Celebrate Our Nation’s Capital
With the election finally happening in just a matter of days, there’s no better way to celebrate our nation’s capital than with Seattle based kindie rockers The Not-Its! newest video, “Washington, D.C.” In the video, just released this week, the band adds themselves into famous presidential photos and Washington sites while singing about people such as Martin Luther King, Jr., the President and the Secret Service and places such as the Smithsonian, the White House, and the CIA. Throughout the song, they stress the importance of standing up for your rights and letting Washington know how you feel with the rocking chorus, D.C.! Do you hear me? D.C.! Are you listening? D.C.! Are you tuned into me? This would be a fun way to begin classroom discussions about Washington, D.C., the President or the election process.
Returning with their first album in five years, the Deedle Deedle Dees created another great collection of songs that are not only fun to listen to, but also teach something along the way. The 16 original songs in this collection span a variety of musical genres while celebrating real-life heroes. These heroes include Houdini, Ada Lovelace – the world’s first computer programmer, and swimmer Diana Nyad, as well as Charles Darwin and the early human, Lucy. Joining in on the fun is an ode to 3.14 in “Pi,” a fun sing-a-long honoring female astronauts in “The Rocket Went Up!,” and a rap battle for the ages in “Tesla v. Edison.” The songs on this album could easily be used as conversation starters, writing prompts or an introduction to the subject matters.
While the focus of The Deedle Deedle Dees album is real-life heroes, The Whizpops! concentrate on songs filled with facts about some of the endangered wildlife of North America. Known for their science based music, The Whizpops! put their songwriting skills to work on 11 original songs that highlight animals such as the California condor, bison, the bull trout and the polar bear. Each song tells the story of a different animal, such as “Everything’s Better with a Mustache (Walrus Song),” with clever lyrics that weave facts about the animal’s habitat, life cycle and eating habits in in a way that feels like fun exploration. Adding to the revelry are several musical genres including a Bee Gee’s vibe on “Black Footed Ferret” and the reggae sounds detailing the life cycle of the “Monarch.” While this album is chock-full of facts and doesn’t shy from using words like carrion, metamorphosis and chrysalis, it never feels the least bit didactic. This collection would be a lively, informative addition to classroom units about animals.