Playlists: Nature
April is always a good time to reflect on nature, to welcome the first signs of spring, and to appreciate the abundant resources we receive from our planet. In celebration of nature, please enjoy these two playlists with contributions from many of our members.
Little Mushroom
“Little Mushroom” is a love letter to nature’s mycological miracles. It explores “our connection to ancestors and each other,” and there are few organisms that embody the interdependent web of being like the mushroom. Fungi make our world possible. Let’s give them all thanks for breaking it down.
Playlists for Fall 2023
Two fall playlists devoted to songs about reading. From learning the alphabet to setting out on fabulous adventures through new worlds, these songs explore the countless gifts that children can find in the pages of a book.
I Love Reading
This song combines a playful journey through some much-loved books with a catchy refrain that perfectly reflects this issue’s theme.
Introducing Playlists
CMN will now begin curating playlists to share our members’ work. Our intention is for these playlists to highlight the incredible music our members create and to make it easily accessible and shareable.
I Hear a Knockin’ at My Door
“I wrote this song during the initial pandemic shutdown, when so many of us were isolated from regular routines and were dealing with estrangement from our friends, colleagues, and even family members.”
Didn't We Have Fun
The original lyrics to this song captured all the dancing, playing, singing, not-sleeping, and eating that was shared at CMN’s 1991 conference. Later, Bruce developed verses that are more universal. To our minds it remains a delightful way to reminisce.
We Wish to Sing to You
Over the decades, members of CMN have encountered different approaches to creative property and the folk tradition. The Quimbys had their view: “Do it right. . . ."
Away, Away
The children who wrote this song as elementary school students in the mid-1990s are grown and well into their professional lives in 2022, and still this sweet, simple song lingers as a way for children to introduce themselves and their heritage.
What Do I Do?
Ruth’s message is one to teach and reteach, learn and relearn, frequently. It is the answer to the oft-heard lament, “I just didn’t know what to say.”
I've Got Peace in My Fingers
“I wrote the song for a Peace Week celebration at my daughter’s preschool. The director was a progressive and creative woman who wanted even the youngest among us to understand the meaning of the word peace.”
Open the Circle
We brought back the four-part round “Open the Circle” because it has been a staple opening and closing song at our conferences since 2007.
Stardust
Alina Celeste’s “Stardust” is a favorite of our editorial staff. Alina says “It is my love song and my farewell to the life I had in Los Angeles, and a promise to the loved ones I left there that I’ll be around.”
On and On
It is hard to find songs about death that are simple enough to share with children. Kari Thomas Kovick’s song manages beautifully to contain grief as well as celebrate life.
Ready Set Go!
We fell in love with “Ready Set Go!” from the get-go! Divinity calls her hip-hop/rock/funk style “Alternative Soul,” and we are delighted to call her a Children’s Music Network member and friend. Are you ready? Then go!
Mi Barrilete
“Mi Barrilete” (“My Kite”) was written by Hamlet Meneses to celebrate the Guatemalan Kite Festival. Hamlet chose to concentrate on the beauty, joy, and pure delight that accompanies holding a string attached to a high-flying kite.
Otoño (Autumn)
“This song was written during a preschool music class when we were talking about the seasons, and I would name all the sounds we hear during the fall. We then started to act like leaves, and I found the perfect chorus for this song.”
Let Your Little Light Shine
CMN recently held a Community Singing Workshop with panelists Joanie Calem, Jane Sapp, and Sally Rogers. The discussion turned to the children’s song “This Little Light of Mine” as an example of a song that everyone knows and can sing.
Fall Fun Song
“I was inspired by my love of fall and how it makes me feel. We can express fall with the language of colors, changing of the weather, and the wonderful and cool activities that fall brings.”
Had to Stand Up
This powerful song about standing up for justice can be used as a springboard to talk to young people about how it feels to witness injustice and what they can say or do to take a strong stand.
I Don’t Care What You Say About Me
Nine-year-old Hannah explained why she wrote this song: “How can someone judge you by your clothes? Well, someone judged me by mine, and I got angry and wrote this song.”
Woo Hoo! It’s Summer!
“A short and fun song to sing with my younger music students during the last week of school. When you’re a kid, there is nothing more exciting than the last day of school before summer vacation.”
I Am Enough
When asked to say something about “I Am Enough,” SaulPaul replied, “a piano-based, sing-songy, feel-good anthem for the young listener. The entire song can serve as a cheat sheet of positive affirmations for young listeners to sing along, speak, or read aloud.”
Plant a Seed
Ros says she is “happy to have the song take roots in the community. With adult audiences, I like to introduce ‘Plant a Seed’ as a children’s song with an adult metaphor.”
