Smile!!

This energetic and infectious song is written as an optional two-part, but it is perfectly okay to perform it as a unison song.

If you do use the second part, you will notice that it enters on the D.S. It is low enough throughout to use with your lower, changing or changed voices. Most of the time, the rhythms match part 1, except for the section leading into measure 17. At that point, part 2 experiences a little bit of independence rhythmically and in fact, leads into the section. You may want to have your singers stagger their breathing at this point for the best effect.

The opening verse is meant to be sung in a short, almost staccato fashion. If you are using the P/A cassette or CD, you will hear the punctuated quality in the background rhythm section. It becomes more flowing and connected at measure 17, where the piano pedaling begins.

If you are not using the P/A recording, you might want to pay special attention to the articulations at the beginning of the song. The right hand part is actually doubling the wind part and should be played accordingly with long and short accents. Quick pedaling may help achieve the appropriate length for notes articulated as legato. Also be conscious of the tempo, which is quite upbeat.

Two measures into the coda, the tune becomes more sustained with a halftime feel. On the P/A recording, you will hear the winds and synthesizer play the eighth note pattern which is indicated on the right hand part of the piano/vocal score. If you are attempting to play these on the piano, you might wish to adapt it slightly for ease of playing and use the pedal for each chord change. Make sure you point out to your students that they are singing whole notes where once they sung quarter notes.

The last time through the chorus, you will hear a high trumpet/horn duet on the P/A recording which you might wish to let your students listen to on the instrumental only version so they can pick it out.

This song also offers your students one last opportunity to dance or use hand jives, gestures and movement. As always, the best ideas for this will come from your students. Let them listen to the song analytically to determine what type of movement or gesture would be appropriate for each segment. For example, simple gestures might be cute for the staccato verses, amplifying the actions mentioned. These could also include verbal or sound effects:

"Sometimes you get a bug in your hair."

"Yuck!"

The chorus lends itself well to movement with it's cheery message and bouncy style. Even if you have your students do nothing more than sway and sing, the audience will be caught up in the spirit. For easy punctuation, add some arm and hand gestures, such as outlining smiles, with fingers, pointing at the audience on the word "you," etc. The most important thing they can do to make the song work is, of course, smile!