Be Nice Today

by Teresa Jennings

Can we ever be reminded of good manners too often? Especially when we see examples of rudeness and unkindness going on around us, it seems like it's more important than ever to reinforce these character traits. The easy unison melody and simple lyrics of this song will help you do just that. Set in a folk-style, it's short enough to use as a quick reminder, or to sing again if you need to.

Using a tune like this may not be a favorite of some of your older students, so we're always thinking of ways to get them involved in a way they enjoy. In this case, we kept the chords simple enough to be played by beginning guitar students. Technically, there are more than three chords, but using the ones we indicate (D, G, and A) will do the job nicely. We suggest letting them strum half notes, but they can certainly play more difficult rhythms as they are able. The four-string chord diagrams for the three chords mentioned are indicated right on the music above their first respective entrances. Students can refer back to them quickly as needed, which is especially easy with a one page part like this. (This is also why you won't find a lyric page for this song.) If you want, you could add or substitute autoharps for guitars.

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.