Wag Your Tail

This year I have been thinking a lot about the value of music. Music enriches our lives in many ways. It is great to listen to music but it is something very special (even holy) when we sing and play music together. Music shared in this way washes away anger and selfishness and drenches us with joy. I love my job as a kindergarten teacher partly because we sing every day. We sing to begin the day and to end the day. We sing before snack, before work, and before we play. It really doesn’t matter what we sing but that our voices blend together like magic in the air all around. We bless our room with music. Writing songs has become more than a hobby for me. I go for walks in the hills near my home and I listen to the thoughts and melodies that are swimming around in my head. I try to get lost inside of my head. When I begin to bring structure to these thoughts and melodies, I am mindful of the possibility of singing the songs with others. I want people to easily catch on to the song or at least to part of the song. The clearest measure of success for me is when I hear kids singing my songs on the playground while they are swinging or jumping rope. The song has then taken root and now belongs to the child. I hope these songs work for you. I hope you sing with your children in the car, in the kitchen, or even in the bathtub. If you are a teacher, I hope these songs bless your classroom. Get some sticks and shakers and play along with the last four songs. Just follow along, I give verbal directions during the song.