"Wagon Wheel" is a Country song that Mr. Rossi and Mr. Griffin sing with their 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. The story goes that Bob Dylan wrote the chorus and then forgot about it. Years later a young 17 year old named Ketch Secor, who played for a Country group called Old Crow Medicine Show, found the chorus, added his own verses, and recorded it with Old Crow Medicine Show. The song was released in 2004. In 2013, the song was re-recorded by a Country artist named Darius Rucker.
"Radioactive" is a semi-current song that the 5th and 6th Graders requested. It was written and recorded by Imagine Dragons. Mr. Rossi and Mr. Griffin explain to the kids that the song is a continuous 4 chord progression that never changes. Imagine Dragons creates some variety by changing the rhythm and the melody lines.
"Maybe Baby" is a song that was written by Buddy Holly. Buddy was from Lubbock, Texas. Buddy Holly and his band, the Crickets, were a huge influence on The Beatles. They loved that Buddy wrote his own songs, produced his own material, sang the lead vocal, and played the lead guitar. Think about it, Crickets/Beatles? Mr. Rossi and Mr. Griffin use this song to teach the kids harmony and lead vs. background vocals. Check out one of our student recordings? Buddy died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, along with the Big Bopper and Richie Valens. Buddy was 22, the Big Bopper was 28, and Richie was 17. The pilot was 25. They call it, "The Day the Music Died."
"Here Comes the Sun" is a Beatles song that was written by the quiet Beatle, George Harrison. George did not like the long England winters. The idea for the song came to George one day while he was sitting in Eric Clapton's garden playing his acoustic guitar. The song was released on the Abbey Road album in 1969. In this video, Mr. Rossi and Mr. Griffin play an arrangement of the song that they use with their 5th and 6th graders. The arrangement includes piano and acoustic guitar ...