Ode To A Marshmallow

by John Riggio

This song is indeed based on a true story. We won't mention any names so as to protect the innocent, but let's just say a certain nephew of ours had an experience last summer while roasting marshmallows. One marshmallow in particular looked like it had been hanging out near Mount Krakatoa. Kind of like a gooey charcoal briquette.

The melody of this little ditty is very repetitious - once your kids learn it, they pretty much have it. One thing that may prove a challenge is the song's road map. We've got repeats, and three endings for the verses beginning at measure 5, and three endings for the verses beginning at measure 18. Once you talk them through it, it should make sense. Most will learn this by rote anyway, which is standard fare for campfire songs. A bass trombone plays the guide melody for that extra sense of security and goofiness rolled into one.

As with so many of our songs, we've incorporated silly sound effects that may cause uncontrollable giggling. Perhaps going over it with the accompaniment tracks a few times before a live performance would be a good idea.

We've also included a couple of spoken solo lines in our recording to aid in the telling of our story. These are optional, but if you wish to use them, you will find them on the lyric sheet on page 37.

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.