Image via Wikipedia
Work or live with older adults? Are you are a music therapist, a caregiver, or a volunteer wanting a few songs for Ground Hog Day? Try a few shadow songs like these:
- Shadow of Your Smile
- Me and My Shadow
- Love Walked In
- On the Sunny Side of the Street (lyrics speak of sun and shade)
- We Three
(We played name that tune with these.) Several people in my group started spontaneously sharing Robert Lewis Stevenson’s “My Shadow“. If you are wanting to get thoughts more focused on Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where the action happened, why not use “The Pennsylvania Polka” for some music to get people moving. I strongly recommend checking out the official site for Punxsutawney Phil There are tons of facts. Be sure and check out the teacher pages where partner songs, the legend, and fun ideas abound.
In my groups I am using the Scottish couplet as the rhythm pattern for a drumming portion.
“If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.”
After you have “grooved” to this pattern for a while, change to “In the winter of life”. Drum/speak the pattern 3 to 5 times then have someone state a fact, observation or emotion about that period. This elicited a few laughs in out group.
What songs would you add? Place them in the comments below!
Aha! Shadow songs are a great idea for Groundhog Day! You come up with such clever ideas, JoAnn. Thanks for sharing these!
You are welcome, Rachelle!
I will try to find the music “Shadow of Your Smile” Its sounds great when i see it! By the way who is written and singer of these kind?
“The Shadow of Your Smile” was composed by Johnny Mandel and lyrics are by Paul Webster. Many people have recorded this and the other songs. They are recorded by a variety of people. You can start with a search on YouTube, iTunes, or Spotify to find the singer and style you like most. Hope that assists you, Joanne.