Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Another Music Together teacher sent the following link, which I thought you might enjoy. It's an old (1960s?) recording of a community school "playing" Little Johnny Brown. After a couple of minutes, you get the picture, and it's pretty repetitive, but there's an interesting little conversation with the teacher in the video at the end. I just think it's so cool how Music Together includes lesser-known traditional songs like these in the song collections. This helps preserve these old beauties that otherwise might be lost forever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgUmisFfTiw

The lyrics they use are:
Little Johnny Brown, spread your comfort down (2x),
Fold one corner, Johnny Brown,
Fold another corner, Johnny Brown (3x),
Take it to your lover, Johnny Brown (2x),
Show her your motion, Johnny Brown (2x),
Lope like a buzzard, Johnny Brown (2x),
Give it to your lover, Johnny Brown (2x).

Somehow I think I'm glad we sing "strut like a chicken" rather than "lope like a buzzard," but only because of the societal context of this *time* versus that one.

Get out a baby blanket or play scarf or adult-sized T-shirt and play this game with your child at home--with or without the CD! Make up your own motions/verses!

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