Our Troops And Veterans
by Teresa Jennings
"Respect the ones who give and gave today and yesterday." This is the essence of the way we should all feel about our troops and veterans. Whether they are actively serving now or have done so in the past, they deserve our appreciation. Their courage and sacrifice on behalf of the greater good is a big deal, one we should celebrate. After all, we are the people they protect.
Many of us pause on Veterans Day, November 11, to honor those who served. More and more however, we see that active troops are being included in some programs, so we decided to offer a song that speaks to them as well. The only difference is the time of service, past or present.
To make it accessible to most grade levels, we have kept this song simple, repetitive, and short. By the third time through, your audience might even be able to sing along. Feel free to invite them.
On the music, you will note an ongoing pattern for patsching (thigh slapping). It's on the upbeat of every bar, emphasizing the halftime groove and feels natural to do, though it is optional.
Sign Language
If you are using this in performance on Veterans Day or any day that you are celebrating our troops and veterans, you might consider adding sign language. You will find video demonstrations from teacher/signer Nate Jones that you can use to teach your students signs for this song. You will find these videos at our web site, free to subscribers.
Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.