We've Got Rhythm

Ella Fitzgerald

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Another cute song, brought to you by the Taj Majals at B-SAFE 2014! De Colores celebrates the beauty of colors in springtime: the colors worn by the countryside, the beautiful little birds outside, and the shining rainbow, all of which we love very much! Nobody seemed to mind to sing about springtime, even in the muggy mid-July summer heat here in Boston.

De Colores is known today as one of the most famous song in the worldwide Spanish-speaking folk song canon. The lyrics and melody have interesting origins that remain somewhat mysterious, as is certainly typical of most folk songs. The melody is thought to have originated in Spain and been brought over to the Americas in the 16th century during colonization. Different fragments of verses that are still sung today have sprung up throughout the last 200 years. The song has also served as a peace protest song, has been adopted by many religions and spiritual groups to celebrate the diversity of creation, and is considered the unofficial anthem of the Farm Worker Movement. 

For a handful of our young people, this song is an old favorite - for most of the others, this song marked their first time learning a song in a different language. Of course, not all of our little rockstars speak Spanish, so I expected it to be a big challenge for all of our groups to learn this song and memorize the words. However, many youngsters practiced some stellar teamwork skills to help the others learn the lyrics and the melody, and to support each other as they learned. I was so glad to capture one of our B-SAFE groups, the Taj Mahals, singing this song after only practicing it for two lessons! Very proud.

Best wishes,

. Here's a smash hit from the Gandhis group at St. Augustine and St. Martin's - I've Got Rhythm, by the Gershwin Brothers! We loved singing this song, and hearing different versions of this song, too - from Jazz Standard stylings to Pop, Folk, and Rock renditions. I love showing the children how many ways one simple song can be interpreted so that can practice singing creatively in different styles.

These guys love to make pictures to help them memorize lyrics of words. It turns each song we sing into a special code, which is definitely more fun - and the helper notes make performance a breeze!

Our young people also made up their own special versions of what they love and are thankful for. Here they are, with their group names:

I got family and friends, I've got books and science, I've got the Taj Mahals...

I got love and hope, I got peace and joy, I got the Cherry Blossoms...

I got fanciness, I got love and power, I got the Gandhis...

I got passion, I got Fernando [their Lead Counselor!], I got the Little Buddhas...

Who could ask for anything more?! 

To see the lesson plan I created for this song, click here.

Teacher's Notes:

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Renee's Muppet-filled variation on Caro Nome is one of our favorites during our lessons. So, in our study of Verdi’s opera Rigoletto (can you believe it – opera with elementary school students!), we’ve been making up new verses to the aria Caro Nome, just like Renee and her puppet friends, about our days at B-SAFE summer program. Each group has invented a mini-libretto for their version of the song, with lyrics that are just adorable! I’m so proud of them.

I’ll leave you with a few of their verses… Can’t wait to share more with you soon!

Caro B-SAFE we love you, every program day is fun. Summer 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5, Summer 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1!

First we read a book in Word, Then we pull up weeds in Greenstone. Rotations 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5, Rotations 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1!

Next we’re feeling kind of hungry, chicken nuggets on our minds! Lunch 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5, Lunch 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1!