Put On Your Shoes

Boy, are we pleased with the way this song turned out! The day we recorded the rhythm section, everyone was in a fantastic mood and it really just seemed to click. We love it when sessions go that way. Our drummer, Dane Clark, was particularly inspired that day, and had some marvelous ideas for percussive texture to add to the piece, which you can hear on the Performance/Accompaniment recording.

You'll note that the style marking for the song is "Aerobically." With a title like "Put On Your Shoes," we hope that it is obvious that this is a movement song. While the melody and lyrics are fun to sing, they are also easy enough to remember so that your students can sing and move at the same time if you so desire.

At the beginning of the song, performers shout out the countdown from eight to one as if in an aerobics class. There is a drum set-up on the recording so your students will know when to begin.

While your students may wish to begin moving immediately, we have built in some specific sections for movement only, just in case. You could have more energetic activities at these points. At measure 25, for example, we have indicated that students can "march to the beat." If they do this, lifting their knees high will definitely provide them with an aerobic experience. However, you could also have them do other types of movement, such as dance steps or even common exercises. Jumping jacks, leg kicks, squat thrusts, etc., would be just fine, as long as they don't overdo it. (Remember that rule about checking with your doctor before beginning any exercise program? Be sure to be sensitive to students with special physical needs.)

If you want to truly make this a song for exercise, perhaps your gym teacher would like to get involved, too. Bring your recording into the gym class and suggest that students work together to create a choreographed movement for the whole song. Remember to keep movements more subdued during the singing sections.

On the recording, besides that cool rhythm section we mentioned earlier, you will hear a pretty hot wind ensemble playing tight and funky backgrounds for your performers. At measure 33, we let alto saxophonist Jim Farrelly and tenor saxophonist Greg Imboden trade four's, then two's, then one's, then finish off their frenetic improvisations together just before the D.S. (See if your students can follow along with the pattern from alto to tenor when listening.)

At the D.S., we have included an optional part 2 countermelody, which can be performed as a solo, if you like. It will also work well with a group, especially if you have some gutsy singers. The part can be followed exactly as is, or it can be interpreted freely, as our soloist, Katy Gentry, did on the recording. As always with our optional second parts, the song will work just fine without it.