I Like School

This simple song is written as an easy way for your youngest singers to participate in the musical revue, Education Rocks! It also helps to reinforce the message to them that school is a good and positive place and it's okay to like it!

Part hip-hop, part jazz, the style will feel very familiar and easy to get into. The tempo and beat will allow even your littlest singers to join in. Again, the recording presents an excellent example for students to listen to and sing along with while learning or while performing.

While listening, be sure to point out the solo trumpet to your students. This is one of the "jazzy" elements of the song. The trumpet player is using a harmon mute to get the sound he's getting. Is this sound familiar? When else have they heard it? (We've used it a number of times over the years in our recordings.)

At the chorus, you will see that we suggest adding a simple patsch/clap pattern. (A patsch is a thigh slap.) You can alternate or simplify this pattern in any way that makes it more usable. Or you can change it to all claps, claps and snaps, stomps, and so forth. Let your singers contribute ideas.

As an added performance enhancement, you might wish to include non-pitched percussion. We have provided a page of suggestions in this issue that includes claves, cowbell, vibraslap and guiro. Of course, you may prefer to use different instruments. If you make up your own rhythms, alter the patterns for the different sections of the tune for more interest.

By the way, it is our experience that whenever a song with this type of beat is playing, many of our singers are unable to hold still. If this is the case for you as well, by all means take advantage! Invite students to come up with movement suggestions which they can perform while singing, or which a few of them can perform while others sing.