Election Day

Yes, it's another Presidential election year in America! Although your elementary students aren't old enough to vote yet (some may be more excited about the idea of driving a car), it's a good idea to talk about some of the blessings of liberty we have in this country. This song does just that, not only encouraging those who are able to vote not to squander the opportunity, but also challenging them to "decide how it's gonna be."

This lively rock piece starts out with a sequenced synthesizer part and drum set keeping time and doing some hi-hat work. In the pick-up to bar 7, the rest of the band (guitar, bass, piano) join in and it's off to the races! Please note - the piano part has been simplified at times for the sake of clarity. Oftentimes it might feel necessary to embellish the piano part to add some drive to the piece, so a little ad lib can be a good thing here. Have fun with it!

If you've picked the P/A CD or cassette, you'll be able to hear the style and emulate its groove fairly easily if you're playing it live. For those of you relying on the accompaniment tracks, you'll have the added benefit of some smokin' guitar and bass work!

From the producer's chair...We recorded three passes of electric guitar for much of the piece, some of it power chords, some of it single line movement, embellishing, or soloing. The guitar solo after the second chorus was a "one take Charlie," which means our guitarist played it only once, and we liked it so well, we kept it! That's a rare occurrence, even with the most talented professional musician.

Speaking of the guitar solo, you may have noticed that it is 16 measures long. This fulfills several purposes: 1) we get to hear that great solo longer; 2) it's a good place to put a key change which will heighten the energy of the piece as well as prepare your students for that new key; and 3) it gives your students the opportunity to move around!

You can have a field day with movement in this piece. Of course, you could add some choreography (Ask your students to help come up with moves! They'll enjoy the input and really feel a part of the whole experience.) Another idea is to put on a faux election. You could dress up some students in work attire (suits, dresses - things that would help you believe they're actually old enough to vote) and have them "go to the voting place." Make costumes out of large corrugated boxes by cutting arm and head holes in them, and marking them "ballot box." Cut a thin slot in the front of your ballot box(es) and rig a way to catch your ballots inside, e.g. a plastic bag taped around the inside of the slot. Have your "voters" mark ballots and slip them into the ballot boxes, looking satisfied about exercising their right to vote. Have a couple of "attendants" sit at a folding table with a few stacks of computer paper on the table (presumably the lists of registered voters) handing out the ballots and pointing your voters to the ballot boxes. If you really want to personalize it, have a large cue card posted with your district and ward numbers on it!

One of the reasons I wrote this song is that, relaxing in my hotel room at one of our recording sessions last year, I remember seeing the results of a primary election on television. There were elections in every state, and I remember thinking "Man, is that everybody that voted? I see results in the tens of thousands for each state, and yet there are millions of people who are eligible to vote, or at least could be eligible if they registered." With that in mind, I put together a song I hope your students can learn from and enjoy. We adults who hear our children sing it can learn a thing or two as well, and hopefully, come November 5th, we'll seize the opportunity to steer a nation. - J.R.