A reader wrote me recently asking for suggestions for a mix CD to be played during a kindergarten graduation slideshow. (Yes, she noted that a kindergarten graduation ceremony was a little odd -- neither of us had one that's for sure.) Did I have anything that conveyed a feeling of a rite of passage? If some of the songs caused a tear or two to well up, so much the better.
While I didn't have a readymade list, I pulled out a mix CD I made for Miss Mary Mack and found some songs that I thought would work well in such a setting. I've added a couple more to the list, and what you see below is the result.
As always, I look forward to your suggestions on expanding this list. In no particular order, they are...
"Barking at the Moon" - Jenny Lewis (Bolt soundtrack)
"Luck" - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (Easy)
"Happy Doesn't Have To Have An Ending" - They Might Be Giants (Bed Bed Bed)
"See You on the Moon" - Great Lake Swimmers (See You on the Moon! compilation)
"Giant Sized Butterflies" - Justin Roberts (Pop Fly, more appropriate for the first day of the school than the last, so I guess it'll come at the beginning of the slide show)
"Birdhouse in Your Soul" - They Might Be Giants (Flood)
"Who Are You Not to Shine" - The Nields (Rock All Day, Rock All Night)
"Jubilee" - Elizabeth Mitchell (You Are My Sunshine)
"Fruit Jar" - Justin Roberts (Pop Fly)
"Educated Kid" - The Hipwaders (Educated Kid)
"Anna Kick a Hole in the Sky" - The Nields (All Around Singing in the Kitchen)
"It's a Big World" - Renee & Jeremy (It's a Big World -- actually a lot of this disk is probably appropriate, especially in the "making the parents cry" category...)
Radio Playlist: Kindiegarten - Alphabet
I'm starting to do a better job updating the Zooglobble Radio station -- eventually I'll be updating the station's playlist (or a portion thereof) every week or so. This week's update is the first in a regular series called "Kindiegarten" -- songs about an ostensibly teachable subject, but selected mostly for their tunefulness. The debut playlist features songs about the alphabet, though that definition is stretched a bit to include a few songs that just happen to spell words out and a few songs about books. Yeah, homeschools and preschools should probably use this as music to play during the breaks in their learning.
By the way, you can see when particular programs air by perusing the station schedule here. This particular playlist airs in the morning for an hour, but the songs are also scattered throughout the day.
Playlist: Kindiegarten - Alphabet
Animal Alphabet Song - Alan Mills (Smithsonian Folkways Children's Music Collection)
Crazy ABCs - Barenaked Ladies (Snack Time!)
S-N-O-W-M-A-N (Snowman!) - Billy Kelly (Thank You For Joining the Happy Club)
Alphabet! - The Biscuit Brothers (Family Favorites)
Alligators All Around - Carole King (Really Rosie)
Let The S Go - Caspar Babypants (Here I Am!)
Alphabet Dub - Elizabeth Mitchell (You Are My Sunshine)
ABC's - Ella Jenkins (Smithsonian Folkways Children's Music Collection)
The Book I Like To Read - Frances England (Fascinating Creatures)
My Dog Has Fleas - Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band (Play!)
A Counting Error - John Upchurch and Mark Greenberg (John And Mark's Children's Record)
Favorite Names - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke (Rise And Shine)
ABCD Medley - Laurie Berkner (Whaddaya Think Of That?)
I Love My Library - Lunch Money (Dizzy)
Don't Look, I'm Making A Book - Monty Harper & Mr. Billy (Let's Get Creative)
Dictionary - Muckafurgason (Greasy Kid Stuff 2 - More Songs From Inside The Radio)
Bingo - Neil Bartoleit (Wiggleworms Love You)
ABC - The Nields (Rock All Day, Rock All Night)
L-U-C-K-Y - Opus Ditty And The Hoedown Gang (Let's Go Fishing)
ABC's - Ralph Covert (Ralph's World)
Apples & Bananas - Susie Tallman, Peter Maslen, Mark O'Connor (Children's Songs, A Collection of Childhood Favorites)
Consonants - The Terrible Twos (Jerzy The Giant)
Z Y X - They Might Be Giants (Here Come The ABCs)
B.A.T.H - We Are The Not Its (We Are The Not Its)
ABC - Ziggy Marley (Family Time)
Due to internet radio broadcast restrictions, songs are broadcast randomly and displayed her in (iTunes-based) alphabetical order.
Baseball Songs for Kids (Once More with Feeling)
I'm sorry, baseball doesn't begin under the lights on Sunday night. It begins in the full bloom of the sun on a Monday (or Tuesday). Today is the first full day of Major League Baseball, no matter what the standings say. As is my yearly tradition, I've provided this slightly updated list of baseball songs. (Read last year's list here.) Enjoy, and may all your teams have a great season. Except if you're in the National League West, because, the Diamondbacks rule.
If any of you have more suggestions, leave me a comment.
Down Here in the States, We Call It Spring Break
While I'm on the whole Canada tip, I thought I'd draw your attention to a couple of notable playlists put together for the Bunch Family website originating out of Canada. They're for "March Break" (which we call "Spring Break" and must come a week or two before ours) and come courtesy of Dan Zanes and Broken Social Scene's Jason Collett. They're both kinda cool lists -- the easiest way to distinguish between the two lists is Marley-wise -- Dan votes for kid-friendly Ziggy, Jason for Bob. Oh, and Collett picks not one, but two Flaming Lips songs.
Also, Canada's a big country -- those lists are barely long enough to get you out of the Toronto suburbs, no?
Songs For Halloween (Updated Yet Again)
Like a zombie, you just can't stop my continually-updated and rattily compiled collection of Halloween kids music. I've taken last year's list and updated it further with help from last year's comments and Bill's Halloween show.
As always, please add stuff I've missed in the comments...
First, Ira Marlowe's put out an album called The Chills, which is chock-full of Halloween tunes that are a little scary (but not too much so) for elementary-aged kids. The music's OK, but if your kids are looking to be tested a bit in their courage, you could do a lot worse than this disk.
Other newer(-ish) songs:
-- The Hipwaders - Bonobo Joe and the Voodoo Queen (see here)
-- Baze and His Silly Friends - Scare Me Scare You!
-- Mighty Weaklings - The Monster Under My Bed
-- Laura Freeman - My Brother's a Monster
-- Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - Boogieman
-- Keith Munslow - Boogieman
-- The Sippy Cups - Day After Halloween
Dan Zanes Plays Wedding Music
OK, that's a totally misleading title, or at least a 90% misleading title. But I thought the typical Zooglobble reader would probably enjoy this clip of Dan Zanes' brother-in-law Donald Saaf playing with his Little Hope String Band. The notes on the video below indicate that the band is working on a CD of wedding music, and if you just watch the video, I think you'll find Saaf's band is probably as close as you'd get to having DZ play your wedding.
Little Hope String Band - "Exekiel Saw De Wheel" [YouTube]
Oh, what the hey, here's a Dan Zanes wedding mix...
