Be Prepared

John had originally thought to write a song for Get Ready Day (the third Tuesday in September), and this song certainly works for that. But we'd like to point out that emergency preparedness is a topic that's relevant all the time. In this song we list seven basic human needs: air, water, food, shelter, sleep, clothing, safety. Depending on who you listen to, there may be more or less basic needs, but for our purposes these seven will suffice.

Hopefully your school is already addressing important topics like what to do if there's a fire, tornado, flood, etc. Being prepared is the best way to deal with these circumstances. Be armed with the knowledge of what to do and where to go. Have emergency provisions on hand. Of course, this song is not exhaustive in terms of crisis level events that may occur, like a pandemic illness or a landslide, for example. Be sure to talk to students about natural disasters that are more common to where you live.

"Be Prepared" is a driving rock song, and our studio musicians did a great job with it! Kudos to Sandy Williams who plays the electric guitar solo over the repeat. There are some optional divisi lines for your singers, and at measure 35, if only one line is sung, it should be the top line (all C's). In contrast, at measure 63, if only one line is sung, it should be the bottom notes. Audio for part 2 and for the divisi part is available as rehearsal extras on our web site. This song would be great at any event that deals with safety or emergency preparedness.