By: Alkelda,
on 8/18/2009
I'm ready to emerge from my brief hiatus. I've been able to rest some, my thumb has healed to the point that it's no longer keeping me up at night, and I can sew again! Thank you for all of your kind, supportive comments. I look forward to catching up on your blogs over the next couple of days.A little over a month ago, I posted a song I was preparing for French camp about five elephants
By: Alkelda,
on 7/16/2009
In all likelihood, you will not thank me for posting the song "Cat Food Sandwiches" by David Lindley. Some of you will snicker, but others of you will say, "How could you?" The music is quite good and Lindley's storytelling is compelling but the lyrics will make you writhe in your chair, and Lindley knows it. My uncle introduced me to this song, and told me after a few minutes, "It's okay if
By: Alkelda,
on 7/3/2009
I'm learning French songs for my summer French camp gigs. In two weeks, I'll lead 2 storytime circles twice a week for 20 minutes apiece. Many of the songs have 2 or 3 chords, but a song like "Le Bon Roi Dagobert" for Bastille Day has a bouncy, boisterous rhythm with not much repetition, so I'm definitely stretching myself. My French is not spectacular (my college professor can attest to that),
By: Alkelda,
on 2/14/2009
Happy Valentine's Day! As I said in last year's post, I try to use this month to catch up on correspondence, as St. Valentine was a deliverer of letters. I've managed to do that once this month. I'd also meant to have a recorded version of my revised song "Green is the Color of My Merman's Hair" (to the tune of "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair). I'll post the lyrics and chords now and
By: Alkelda,
on 12/11/2008
The House of Glee attended the Dan Zanes Holiday House Party last Saturday. The show had songs in Arabic, English, Hebrew, Ladino (a Spanish-Hebrew creole developed by Sephardic Jews), Korean, Spanish, and Swahili performed by family bands that included children. We got a kick out of the "Grey Goose" shadow-puppet production and enjoyed the songs, but thought that the transitions needed to be
By: Alkelda,
on 11/25/2008
I've had Charlotte Diamond's "Octopus" song (aka "Slippery Fish") going through my head the past few days. You can find the lyrics here. The song itslf is on Charlotte Diamond's album 10 Carrot Diamond. Here is a YouTube video of the song with flip-board visuals: Slippery Fish And here it is in Spanish: Una Sardina I've got family in town, so posting will be light this week. However, I'll have
By: Alkelda,
on 10/22/2008
Thanks to Kids' Music that Rocks (formerly known as Children's Music that Rocks), I now have I Wish You Love by Sunflow in my head: All the sun for you All I can wish for you Is wish you the best of everything. All the sky for you Forever I fly for you And the good life this will bring. So while you lay sleeping I just sit and stare And pray that you're dreaming A lifetime of happiness A joy
By: Alkelda,
on 10/17/2008
In 1997, for my first library Halloween storytime ever, I used the poem "Someone," by Walter de la Mare and had the audience tap on the floor with their knuckles while I said the words. I tried to use poetry in later storytimes, but I never felt as if I had the knack for sharing it properly. When I started to learn guitar, I realized that I wanted to set poems to music so that sharing them would
By: Alkelda,
on 9/3/2008
This morning at the local library preschool storytime, the librarian read Let's Play In the Forest, While the Wolf is Not Around, by Claudia Rueda. The story is based on a French and Columbian play song, known either as "Jugemos en el Bosque" or "Promenons-nous dans les bois." After everyone says or sings, "Let's play in the forest while the wolf is not around," they call out, "Wolf, are you
By: Alkelda,
on 8/29/2008
At lunch today, Bede brought out the jar of kosher dill pickles, and asked, "Who wants a pickle?" Lucia and I started singing, "I don't want a pickle-- I just want to ride on my motor-sickle." "Fine," Bede said. "I'll eat them all myself." Lucia and I hastily reconsidered and decided we did want pickles after all. You will find lyrics and chords to Arlo Guthrie's "The Motorcycle Song" (a.ka.
