The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

This was a song I learned from my dad. It's about a large ship which carried iron ore that was wrecked in Lake Superior. Gordon Lightfoot was so moved by the accident, that he wrote this song in 1975 as a tribute. Here he is performing it in 1979.

Halloween Performances

Here are some performances we've been doing in music class during the Halloween season. The first is Ms. Park's fifth graders performing "Skin and Bones." The second is a reenactment of Erica Silverman's book Big Pumpkin performed by Ms. Fucci's first graders. If you're in either of these two classes, please ask me for the password to unlock the movie.

Octopus's Garden

This was one of Ringo Starr's few, and some say best, compositions for The Beatles. In this clip, he's working out the details with George Harrison.

Beat It

This week, we begin commemorating the musical legacy of Michael Jackson who died this past summer. The song "Beat It" is from his second solo record, "Thriller," from 1982. Some of our students will be performing this in class using keyboards and drums.

Three Little Birds

Three Little Birds is an example of reggae music from Jamaica. This song was written by one of Jamaica's most famous musicians, Bob Marley. Here, it is being sung by his son Ziggy and Sean Paul for the movie Shark Tale.

Day-O, The Banana Boat Song

Day-O is an example of calypso music from Jamaica. Here, singer Harry Belafonte with some help from the muppets, sings for you.

Paul Simon in Zimbabwe, 1987

We'll be talking this week with grades 4 and 5 about a great American songwriter, Paul Simon. In 1987, Simon travelled to South Africa and performed with Joseph Shabalala and his choir, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. We'll be studying this song, Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes, in class.

Pictures at an Exhibition

This week in music, we're hearing, seeing, and discussing the instruments of a classical orchestra. Let's see how many instruments we can identify in Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

If I Had a Hammer

Here's Pete Seeger, Tao Rodriguez (Pete's grandson), and Arlo Guthrie (Woody Guthrie's son) singing Seeger's famous labor song.

Let it Be - Mr. Gould's Class

Here's Mr. Gould's 4th graders performing Paul McCartney's "Let it Be" in music class.

Let it Be

This is the title track to The Beatles last record. This film was made along with the album. Click here for the lyrics.

Cielito Lindo

Our fifth graders are working on this Mariachi song from Mexico for our "World Tour" assembly on May 5th. Click here for the lyrics and below to listen to the song.

Aretha Franklin - Don't Play that Song for me

Aretha Franklin at President Obama's Inauguration

Stevie Wonder with Grover on Sesame Street

Stevie Wonder - Superstition on Sesame Street

Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

Jimi Hendrix - Burning Guitar

Jimi Hendrix ignited and burned his guitar in Monterey.

Scarborough Fair

This English folk song is being performed on our Spring '09 concert.

Foolish Frog

We learned this song by Pete Seeger in class. Now, enjoy a short animated movie that brings the song and story to life.

Jingo

Jingo was one of Carlos Santana's breakthrough songs and mixes ideas from all different kinds of music. Our 4th graders are performing this on our "World Tour, Mexico" assembly.

Jimi Hendrix

Here's "The Wind Cries Mary" performed on a Sweedish TV show in the 1960's. This song can also be found on Guitar Hero. Sing along with the song lyrics.

Stevie Wonder with Ray Charles

Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles are performing Living For the City. Sing along with the lyrics.

Dizzy Gillespie with Arturo Sandoval

Dizzy Gillespie often traveled to other countries to study different types of music. He loved music from Cuba. In this movie, Dizzy has a "trumpet faceoff" with one of his Cuban students, Arturo Sandoval.

Ella Fitzgerald - Scat-Singing

Ella was an excellent singer. She became famous for her scat-singing ability. In this Brazilian-style jazz piece, "One Note Samba," Ella shows off her scat-singing.

Thelonius Monk rehearsing his band.

In this short film, Thelonius Monk is teaching his band how to play "Boo Boo's Birthday." Boo Boo was the nickname Thelonius used for his son, TS Monk.