Everybody Say Goodbye

Here's a happy song to use for farewells, lengthy or brief. Though since this is the last issue of the year, it would be completely appropriate to use as a final piece before heading out for the summer. (Assuming you get to do that this year...) It's deliberately written simple enough to be used with kids of all ages.

The addition of the optional ukulele and guitar parts makes it more challenging for your older students. The chords used are F, C, and G, and there is a part on page 37 that includes chord diagrams for quick reference. You'll note that the rhythms are not just offbeats, so students will actually need to read the part – another challenge! If this is too difficult, feel free to alter the rhythms to something that works for them. Just offbeats are fine throughout, or even just downbeats of each bar if that's more manageable.

On the recording, the melody in the intro and interludes is played by fiddles, so that helps kids know where they are in the song. The second time at bar 5, there is an improvised fiddle solo that plays while singers take a vocal break. During this time, they have the option of adding some movements, or "wave actions," as we call it on the music.

• wave jazz hands - hands out, open and shimmering
• paint the fence - hands move up and down as if painting a fence
• windshield wiper - hands move together side to side in an arc, like windshield wipers do
• do the wave - alternate standing and sitting while floating hands in front up and down, similarly to a crowd in a stadium doing the wave

If you prefer to substitute your own actions, go right ahead. If you wish to include both singing and movement the third time through, that works, too. Add a final wave at the end for good measure.