Every Bunny
Susan tells us, “I’m always interested in movement songs for preschoolers that require young ones to listen for cues. I’m also interested in songs that can be used for specific seasons and throughout the year.”
Anything Song
“I wrote ‘Anything Song’ long ago when I was young . . . back in the hippie days. I traveled with my guitar on my back, and folks would ask if I could play it. ‘Sure,’ I said. ‘Okay, then play something.’ ‘What?’ ‘Oh, anything.’ And ta-dah! The ‘Anything Song’!”
Who Can Count the Snowflakes
“I live in a relatively rural area in New England with wide-ranging seasonal changes and a curriculum that follows them, so naturally many of my chants reflect that. But as any songwriter knows, sometimes you lose control . . .”
I'm Gonna Use My Hands
“It is a song I wrote to lift myself out of a slump during a particularly bad news week. I thought it might be a good song to sing with students—a song to encourage the kids to participate in making the world a better place.”
Amor y Corazón / Love and Care
“We felt that in our current world, love and care were absolutely needed to create a positive atmosphere and foster open and welcoming hearts.”
Kindness of Strangers and Neighbors and Friends
“If there’s one thing these past fifteen months have taught me, it’s the value of kindness.”
Halo-Halo
From “On Top of Spaghetti” to “Peanut Butter and Jelly,” songs about food are always popular, and now we have a Filipino treat to add to the treasure chest.
Oh What a Day
“I like this song because it has an upbeat message (love sings on and always will), kids love to sing it, it’s fun to play rhythm instruments along with it, and it’s a happy round!”
Brown Boy Brown Girl
“Today’s children will run the world tomorrow. If we want them to create a society of respect, tolerance, and justice, we must first teach them to love and respect themselves.”
Cross the Street
“I wrote this funk, thinking of what I would like to hear if I was walking down the sidewalk. I felt it would be a fun way of sending a pedestrian safety message.”
Follow Me
“Follow Me was written from the perspective of a parent who is singing to their child about looking forward to future adventures together.”
Five Yellow Daffodils
Spring is upon us, and all Children’s Music Network members need spring songs, right? We turned to Kim Wallach, one of our finger-play and counting queens, looking for a seasonal treasure.
We’re Havin’ a Party
“I created this song during a desperate, overwhelmed parent moment when my child was beyond excited for her upcoming birthday . . . and then it just got silly as many things do!"
It’s You I Like
Fred Rogers speaks to me as he has spoken to my daughters and as he speaks to millions of children in homes and day care centers each morning, and with the same effect.
Just One Step
This little zipper song from Ted Warmbrand says so very much in so few words.
I Love All of Me
“This song was birthed out of my wanting children to see the beauty in themselves as a whole. As you share it, it warms my heart to know that my music of love is being spread.”
No More Us and Them
“The lyrics are not only a plea for the kids to work together, but also a challenge to myself to be more connected to the other and less self-centered.”
Look for the Helpers
“When children need helpers, I want them to hear Fred Rogers’s gentle, sage advice. I remind them that they, too, can be helpers, even when they themselves need assistance."
No Mirrors in My Nana’s House
Dr. Barnwell’s ability to cut to the core of emotions, ideas, and humanity shines throughout “No Mirrors in My Nana’s House.” We hope you will enjoy learning and sharing the love in her Nana’s eyes.
Little Bit of Light
Shalom and I fondly remember as kids singing on our mom’s first children’s album, Might As Well Make It Love, in 1981, at River City Studios in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was fun and exciting, and we felt so professional at just twelve and thirteen years old. . .
Put Your Seatbelt On
This song delivers a crucial safety message in a groove- and fun-filled package that will speak to children everywhere. With its call and response form, the community can join in the fun.
To The Ones
“This three-part round literally came to me in a dream. My father passed away at the age of ninety-eight this past fall, having outlived my mother by almost thirty years.”
Put Your Mask On, Honey
“I wrote (this) just to have a fun way about thinking about this whole mask issue. I thought that if it were seen as fashionable, then maybe we’d all be more willing to wear what makes a difference in the long-term health of all of us.”
Hatred Has No Place
David explains that he wrote this simple and infectious song “in the fall of 2017, inspired by signs that had sprouted all over my community stating ‘Hate has no home here’ in various languages.”
Be Who You Are
“I was thinking about so many people I know who felt left out or ‘different’ at certain points in their lives and how affirming it can be to get the message that it’s okay to just be you.”
Kokoraki
“Even though I’m not Greek myself, I grew up listening to Greek music, so this song has been in my blood for many years, and when I decided to do an international children’s music album, this was the first song I recorded.”