Just the other day, I was visiting in the classroom with my new student Natalie and her mom. During the course of the conversation, Natalie told me her favorite song is Blackbird by The Beatles. I was genuinely excited because it’s a favorite of mine, too. I told Alexa to play it, and Natalie and I sang the whole song together.
Those of you who know me know that I think memorizing songs and poems has many benefits for preschoolers (and humans, in general). It builds vocabulary. The language of “story” found in songs and poems lays the foundation for reading. And reciting a favorite poem or singing a favorite song brings joy, which Natalie and I both felt as we sang together.
After my student and her mom left, I googled the ukulele chords for Blackbird, which is going straight into my 2021-2022 music curriculum. Thank you, Paul McCartney. And Natalie.
