekend!

Oren Lavie: A Dance 'Round the Memory Tree

Here's another lovely song from the end of the Prince Caspian movie.

I had never heard of Oren Lavie, but according to his bio on Tuition, he's originally from Tel Aviv and just came out with his debut album, Opposite Side of the Sea. If you want the ultra-quick version of the bio, I liked Muzorama's sum-up. You can listen to the whole album and flip through the pages of some very cool virtual liner notes, lyrics, and reviews at www.orenlavie.com.