My Shadow

Every year, when we're writing the music for February, we're faced with the same dilemma: what, if anything, should we do for Groundhog Day? We have a ditty or two already out there and available for use in the classroom which we think are pretty nifty. (Want to know what they are? Check your Music K-8 Index or call our customer service department.) It seems that those furry little guys are favorite topics for elementary students, especially the youngest ones, and the songs we've already written are quite popular. This year, we decided not to feature the groundhog himself, but rather to point the spotlight (so to speak) on the real focus of February 2 - the shadow! The beauty of this approach is that it can be used for Groundhog Day celebrations, but it doesn't say a thing about groundhogs or the day in particular, so you could use it anytime.

The melody is very easy, singable and cute. Even your younger singers shouldn't have any difficulty learning to sing it, especially if you let them learn it by singing along with the Performance/Accompaniment CD or cassette.

We recommend using the recording with this song because we've added a tasty big band accompaniment which really makes it fun. The sand blocks and muted brass during the shadow dance section are particularly delightful and will help your dancers get into the spirit of the song.

Movement is a natural during this section, but you could have it continue on to the end, if you like. Here are a couple of suggestions for movement:

Have one character stand behind and slightly to the side of another character. (You could do this with more than one set of dancers.)

• measure 1: front character steps to the left on beats one and three
• measure 2: back character steps to the left on beats one and three
• measure 3: front character steps to the right on beats one and three
• measure 4: back character steps to the right on beats one and three
• measure 5: both characters take three steps on three beats to the left and kick on beat four
• measure 6: both characters take three steps on three beats to the right and kick on beat four
• measure 7: both characters spread their arms out palms down on beat one, lean to the left on beat three, arms still out
• measure 8: both characters lean to the right on beat one, arms still out, and then stand tall and flip hands over so they're palms up on beat three

For added drama, you could have your character in the back dress all in black. Or, if you're using the song for Groundhog Day, costume both (or all) characters accordingly.

Another idea would be to use a sheet with a light behind it for any character or characters to dance behind. This would also work in miniature with hand shadows or puppets. You get the idea.