Author: Two of a Kind

There has been a lot of press lately about tragic outcomes due to bullying.  This is an issue that we all need to take seriously. The most successful anti-bullying programs take a comprehensive approach by training both teachers and students to recognize bullying and successfully intervene.  One-time programs have not been shown to be as effective.  That being said, songs that deal with issues of bullying, when paired with discussion and other anti-bullying programs, can enhance student understanding and empathy. Music can sometimes affect people at a deeper level, reaching the heart and not just the head.

As the performing group Two of a Kind, we have often presented assemblies and workshops on the topics of anti-bullying and conflict resolution.  We have a number of songs that deal with these issues and can be used as discussion starters.  One of my favorite songs is called, “Hey, Little Ant,” by Hannah and Phil Hoose.  This song (and the book which was made of it) is about a conversation between a kid and an ant.  The kid is about to squash the ant, so the ant tries to get the kid to see things from his/her perspective. By the end of the song, the kid is having second thoughts about killing the ant. The song ends with a question:

Should the ant get squished?
Should the ant go free?
It’s up to the kid, not up to me.
We’ll leave that kid with the raised up shoe
What do you think that kid should do?

Younger kids may be thinking about this song literally as being about a kid and an ant.  However, older students can realize that the song has deeper messages about how we treat each other and the value of seeing things from different perspectives.  When we do this song for an audience of children, we usually ask for a show of hands at the end from the people who think the ant should go free and not get squished.  We almost always have an overwhelming majority of hands raised in positive response to that question, even though we’ve often heard a lot of kids yelling “squish it!”  before that point.  That gives us an opportunity to point out that the loudest voices (the bullying voices) aren’t always representative of the majority.  This is an especially important lesson (for adults too) when the airwaves are filled with loud, bullying voices that don’t necessarily represent most people.

We often like to pair “Hey, Little Ant” with a song that we wrote about making good choices called “When I’m Strong.”  The idea behind this song is that although it can be difficult to make the right decision when others around you are trying to push you in a different direction, it feels good and strong to do the right thing.  The verses have examples about boys excluding girls on the playground, being pressured to buy things like cards or video games to continue a friendship, and opening a present that was hidden in the closet. The Chorus goes:

I feel good 
When I’m strong
When I decide for myself
What’s right and what’s wrong

Additional songs that deal with accepting differences include “Love Makes a Family” by Two of a Kind, celebrating all kinds of families; “So Many Ways to Be Smart” by Stuart Stotts, about different learning styles and multiple intelligences; “Jennifer Montgomery” by Stuart Stotts, about a deaf girl who is excluded, but creates friendship and understanding through teaching her classmates to sign; and “The Colors of Earth,”  a beautiful song by Sarah Pirtle about celebrating all colors, by comparing skin and eye color to things found in the natural world.  There are many more examples of songs that can be used to start discussions and reinforce programs to help students, teachers and parents reduce bullying in and out of school.

 

See more of our Character Education Songs and Anti-Bullying Songs.

Music and reading can be connected in so many ways, but for this blog I will focus on songs that inspire children to read and songs that are related to specific children’s books.  It is the aim of most teachers and parents to encourage children to read for pleasure, yet there are so many competing demands on kids’ attention from video games, homework, chores, extra-curricular activities and TV.  Since music is so appealing, songs can get kids excited about reading in general, and about particular books.

One of our favorite general reading songs is “7 Nights to Read,” which takes an old (and somewhat inappropriate) ‘50’s song and adds new lyrics about reading and writing each day of the week.  It’s a fun rock n’ roll song that kids love.  Tom Chapin and Michael Mark’s “Library Song” is always a big hit because the music is compelling and sing-able, and the lyrics help us imagine characters from books coming to life and wreaking havoc at the library.  Two of a Kind’s song “Author, Author” takes a similar idea and celebrates authors by imagining that all their characters come to life and throw a party for the author who created them.  Likewise, Two of a Kind’s “Going on an Adventure” gives several examples of how books can allow you to travel through time and space and have adventures without leaving your home.

Songs about specific books can capture kids imagination and get them interested in reading that particular book.  Two of a Kind’s song “Swimmy” tells the story of Leo Lionni’s book by the same name.  The watery music and catchy lyrics compliment the book and drive home the message that we are stronger when we all work together.  “Wild Things” is a fun action song by David Heitler-Klevans, inspired by the book by Maurice Sendak.  “Harriet the Spy” is another song by David, for chapter-book readers, with music reminiscent of ‘60’s spy movie themes.

