IN THE CLASSROOM -- Sitting in on a sing-along

Danette Goulet

As the children stood in two curving rows facing the keyboard, their

high-pitched voices rang out almost in unison.

“I’ve been working on the railroad, all the live long day. I’ve been

working on the railroad, just to pass the time away. Can’t you hear the

whistle blowing ...”

Most of the first-graders at Park Private Day School belted out the old

classic. A couple were even dancing around.

Those simple songs we all loved as children are still as fun as ever.

Once adults have children, they can sing them again. Otherwise, it never

seems quite appropriate.

The students had been practicing for weeks and this was their final music

class before an afternoon concert.

They giggled and goofed off a bit. One little boy, who shall remain

anonymous, was continuously making faces as he sang, trying to get a

reaction out of the boy standing next to him.

The theme of the concert was patriotic. The uniforms worn by the students

every day were swapped for any combination of red, white and blue.

Each grade had different songs to perform. The first grade was preparing

to sing “America the Beautiful,” “ I Love the Mountains” and “I’ve Been

Working on the Railroad.”

The realization that children are natural singers came when they all came

closer to hitting the high note in “America the Beautiful” than most

adults would hope for. There were 20 children singing and not one of them

caused that well-known “America the Beautiful” cringe.

Their pre-pubescent voices lended themselves beautifully to the high

pitch of “I Love the Mountains.”

Unfortunately, to sing that song, they needed to get into special groups.

It was pure chaos. Who was in Shelby’s group? Half knew, half didn’t.

However, they were ready with the concert songs so they finished out

music class with some Valentine’s Day tunes.

The smiling children followed the directions of the music teacher, Mike

Booke, and formed a circle. I noticed what should have been a singing

handicap -- five little mouths all missing some combination of front

teeth.

As soon as the words “I’m going to pick somebody” left Booke’s mouth, a

series of squeals filled the air.

The youngster in the center sang, “Who will be my Valentine, my

Valentine, my Valentine? Who will be my Valentine, my Valentine, my

Valentine?”

The child in the center then chose another student, who stepped into the

circle and sang back, “I will be your Valentine, your Valentine, your

Valentine.”

Several little boys were furiously shaking their heads and wagging their

fingers back and forth in front of their noses. But they had nothing to

fear. The little girls did not want to pick a boy and did so only when

the teacher insisted.

To watch these students grinning and dancing little jigs as they sang was

to witness the purest form of music appreciation.