Thank You, Teachers!

This song was written in honor of our teachers, and for Teacher Appreciation Week (celebrated the first full week of May), but the sentiment of the song is true the whole year round. John knows from watching his parents, who were full-time music teachers, how hard they worked and the joys and the struggles of the profession. So to all of you teachers – we appreciate you!

This song rocks right out of the gate. Have a listen to Dane Clark's drum groove at the top, and Sandy Williams' guitar solo over the repeat of the song, and you'll understand why we feel very fortunate to have such talent on our sessions!

The vocals will keep your singers focused and energized, which help give the sentiment of the song a dynamic power. Sometimes the rhythms are syncopated, which can be challenging, so have them listen and learn with our singers on the recording. When the chorus recapitulates at measure 33, it's sung as an optional divisi. This sounds wonderful if your students can do it, but if not, then they can sing the upper line as they did in measure 25.

Since the song is about teacher appreciation, it might be nice to honor the teachers at your school when performing this song. You could have them stand and be recognized to the applause of the school, and if there are one or two teachers who really stand out, perhaps a small gift could be given, like a plaque or flowers – something to show appreciation. We actually have some teachers who sing on our sessions. (You know who you are!) To you, we say, "Thank you!"