Puppies

Our young singers had so much fun performing this song, we're guessing yours will, too! Slightly off-balance, whimsical, and silly, the "oom pah" style is perfect for our delightfully imperfect furry friends. (If you've ever had a puppy, you know what we mean.)

The song is very, very simple and casual, so that all of your singers can participate. The most fun, of course, occurs when students get to act like puppies. At the beginning and interlude of the song, this means panting, which is optional. You might want to select only a few students to do the panting. It gets overwhelming pretty quickly (which is why we did not record it). Also - don't let them get too carried away, lest they get dizzy.

Another opportunity for puppy-like behavior happens when students get to bark. This first occurs at measures 7 and 8, where it is optional. For this part, and for the barking freely after the song, we suggest mixing up the types of barks. Our singers are a good example of how to mix it up. To make this more fun, ask your students if any of them have or know puppies. What kind are they? What do they sound like?

At measure 25, the song specifically indicates the type of bark students should do. If you can, get students to try to agree on an approximate sound for unity (such as it is...). For example, we had the "woofs" done in a low voice, while the "yaps" were done in a high voice. As you will hear, this was not exact, nor did we worry about it. (You might even hear a little giggling in there.) The idea is to have a good time acting like puppies.

As always, you may adapt any aspect of the music. If you want to have groups or solos, that's fine. Use different types of barks, or mix them differently.

(You will note that this song is dedicated to Ida. That's Teresa's mother-in-law. She loves puppies and dogs of all ages! We hope she and her puppy, Tisha, enjoy this one.)