The 100th Day of School

After an evening of perusing some surveys from our loyal subscribers, we realized that a number of you celebrate The 100th Day of School. What a neat topic for a song! What was surprising to us was the wealth of information available on the subject on the internet. John tells us he never celebrated the 100th day when he was in grade school back in 19- - (insert throat clearing here).

"The 100th Day of School" is written simply enough to allow your entire school to sing it. There are no syncopated rhythms or dotted figures. The most complex rhythms are eighth notes, so even younger singers should be able to pick it up, too. The range is from D above middle C to the C above. The lyrics are intentionally silly at times, and if you're using the recording, you'll note that there are many sound effects to enhance the humor of the piece. Please note that where it's possible to have your students add the effects themselves, we have left space in the recording (accompaniment version) and marked the vocal part accordingly.

Here's a valuable resource for your 100th Day celebration. More on the subject can also be found on page 67 of this issue. "The 100th Day of School," by Angela Shelf Medearis. Illustrated by Joan Holub. For grades K-2. Published by Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0-590-25944-X.