[article] Traditional songs out of tune with today's kids

aderyn_du · Post by **aderyn_du** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 6:29 am

missy wrote: I don't look for the schools to totally TEACH my kids everything. Just as I've always supplimented their spelling, reading, math, and science, I suppliment their music.

I think that's important, Missy, and it sounds like it works great within your family.

I tried to supplement, but it became too much... the kids got up at 7 in the morning, were at school from 8-4, they would come home and have an hour to an hour-and-a-half of homework (in 2nd and 3rd grade!) because they were both in advanced classes, and they would have to be in bed by 8 in order to be in decent mood and health the next day. We never seemed to have any time to 'supplement'-- when were they supposed to play and be kids, or participate in extracurricular stuff? It just got to be too much of a rat race for our family. Now that we homeschool, we have time to do it all-- my children can finally have time to do things like Scouts, etc. We have meditation time most mornings, we sing folk songs and get silly. I love it! My daughter just got her first guitar so I'm hoping that in the near future we'll have guitar accompaniment for our singing sessions.

I think, as with most things, it varies with each individual and there never is one pat answer... but no matter which way you go, the more involved you are with your kids, the better off everyone is!

Best,
Andrea

Rockymtnpiper · Post by **Rockymtnpiper** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:13 am

Whiole I find it refereshing that Slim Shady bumped rap up a couple of grades from Kindergarten level.. "I gots more crayons than you" etc. A 7 year old really shouldnt be hearing Slims music.

I remember singing John Denver songs in Kindergarten, I completely missed out on half of Barneys Reportiore.. I honestly thought that "wheels on the School Bus" was some junk that Barney came up with.

One of the troubles with our Schools, (at least in my area) is "Validated Test scores". That is where 'bad students' are invited to ditch on test day, since their scores will not be included in the 'validated scores' anyway. The scores are much lower than the administrators want you to know about.. Test scores are just a number, and numbers mean even less when execs count on numbers for their salary. Its like any other time that numbers, and productivity are factored into an Execs salary. A lowlifte'ted exec can, and will tweak the numbers to their benefit. I think that testing should be suplimented with totaly surprise, person to person interviews with students.

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:49 am

Rockymtnpiper wrote:Whiole I find it refereshing that Slim Shady bumped rap up a couple of grades from Kindergarten level.. "I gots more crayons than you" etc. A 7 year old really shouldnt be hearing Slims music.

I remember singing John Denver songs in Kindergarten, I completely missed out on half of Barneys Reportiore.. I honestly thought that "wheels on the School Bus" was some junk that Barney came up with.

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One big problem there is I think that parents and educators are extremely worried the stuff they are teaching is not popular, not from the children's own world/time [i.e. too old fashioned], missing relevance in their lives or boring or whatever and so they try to buy popularity by teaching popsongs in school.

Children however are children like they always were and if you sit them down to teach them any old song they will enjoy that, just because you sit down with them and sing. You have to create an environment in which they can enjoy music, most, if not all, children are keen to explore these things.

Just now a friend of us picked up my son to go somewhere, she told me how a friend of them [a singer/guitarplayer] was over there a while ago, sitting in the kitchen singing 'Do you love an apple' [a song the Bothy Band used to do]. Now my ten year old is a lovely little singer and one of the local singer taught him that song so as soon as your man started singing my son dropped the toys, ran down the stairs and sang with the guitar player, as our friend said dead-on and perfectly in tune. By the end of the day it only counts how you bring them to it, and it's completely up to yourself to lead them there, create a setting where they can enjoy and explore music [and all sorts of other things ofcourse].

JohnPalmer · Post by **JohnPalmer** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 9:24 am

Here are some favorites of the kids I teach music to, grades 1-6:

Leatherwing Bat, This Land is Your Land, Grandfather's Clock, Oh, Suzanna - Which they've heard done by the Byrds and by the Mormon Tab. Choir, Cindy, Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies, Home on the Range, I've Been Working on the Railroad, Waltzing Matilda & John Henry.

The kids really love these songs.

They can also tell you about the part the mandolin plays, as well as how solos are done, in Bluegrass music.

They have exposure to Gregorian chant, Rennaisance music, Baroque music, the classics, Christmas Music, Celtic.

I think one reason they like this stuff is because I have a regular home stereo with 12" speakers on the floor and Bose bookshelf speakers in the front. It lets them hear the music better than any sized boom box.

JP

aderyn_du · Post by **aderyn_du** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 9:26 am

::applauds JohnPalmer:: We need more of you around...

That's really wonderful!!

~Andrea