In our classroom we listen to a lot of 60's & 70's music. (I know I've mentioned this before.) I play it during indoor recess, as the children come in in the morning, and sometimes during a work period when we need an extra little kick.
Well, today during a work period, children were working through their Task Sheet (a list of science/social studies work they are required to finish for the week), they asked for music, so I put it on.
As the kids were working, some of them were singing and the work was just humming along. Then, Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain & Tenille came on. This song has become a bit of an anthem for our class this year. We sang it at Morning Meeting one day in November, and they've since become really interested in learning some of the sign language to go along with the words. They love it.
As the song played, some kids sang quietly, but as soon as the chorus came on:
Stop! 'cause I really love you.
Stop! I've been thinking of you.
Look in my heart and let love keep us together... forever.
Every kid started singing.
They were all still working, some weren't even looking up. A bunch of them looked up and caught each others' eye or my eye and smiled. It was just this organic moment when music permeates something and makes it even better.
Okay, now I must confess that I have this fantasy...
Ten years in the future. My darlings are in High School. They're taller, gorgeous, and even more brilliant than they are now. They're at a dance and hanging out with their best friends in groups, chatting, dancing, watching others. They haven't talked about first grade in years. Most of them have totally new groups of friends. But then... Love Will Keep Us Together comes on (I know, I know, I'm not sure why some high school deejay is going to play this song at a High School dance ten years in the future, but just go with me on this!)...
Then... light dawns! A bunch of them click right back in. They remember the words! Some of them might even start singing (probably not), but they'll catch each others' eyes across all of the different cliques and grin with memories in their eyes: Don't you remember this song from first grade? Oh my god, I haven't heard this song in years!
And it'll be this lovely little moment where they realize how powerful music is. Well, and how awesome first grade was.
But that goes without saying.
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3 comments:
Oh how I love stories like these!
Remind to tell you about this German song that I've known, like, forever (from when I was younger and my mum and I would drive all over the place) and how it came back years later :D Somehow I think you'd enjoy that story ;-)
You should see some of them do some of the sign language that goes with it!
I would love to know about the song you mentioned!! ♥
OH I'm sure it's too cute & adorable for words!!
Well, there's this old ('60s?) song about this guy who's been engaged for at least 14 years now. And he'd have been married by now if it weren't for the honeymoon. You see, his fiancee wants to go to Hawaii and that's the problem. There's no beer in Hawaii and HulaHula doens't take away the thirst.
So this song I've been singing since my childhood. When I was 17 we went to Prague with school and we visited a beerhouse there. They have these long tables with attached benches and on the tables behind us this German group sat down. Once everyone had a beer in their hand, they started singing this song.
Me? I joined in much to the confusion and astonishment of my classmates. I had a bit of 'splaining to do...
<3!
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