Children’s musician Erin Lee Kelly bring us the next of her regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family.
Look for more music suggestions from Erin Lee here on the first Monday of each month, or visit her homepage, www.erinleemusic.com.
I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.
Children are born dancers. They have natural rhythm and no qualms about expressing themselves kinesthetically to the best of their ability. My band sees it all the time at concerts—at a show in the park we’ll notice a preschooler eating his picnic in time to the beat. Even babies will be sucking on their pacifier in rhythm. Walking down the streets of NYC, I’ve watched kids dance to the beat of the pile driver at the construction site and bop to the blaring car alarm’s repetitive blasts. However, we grownups seem to need more encouragement! And in this month of excessive cakes, pies, and gingerbread, we need to dance more than ever. So here are some songs to get you and your family moving!
“Everyone Loves To Dance
One of Aaron’s missions is to get kids moving, and this infectiously fun reggae track does the trick. It’s laid back, groovy, inclusive—yup, the title says it. It’s pretty much for everyone, regardless of their age, circumstances or possible physical limitations. Aaron’s music makes kids feel good about themselves, and after grooving along to this tune, grownups will feel pretty good too.
“Jump, Wiggle and Shake
One day a five year old in my music class announced “I’m a GREAT dancer AND I have the Fuzzy Lemons CD. You should play that. I’ll dance.” I’ve learned to take all grand suggestions by five year olds very seriously, so the following week I duly brought my Fuzzy Lemons CD to class, put on “Jump, Wiggle and Shake” and watched as the five year old—plus his brother, his nanny, his neighbor and every other person in the room, both children and adults—got on their feet and showed off their moves. (And it’s only 1.33 minutes long, so if you’re feeling winded, don’t worry—you’ll still have enough steam to finish any fancy moves you’ve started!)
“Cooper
Our song celebrating dancing tells the story of a little boy who could make a dance to anything—anytime, anywhere. He inspires the less-outgoing narrator of the tune to stand on her head, pop like a spring, and spin in a circle until the world spins around. Much like the kids who can find a dance beat in a blaring car alarm, Cooper could find the music in the world around him and get everybody dancing to it.
And this month’s activity? You already know it—get up and get moving to the best of your ability! If you’re working off Thanksgiving dinner, try warming up to “Everyone Loves to Dance”, use “Jump, Wiggle and Shake” as pure aerobic activity, and then let “Cooper” inspire you to get really creative. Have fun!
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Thanks, Erin Lee! Keep up all the good work!