SING AND SHINE ON!
THE TEACHER'S GUIDE TO MULTICULTURAL SONG LEADING
by Nick Page
(177 pages)

World Music Press publishes SING AND SHINE ON as of Fall 2001
We have updated the resource list and added several songs.

888-283-5273

www.worldmusicpress.com

Review of SING AND SHINE ON! by Nick Page
From The Choral Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1, August, 1996:

Power Singer, song leader, and music educator Nick Page, who has made appearances at ACDA, American Orff-Schulwerk Association, and music educators association conventions, has collected many of his ideas about sharing the joy of singing with others in an appealing and handy paperback book. The book is divided into three sections: "What is the Power of Singing?," "How do We Teach Songs?," and "Why Is Music Necessary?" Section Two contains the bulk of the text. It includes step by step instructions for teaching songs by rote as well as strategies for teaching song content, making songs exciting, addressing issues of tone quality and intonation, locating song material, and presenting songs to an audience. Approximately ten songs are included in the book as well as signing gestures for one selection. At the end of the book are two appendixes----"Suggested Tools and Supplies to Help You in Teaching Songs" and "Powerful Song Suggestions with Sources and Age Recommendations." Two additional sections include a resource guide with addresses and an annotated bibliography with numerous songbook listings.

Page makes important points about the power of music and singing in people's lives. He emphasizes "first hand" rather than "second hand" music-making (p. 40), stating that people should be directly involved in making music in order to reap its full benefits. He instructs the reader in ways to get groups singing with cultural sensitivity, feeling, and meaning. Page recommends unaccompanied singing and likes to direct singers who are standing in a circle because of the energy that they can generate and share. He is a believer in "the singing celebration" (p.125), especially in schools, with active audience participation. These events, he states, can create a sense of identity and community spirit. In his writings and in practice, Page provides a model for music advocacy in our schools and in society. His book includes strong arguments in support of music, points that can be used in defending the place of music to those who make decisions and control funding.

As a resource for song material and multicultural music alone, this book is worth the price. It would be an excellent tool for students in college-level music education methods classes. This book is as "laid back" as its author, with no scholarly pretensions. It is both fun and informative. Review by Sharon Davis Gratto.

Review of SING AND SHINE ON! by Nick Page
From Sing Out! Magazine, Vol. 41, No. 1, May-July, 1996.
Teacher, song leader, composer, writer and public speaker Nick Page has written an inspirational handbook for those who lead children in the classroom or in the community. Page manages to offer great enthusiasm while providing very specific tips on ways to make any group sound amazing, a word he uses repeatedly and persuasively. Here's what he writes in the introduction:

"We are all far more amazing than we realize. I believe that singing makes us amazing. Every culture on the planet sings as a means of celebration--in every phrase saying, 'This is who I am!' This song creates a sense of identity; it brings us together. We are all different, but by singing this song we create a harmony from our differences. Singing this song makes us powerful! Let go of any fear you might have about singing. We can shine with an amazing light that is at its brightest when we join voices in harmony."

Page's considerable experience, which includes three years with the Chicago Children's Choir and four years as a K-8 music teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his positive belief that "music is essential for the ongoing evolution of humans" have enabled him to construct specific guidelines for group song leading. The book is divided into the "What," "How" and "Why" of music education. "Part One: What is the Power of Singing?" places music on a universal scale, tracing sound and singing as it evolved on a multicultural level. "Part Two: How Do We Teach Songs?" contains all the helpful nuts and bolts needed to build a strong, confident and powerful singing group. This section uses many concrete examples, anecdotes and strategies, including chapters on "Basic Strategy for Rote Song Teaching," "Everyone Can Sing In Tune," "How To Find Powerful Songs," and "Troubleshooting."

"Part Three: Why Is Music Necessary?" contains the chapter "Sixty-Five Reasons Why Singing Should Be Central to Education and to Life," a rationale for retaining a music curriculum in the public school system. Reason Number 6, for example, offers the following insight: "Howard Gardner, who has researched how the brain and body learn, points out that there are many types of intelligence. Each form of intelligence helps strengthen the others. Remove one, and the others suffer."

The appendixes to the three-part text offer more essential information: Appendix A offers "Suggested Tools and Supplies to Help You in Teaching Songs" and Appendix B includes "Powerful Song Suggestions with Sources and Age Recommendations." A resource guide and bibliography provide a valuable 16-page gold mine of information for the music educator, as well.