By: Alkelda,
on 8/14/2008
I know two basic versions of the folksong "Paper of Pins": the one with the happy ending where the person to whom the singer repeatedly proposes says in essence, "Don't offer me material possessions, offer me your love and affection," and the sad version where the singer laments, "And now I see money is all, and woman's love is nothing at all," when the object of the singer's affection says, "Oh,
By: Alkelda,
on 6/26/2008
When Yellow Submarine was the Song of the Week, the Goddess of Clarity wrote in that the song was one that a nun taught her to play on the guitar. She added, "Another favorite was 'Yes Indeedy Pumpkin Seedy,' which I sadly can't find a reference to online." Six weeks later, a commenter named Ldyvic posted that Joe Wise sings a children's song called "Yes Indeedy," and pointed me to iTunes. (I
By: Alkelda,
on 6/10/2008
Every time I hear or sing Sidewalks of New York, I wish Seattle had its own song that was just as good. I've created my own lyrics for the Seattle version of Woody Guthrie's So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh, but satire isn't the same thing as homage. I only spent two and a half years in New York, but I still miss it. Here are my chords for the song: Click on the image to enlarge it As a
By: Alkelda,
on 5/26/2008
I'm back! I've been struggling with a nasty cold that grabbed me by the throat and has refused to let go. I'll be fine by my Friday gig, I'm sure, but in the meantime, I've not been eager to record a song among all the coughs. I have for you the first video I did with Lucia (right before Superhero Tea-Party), which is two verses of "Fly Through My Window." When I use this song in storytimes,
By: Alkelda,
on 4/25/2008
Dan Zanes is returning to Seattle, and once more, we're going to see him. Last year, it was as much fun watching Lucia dance with the other children as it was to listen to the music taking place on-stage. In honor of the concert, this Song of the Week is an original composition by Dan Zanes called "Hey Little Red Bird." The song is in the key of F, and silly man, Zanes has the chords actually
By: Alkelda,
on 4/11/2008
Lucia had heard me play Pete Seeger's Abiyoyo before, and I think I even got the book out of the library for her, but it wasn't until her grandpa showed her a Youtube video of a young Pete Seeger peforming the story-song that it had sticking power for you. It's got a boy playing the ukulele, a father with a magic wand that goes "Zoop!" and a giant with slobbery teeth (because he never brushed
By: Alkelda,
on 3/26/2008
While I don't offer themes in my programs,* I will ask parents and caregivers what sorts of things their birthday children like to incorporate into a storytime performance. Recently, a parent told me that her young child liked all animals, but hippopotamuses, giraffes and monkeys were particular favorites. I composed a song using the "piggyback" method of taking an existing tune and creating new
By: Alkelda,
on 3/21/2008
The Mennonite hymn "I Bind My Heart This Tide" is one that is best sung a capella. The words were written by Lauchlan M. Watt in 1907, and the tune as we know it today was written by J. Randall Zercher in 1965. You can hear the MIDI here and listen to the Farther Along octet sing a harmonious version here. For those who are interested in the hymns found in Hymnal: a Worship Book, the link
By: Alkelda,
on 3/10/2008
It's understandable to think that "Erie Canal" is a folk song, as it is a solid fixture in American music. In his Spinning Wheel interview, Robert Resnik said it was the song that never got old. Some websites that have lyrics to this song will say that it's "traditional," and provide no author. However, one person did indeed write this song, and his name is Thomas S. Allen. Allen wrote "Erie
By: Alkelda,
on 2/28/2008
I'm going cross-eyed with school auction work and feel as if I'm blogging with blinders on. I plan to get back to posting chord charts after the middle of March. In the meantime, here's the song that introduced me to Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues. It's called "Downhearted Blues," and it was Smith's recording debut for Columbia.
By: Alkelda,
on 2/14/2008
Traditionally, Valentine's Day was the time I designated "catch up on correspondence day." After the early grades, when the requirement to make a card for everyone in the class turned into a popularity contest, I didn't have much to do with this saint's feast day. Most of the time, I did not have a boyfriend around February 14, and if I did, he wasn't the kind to buy into the commercialism, blah
By: Alkelda,
on 2/7/2008
I've been listening to a lot of blues and blues-inspired music lately, and working on my guitar blues-shuffle. I'm predesposed toward women who play guitar, and Odetta is one of my favorites. Here is a video of her singing "You Don't Know My Mind" with its chorus that should be recognizable to many of us in spirit if not by its actual melody: "You, you don't know my mind, When you see me
By: Ted Dawson,
on 3/19/2007
Philip Straub discusses an issue I struggle with daily: Composition. This tutorial is for concept art, but the principals are universal. (link)
That's really cute.
My older niece randomly started singing the song at dinner today. She rarely initiates song (it's hard even to get her to join in!), so we all just let her do it.
At the last verse she said "at last, the web gave way" instead of "alas...", but I didn't correct her. Her way makes perfect sense, and it's the folk process.
Conuly: Bravo for the folk process and for mondegreens! The thing about mondegreens (i.e. misheard lyrics) is that they often make sense and have more meaning to the singer/listener than the originals. The incredible thing to begin with was that the spider-web could even handle ONE elephant. Spider-silk is supposed to be stronger than steel, but it's kind of a "bridge of one hair" motif in the song.
I believe the song went over well today. I'm glad. I'm no spider, but I did put a lot of care into creating the felt-board set. The elephants are minimalistic, but each ear is embroidered, not pasted, to give a sense of texture. The spider-web felt is double-layered and has a bunch of velcro circles attached to make sure it's secure. I plan to use the song in English for future storytimes.
I thought when I was looking at the photo that the elephants' ears were embroidered. It's a nice touch.
And I'm glad you're feeling better and back to sewing and blogging!
I am also glad you're better and I like the elephants and spiderweb!
I love that. ...So glad your thumb feels better, too.
That is a most gorgeous feltboard set. I especially love the spiderweb--could be a good cloak design for a gnome or fairy?