Do You Wanna Go And Play?

This tune is a great deal of fun to sing! It's so happy and uplifting, you can't help but smile as you listen and remember your own child-like glee at playing outside, especially in the spring and summer. Our studio singers were so taken with it, we had a record number of volunteers try out for the opening solo. The winner was a young man – Alec Huffman – and we think he did a great job. Be sure to point this out to your own young men, lest they think solos are for girls only!

The solo is optional, of course, as is the second vocal part that enters at bar 44. The second part is a nice contrast though, so even if you only have a few who can do it, it's worth the effort. (Bring in some older students or other "ringers" if you're using this in performance and want a bit of reinforcement to help with part 2.)

The most important thing to tell your kids about singing this song is to keep it energetic and joyful. Also, make sure the lyrics are enunciated clearly so that your audience understands what is being sung about.

We are extremely pleased with the ever-building, grand accompaniment the orchestra plays on the Performance/Accompaniment recording. But as we were mixing the tune, we realized that the lighter blend of strings and rhythm section was also a delightful version. So, we went ahead and created an alternate mix – full and accompaniment – for you to use instead, if you're so inclined. At the very least, you can listen and/or share it with your students to hear the nuances of this version. (You could even get more carried away and do a compare and contrast lesson with the original version!)

You will find these alternate mixes, as well as the isolated rehearsal tracks for the second vocal part on our web site for free downloading. Check out the downloadables box on page 70 for details on how to access these extras.