Review by Barbara Schaffer


Quotes from SING AND SHINE ON!
Singing is a highly emotional activity. Children need to use their emotions a lot---much more than most of us realize. Many "problem" students are actually extremely emotional children who do not have the vent for all their emotions. Singing and celebration with the energy of stars is the perfect activity for these children.

Why expect anything less than wonderful, bright, shining voices from children? It is too easy to say, "They are only children." Or, "Children are supposed to sound squeaky and out of tune." The attitude behind this kind of thinking suggests that children are merely mediocre versions of adults.

By creating a supportive environment and by fostering confidence in each child, you will be setting the stage for something miraculous to happen. Have you ever experienced children singing--when they seemed to sparkle with energy, when their eyes shone with radiance, and when their voices brought tears to your eyes? Children at this point have gone beyond confidence to wonder and awe.


List of Songs in SING AND SHINE ON!
Bless Oh Lord Our Country Africa
by Enoch Sontonga
Thula Klizeo (Unison & with harmony)
by Joseph Shabalala
Cadima Trad. Israeli Folk Song
Thuma Mina Trad. South African
Woke Up This Mornin' Civil Rights Song
Building Bridges Contemporary Quaker Round
Wearing My Long Wing Feathers
Contemporary Native American
Hey Ho Nobody Home Trad. Round
There Is More Love Somewhere
Trad. African American Hymn
Cumbayah
Amazing Grace by John Newton


MUSIC AS A WAY OF KNOWING
by Nick Page
(80 pages) Published by Stenhouse (800-988-9812)

Stenhouse Publishing Company
431 York Street
P.O. Box 360
York, ME 03909
207-363-9198
Fax: 207-363-9730



OUTLINE
I. A Musical Pep-Talk

II. Why Music In The Classroom?
No Separation Between Talented and Untalented
Music Charges the Brain
There are Rhythms in Learning
Music is Good For Memory
Music = Creativity = Play
A Musical Class is a Disciplined Class
Music Making Builds Community

III. How to Write Songs and Raps
Musical Terms Not to Be Afraid Of
1) Form
2) Dynamics
3) Rhythm/Pulse
4) Melody
5) Harmony
6) Timbre
7) Texture
Creating the Creative Environment
Writing Raps and Songs
Step One: Brainstorm
Step Two: Create a Rhythm
Step Three: Compose a Melody/Create a Background Beat
Composing With Computers
Music/Computer Resources
Other Resources

IV. Music Activities To Enhance Academic Studies
Musical Activities To Enhance Reading and Writing
Musical Activities To Enhance Mathematics
Music and Ratios
Build Your Own Marimba!
Musical Activities To Enhance Science Studies
Musical Activities To Enhance Geography
Musical Activities To Enhance Social Studies
Resources

V. A Simple Guide To Teaching Songs
Your Class Should Sound Great
The Call and Response Song
The Rote Technique
Multi-Sensory Techniques
Dance and Movement
Drawings and Photographs
Word Sheets
Teaching Rounds
Teaching Children To Sing In Tune
Resources


Quotes from MUSIC AS A WAY OF KNOWING

Imagine that there was no music in the world. No one sang. No one listened to beautiful melodies or danced to powerful rhythms. Everyone devoted their time towards logic - mathematics - reading - writing - science. All forms of play would have to be outlawed, because play and music arise from the same basic instinct - to create, to express, to experiment, to be alive!

It would not be a wonderful world. It would not be a world worth studying with science, or worth analyzing with mathematics or worth reading or writing about.

It is no coincidence that music is of central importance in so many cultures of the world. In these cultures, music is not just an important part of life---music is life itself. Music is alive and by singing and creating sounds we become more alive.

"That's great, but I'm not a musician. I'm afraid of doing music with my students." What is there to be afraid of? You don't need to play an instrument to use music in the classroom. You don't need to know how to read music. You don't need to know who Beethoven was or when the Baroque Period was.

What do you need? You need to be alive. That's it. That is the basic requirement for being musical. As they say in Zimbabwe, "If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance."

"Yes to music. Yes to music in every classroom Yes to music coming from the voices and bodies of every student in every school. Yes to minds learning at accelerated rates because of music and the arts. Yes to academic scores going through the roof. Yes to students working together in a new found harmony." go to top