Look, Listen & Live®

This song deals with the subject of railroad safety, which is something everyone should know about. We have included a reproducible sheet on page 73 (compiled by one of our resident railroad enthusiasts, Jim Ziegler) with more information to share with your students.

"Look, Listen & Live" works any time of year due to its safety message (it's always a good time to be safe!). It is unison throughout, and though there are syncopated rhythms, it should be easy enough to learn for most of your students.

On the chorus, the melody is doubled by the winds, which should strengthen the resolve of your younger singers. The performance recording provides great tracks (no pun intended) and includes train sound effects to spice up your performance.

There are optional movement sections after each chorus (while the kids aren't singing). You could have some students form a human train (conga line) and go across the stage, while others hold big cardboard crossing gates, with some students standing behind the gates waiting patiently for the train to pass, leading by example. If you wanted to get more elaborate, you could create a big cardboard train with windows for the students' heads to be seen through. Decorating both sides of the train would allow you to pass from one side of the stage to another, then turn the train around offstage and go across in the opposite direction at the the next movement section. You could also use your train at the beginning of the song, which features an approaching train with its horn blaring and bell ringing, and at the end of the song, which has the crossing guard bell and railroad clacking sounds fading. Here are some other movement suggestions:

• "No, no, no" - Shake finger on each "no."
• "Yeah, yeah, yeah" - Nod head up and down with each "yeah."
• "Look" - Point to eyes, or make binoculars with hands over the eyes. Or, put one hand above the eyes as if blocking the sun and look offstage.
• "Listen" - Point to ears, or cup ears as if listening intently.
• "Live" - Throw hands up and to the side energetically at 45 degree angles, palms towards the audience.

The accompaniment version of the song includes the melody being played by winds. If you wish, you could use this as a background for an activity, such as a "public service announcement" at your school. It could also be used as background music for a video your students could create regarding railroad safety.