Keep The Music Going
by Teresa Jennings
We realize we're preaching to the choir when we produce a song like this one. Even so, it's an awful lot of fun to just plain sing out about it, and this infectious, singable, memorable tune gives us the perfect chance to do just that. As you and your students listen to the Performance/Accompaniment recording, you'll see that from the outset, the worldbeat groove and unique modality get your attention and keep it. (And by the way, good luck getting this out of your head afterwards!)
Starting sparsely and doing a subtle, well-crafted build, the layers thicken and mingle to the excitement of the chorus that loudly proclaims, "Keep the music going on and on and on." It is at this point also that part 2, which is optional, joins in for a rousing choral duet. To assist in learning it, we have isolated part 2 and put it online for you.
After pulling back a bit for the second verse, which also includes part 2 at this point, it builds once again to the chorus. Then it moves on to the coda where it restates the exciting beginning motif, only this time with vocal assistance. The whole thing begins to wind down until at the end of the song, it is practically whispered. There are some good opportunities to teach your singers to focus on the musicality of the song through dynamics, articulation, and blending.
Obviously, you can program this piece for your Music In Our Schools Month celebrations, and indeed, we had that in mind when we produced it. However, music has no one season, so we encourage you to add it to any program or event any time you like.
Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.