Sunday, March 2, 2014

PLAY-TITUDE #1: Play to the Beat of the Music…Sing!



“If music be the food of love, play on!”
                                         ~Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
I am a NPR kind of girl.  I love to listen to news and stories on my way to and from school.  It is not unusual to find me sitting in my driveway, having arrived home, catching the last moment of a story, sometimes with tears in my eyes before entering into my house.  Although this is something I love, lately I have found the habit of listening to talk radio has changed to that of listening to music.  And singing along—loud.   Singing makes life playful.

To engage in song is to engage in joy.  I love cleaning my house to the beat of loud music, dancing and dusting as I move from room to room, cleanliness in my wake.  I love singing loudly in the car as music blares from the speakers, energizing me as I go to various commitments in my day.  I love to sing in the shower in the morning to wake up.  I love to sing to kindergarteners to engage them in listening as we prepare to start a lesson.  I love to sing along to a church hymn during a service, the music drawing the community into prayer and celebration.  

Song is play.  As a child I played with songs—nursery rhymes, BINGO, jump-rope chants.  As a teenager, my sister and I were mesmerized by Julie Andrews and the Sound of Music.  Many nights were spent cleaning dishes with the two of us belting out “When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything”, followed by our rendition of Do Re Me.  Maybe a few soap suds were tossed and towels moved as we dried dishes and danced to the notes of our melody.  

I am not a singer that captures listeners with a memorable voice.  I can carry a tune and can do harmony with back-up.  I simply love music.  Music takes me to a different place.  From classical to jazz to rock.  The act of listening to music takes me to a feeling place.  An in touch with my soul kind of place.  And singing song takes me to a playful and light-hearted place.

Play-titude #1:  Sing—especially loud and fully engaging song brings out a playful nature!  Sing!


Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for dedicating space and time for teachers and teachers of literacy to come together to share ideas, practice and life experience.
 


6 comments:

  1. Deb,
    I, too, am a lover of music. I listen to The Message Christian radio in my car and many a day it has lifted me from the dumps.

    I can't imagine what life would be like without music in it. Just today, I was pondering about why music can touch the soul of some of us and make us cry, but not others. I alway cry to music. My husband confessed that he never has. How can this be???

    I'd love to hear your thoughts on that!

    Shari :-)
    http://islandsofmysoul.com/

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  2. I can't imagine life without music. I could visualize myself in all of the scenes you described. It made me want to stop everything and sing!

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  3. Deborah, I read the paragraph about you and your sister washing dishes and singing three times, picturing how you brought joy to a mundane task. Thanks for sharing your song with us here.

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  4. I don't sing so much alone, but with my granddaughters, yes, & they know so many of the early children's songs. But when I clean, the music cd choice is a big deal-has to be just right for how I'm feeling that day. I'm going to love these 'play' posts, Deb. Thank you!

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  5. Sing it loud... sing it clear! You can listen as well as you hear!! (there's a song in here though I can't think of the title right now)... Rocking it out in the car is the only way to go!! Enjoy!! Try car dancing too!! FUN!!

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  6. Music is a joy for me. I love to sing along. I always have the radio on.

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