Some songs have also been turned into books. Great examples of this are Raffi’s “Baby Beluga,” Ashley Bryan’s version of “What a Wonderful World”, Peter, Paul & Mary’s “Puff the Magic Dragon” and many others.  One of my favorites is “Hey, Little Ant” by Phil and Hannah Hoose.  This song and book appeals to children on many different levels.  On the surface, it is about a kid deciding whether or not to step on an ant, but it goes beyond the literal by bringing up issues such as bullying, learning from someone who is different from you, seeing things from another point of view, and making moral decisions. 

These are just a few examples of the connections between songs and literature. Both music and books are such rich source material that when combined they’re almost irresistible!

Black History Month offers teachers a wonderful opportunity to teach students about some of the great heroes in American history who are sometimes overlooked.  Teaching about history through music is an exciting and effective way to engage students. 

Two of a Kind has recorded a number of songs about African American heroes including

•    What Can One Little Person Do? which mentions Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King;
•    Paul Robeson Song (Powerful Voice)
•    Do You Want to be Free? – a song about Harriet Tubman written by 4^th grade students;
•    I Just Want to Sing Your Name (The Martin Luther King Song); and
•    Girls Who Rocked the World, which includes a verse about Bessie Smith.

These songs give some facts about individuals who made a difference in the history of the United States.  It can be valuable to pair these songs with a research activity, such as making a poster about an individual person.  A wonderful book by Faith Ringgold called Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House will introduce students to a whole host of people about whom they may never have heard.

In addition to songs about specific African Americans, it’s also important to talk about why we have Black History Month and why it is important to learn about the contributions of African Americans.  Learning songs from the time of slavery, such as Follow the Drinking Gourd and Oh Mary Don’t You Weep will help put some of the history into context. 

 

Talking about racism and the Civil Rights Movement offers an opportunity to share some of the great songs from the 1950’s and 1960’s such as “We Shall Overcome,” We Shall Not Be Moved and Oh Freedom.

 

Two of a Kind has also recorded songs about confronting racism, celebrating diversity and human rights for all.  These songs include

•    Walls and Bridges, a story song about two girls from different backgrounds who become friends;
•    Red, White and Blue, We are a Patchwork Quilt, All Over this World, and Colors of Earth which celebrate diversity, and 
•    Some Rights in this World, which extols the rights of all people.

 

These are just a few of the many resources available to help celebrate Black History Month with your students.

Written by Jenny Heitler-Klevans. Two of a Kind

Along with topics such as gratitude, food and family, Thanksgiving is a good time for learning and teaching about Native American cultures, including their rich and diverse musical traditions.  As a nation, we have thankfully come a long way from the simplistic and offensive ways in which Native American music was sometimes represented in times past.  It can sometimes be daunting to find materials that are respectful of the complexities of the various Native American nations (or tribes), which are also accessible to young children.

Ya Ha Haway is an inter-tribal greeting song.  It is not associated with one particular Native American nation, but has been used as a cross-cultural welcoming song. This song also features a drum part that is fun to play on either drums or body percussion (clapping, stomping, patting, etc.)

There are many wonderful Native American game-songs.  Wee Hee Nah is a “duck-catching” game played in a similar fashion to “London Bridge.”  Two children (the duck-catchers) make a bridge with their hands outstretched high towards each other.  The other children are the ducks, and they walk in a circle going clockwise, passing under the bridge.  At the end of the song, the two duck-catcher children bring their hands down to catch whichever “duck” happens to be under the bridge at that point in the song.  Some versions have the caught child excluded from the game or sent to sit in the middle of the circle, but I prefer to have the “duck” take the place of one of the duck-catchers.

Children often ask “what do the words mean?” and this can be confusing with many Native American songs.  The lyrics of both Ya Ha Haway and Wee Hee Nah are “vocables” – sounds that cannot be translated into specific meanings in another language.

In addition to music, there is a rich tradition of Native American stories, and often stories and songs are combined in mutually enriching ways.  There are a number of wonderful story-song combinations in the book The Singing Sack, including “Gluskabi and the Wind Eagle” (Abenaki) and our favorite, “The Boy Who Lived With Bears” (Iroquois).

Hey, Hey Watenay is a beautiful Ojibwa lullaby, which has made its way into the repertoire of folksingers such as Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt.  The minor pentatonic melody is both haunting and comforting, and this song is accessible in both its original form and in English (“sleep, sleep little one…”).

There are also many songs about Native Americans and related subjects.  Older students will learn a lot from Fred Small’s song “The Heart of the Appaloosa”.  Nancy Schimmel’s 1492 and Two of a Kind’s Columbus Revisited both deal with the irony of “being discovered”.

I have heard a number of Native American speakers make a plea to educators that we teach children that Native Americans are alive and present in today’s world – not merely a part of past history.  The vibrant traditions of Native American songs and stories can help to bring this point home.
This article was written by Two of a Kind.