Book Review: “I Love to Be Me: Songs in the Mood of the Fifth” by Channa Seidenberg
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By Julia Elliott, Boxford, Massachusetts
I love to be me.
My heart is like a shining star.
I bring love wherever I go.
This little gem of a book should be in the library of everyone who works with young children. With beautiful melodies in the mood of the fifth and words that paint pictures and give rhythm to daily life, there is a song for every season on these pages. And the watercolor illustrations by Kingsley Lou Little illuminate the text and make the book a delight to the eyes.
The composer, Channa Seidenberg, said of this book: “This collection of 32 songs in the ‘Mood of the Fifth’ has come about as a result of work with young children, their parents and teachers. Over a period of six years, I was fortunate in being able to engage boys and girls, between the ages of five and nine years old, in the playing of the seven-stringed lyre as accompaniment to the singing of these simple songs. These songs were created to suit the occasions of the seasons, and/or festival times, and the personal needs of the individual child.”
Whether accompanied by the lyre or sung by a solo voice, the tunes are very singable and memorable. Some of the texts are familiar (“Jack and Jill,” “Cobbler, Cobbler,” and “Little Goody Two Shoes”), some are from a seasonal collection of poems for young children (“Welcome Little Robin,” “Dancing on the Shore,” and “High in the Pine Tree”), and some were written by the composer herself (including “I Love to Be Me”). Each one is imbued with a sense of beauty and gentle reverence that will make them favorites in every household or classroom.
The songs in I Love to Be Me are a window into the musical soul of the immensely gifted composer and educator, Channa Seidenberg. Her love and tender understanding of children is in every song, and this collection is a treasure and a gift to those who discover it.
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