Life As A Plant

by Dan Thieman

Here's a neat song about life from the perspective of a plant. With a relaxed jazzy swing style, catchy melody, and overall happy feeling, it's sure to be a fun one for kids to sing.

The style from your singers should be very casual – growin', not growing; comin', not coming; etc. It's okay for your singers to scoop into notes if they feel so inclined. There are some tricky chromatic spots in the melody, as well as a few syncopations. But after your kids listen to the audio a few times, they'll likely catch on pretty quickly. The melody is also strongly supported in the orchestration, which will be helpful.

There are some wonderful cross curricular elements present in the lyrics: photosynthesis, H2O, CO2, sunlight, oxygen, roots, dirt, and leaves. What a great way to work with the science teacher in your school! You could also collaborate with the art teacher to help create simple diagrams that represent the process of photosynthesis, or even brightly colored plant costumes for your kids to wear during performance.

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.