Before I get started, I want people to know that today is the 72nd anniversary of my father, Corbett Campbell’s birth. When he died ten years ago, I realized how much I’d always admired him; Atticus Finch, up close, and deeply flawed.
Daddy, I miss you every day.
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I wanted to say something else too. My son came home from school the other day singing, “This Land Is Your Land”. He sang while he set the table, while he wandered around the house. I had been waiting for the day he learned this song, but I’ve been doubting it would ever happen.
When I was in Music class in Grade-School, , we sang. The Music teacher, Mrs. Carr handed out the books, took request, and we sang. The Headmistress s was heavy-handed about religion, and she filled the school songbook with hymns, but some of these were not often requested. Some the hymns were fun to sing, so we requested them. Because we got to sing it good and loud and stomp our feet in time, “March of the Men of Harlech” was popular. The arrangements of some perfectly good songs got too fussy , but we didn’t know it. We just sang.
I know that Pete Seeger taught Americans a lot about American music. He made it his mission to travel all over the country collecting the old folk songs and songs that started the Blues. He found music, brought it onto the concert stage and taught it from that bully pulpit. His voice is huge, and it’s monumental with a concert hall singing after it. Woody Guthrie wrote “This Land Is Your Land”, and Seeger helped him bring it to people. Many
Ms. Lu, Liam’s Music teacher is despised by most kids, and some parents too. The kids start working on their song for the holiday concert in the first class, and they sing little else. If one kid isn’t singing it just so, that kid gets singled out and told off, and any kid fooling just a bit got to stay inside for lunchtime recess. She yells, and tells kids they aren’t good singers. If all Music or Art teachers were like her, nobody would be fighting for Arts education in schools. Ms. Lu isn’t doing music only harm.
When Ms. Lu isn’t around (which seems to be often), the kids watch movies; mostly Disney movies with music, and they don’t get to see the whole thing. This week, things were a little different. Liam learned that little bit of “This Land is Your Land” from a movie about “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “This Land is Your Land”. Well, it did work.
My son’s teacher, Ms. Clapham, has taught the kids a few folk songs which the kids seem to enjoy. This Winter, the kids learned about tall tales, and Ms. Clapham brought in her guitar and taught them a song about Paul Bunion (one I had learned as a kid too). The kids were thrilled, and walked into Music class singing it until Ms. Lu shouted them down.
Ms. Clapham has taught long enough to watch education change. She seems to still heartily enjoy teaching and children. Because four of her students were on our soccer team, she attended our last game, and watched the boys hold our opponents scoreless up until the last five minutes, and that’s not the only reason I I know how much she cares about the kids. I like the books she gives the kids to read for book-group. I’m glad she’s there in her L.L. Bean duds to bring in her guitar and teach them a song they wanted to keep singing.
I can imagine Ms. Clapham attending a Pete Seeger show and singing along as loudly as anyone else
hi my name is brittany im 13 years old ican sing pretty good but all i do is sing in my room i want to do more then that
Posted by: brittany | July 22, 2009 at 10:50 AM