Moms Are Kinda Great

by Teresa Jennings

Looking for just the right song for your Mother's Day celebration? Perhaps something with an "awww" factor? Well, here you go. (You're welcome.) Written with enough simplicity to be performed by singers of most ages, including the young ones, this song has a very sweet message for all the moms in your audience: They're kinda great.

While we indicate a light swing style for the piece, we also suggest a bit of a "Brady Bunch" vibe. That is, sort of retro, but adorably corny, leaning on the use of the staccato/legato quarter note bounce. (You can almost see their head-bopping dance moves, can't you?) Of course, you don't have to play up the style, unless it suits your purposes. But if you do, some circa late '60s/early '70s clothes would be a perfect costume addition to your presentation.

You will see that we have suggested you use a couple of soloists on the D.S. This is optional, but once you hear our version on the Performance/Accompaniment recording, you may feel compelled to include it as well. (Did we mention the "awww" factor?) Our two young soloists were Dawson Allen and Lynix Shuman. The idea is that the whole group sings, "We think...," then the soloists fill in the rest of the idea. You can use two soloists as we did, or one for all solos, or even one per phrase, which would be six. Whatever works.

Be sure to help singers make the transition to the coda after bar 26 the second time. It's different than before, so they'll need to catch on quick that that's where they are. The "la la's" are sung along with the flute/flugelhorn motif, which should be familiar by the ending. But the words "awesome," "celebrate," and "wonderful" are tucked into the "la's," so tell them they need to pay attention!

As with most of our Mother's Day works, this could also be altered enough to use as a Father's Day song. Just change the moms to dads throughout. It's that easy.

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.