Weird Duck – and other animal tales June 12, 2009

The Song List

Weird Duck
copyright 2003 Deborah L. Hord all words/music
1. Weird Duck
2. Broken Wing
3. Shelter From The Storm
4. Duck Soup
5. Dog Barks
6. Snow Goose
7. Life Is Like That
8. Ugly Duckling
9. We’re All A Part
10. Need Dog
11. Ducks Don’t Cry
12. Donkey Song
13. Teddy Bear

Related posts (other Weird Duck posts):

Why Ducks?

Are These Songs for Children?

LISTEN to songs for children on my page at eFolkMusic.

Why Ducks? June 12, 2009

Why Ducks?

For a short time, I thought about calling myself Mama Duck, because it was a nickname a friend gave me. It seemed like a fun name to use with music. So, I decided to write songs about ducks.

Why So Many Songs About Animals?

I like to write songs that have some positive meaning the listener can keep.

Fairy tales and fables usually bring out some truth about life or people.

Animals are wonderful characters in fairy tales and fables.

I like fairy tales and fables. I like animals. I like to write songs. It all just worked.

Since I was in ‘duck’ mode, because of the ‘Mama Duck’ name idea, I expanded the genre to include whatever animal I wanted to write about.
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LISTEN to songs for children on my page at eFolkMusic.
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Are These Songs for Children? Yes! June 12, 2009

Are These Songs for Children?

Yes. These songs are for children of all ages.

In the younger-than-18 age group, the ones who like these songs the best seem to be from about 5 to 10 years old. The younger children love the songs and sing along. The older children listen, but they are more reserved.

Adults who enjoy fairy tales and fables like these songs, too.

Studies Show …

I’ve done a little informal research (by singing repeatedly for children in a first grade classroom) over the past few weeks.  I asked them to tell me how they liked each of the songs.

I asked them to tell me if any of the songs were “too young” for them or “too old” for them. They said they were all just right.

Their favorite songs were the ones with an easy chorus, which they sang with enthusiasm, and the ones with a story.

Favorite Songs

The children asked for certain songs every time I visited after they heard them the first time. Those songs were: Weird Duck, Shelter From the Storm, Snow Goose, Donkey Song and Teddy Bear.

The list started small, with the three songs I sang during my first two visits to the classroom. The list grew with each visit as they heard more and more songs.

I feel certain that if school were not ending today, the list would be even longer.

Giving the Gift of Music

I had a delightful experience singing repeatedly for a first grade class. They loved the songs. They sang and clapped and swayed with the music. They asked for their favorite songs. They raised their hands and asked to tell personal stories about their dogs or about seeing a snow goose. There were many smiles and much laughter.

When I sang for those children, I was giving to them. They gave to me, too, with their joy and their voices and their love of music. Today, their last day of first grade,  each child in the class is taking  home a copy of the Weird Duck cd. I hope they will sing all summer and, when they think of those songs in years to come, always remember the fun they had in first grade.

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LISTEN to songs for children on my page at eFolkMusic.
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Mama Duck’s Visitors June 12, 2009

Visit my page at eFolkMusic
(click the guitar image)