All Pets Great And Small

Have you ever had a pet? Not necessarily a dog or a cat, though they are pretty wonderful. But any pet. Maybe you had a turtle or a parakeet. Or a guinea pig or hamster. How about an ant farm? A goldfish in a bowl? You might even have been lucky enough to live in a place where you could have a goat or a horse. Even if you didn't own any animals yourself, perhaps you had access to them, enough to recognize their value and connection to humans.

This year's all-school musical revue is about that connection. Admittedly, it comes from personal feelings about animal pets. Many of us here have animals that we live with and cherish. So it wasn't a stretch to write lovingly about them in song. We do understand that there are some who do not have or even like animals or who can't be near them for various reasons, like allergies. It's definitely a choice. But for our purposes here, we are focusing on those who do have them, or wish they could have them, or who simply appreciate them.

The song "All Pets Great And Small" is the opening song of the revue which shares its name. It's a lively and playful song set in sort of a Celtic style with a 6/8 meter. It lists a number of animals in the lyrics which might be pets. Some are common, others, more unusual. (Snakes, anyone?) Try to have your singers enunciate the names of the animals so they are clearly understood by your audience. Happily, the chorus of the tune (starting at bar 33) is more simple, and very singable. In fact, if it helps to perform the song with variable age groups, you could involve younger singers only at the choruses leaving the wordy animal names to the older kids. While we do include a part 2 which enters at the chorus the first time, it is optional, but it's a nice addition, especially for classes who enjoy a challenge. We have isolated a rehearsal track for part 2 to help with learning it. You will find it at our web site, free to subscribers.

You will also see that there are patsches (thigh slaps) indicated on the music as well. These are optional, too, but they are a lot of fun to do and add a physical element to your performance that kids might enjoy.

The Performance/Accompaniment recording for this song is quite delightful, if we may say so ourselves. It's a blend of a variety of acoustic instruments mostly, including penny whistle, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, drums, and piano, as well as a full orchestra to provide richness and depth. Be sure to turn it way up so your singers can hear it, and so they can stay with the beat while performing.