Paulette Meier
Come Join the Circle : LessonSongs for Peacemaking
© 2001 Paulette Meier (659696020320)
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Peace educator Paulette Meier collaborated with a diverse mix of musicians and performers to present this Parents' Choice award-winning collection of songs about conflict resolution, cooperation, and inclusion. Eclectic music and thoughtful lyrics.
tracks
- 1 Come Join the Circle
- 2 Listen!
- 3 TIME at the Peace Table
- 4 What Does Peace Mean?
- 5 Good Friends (Peer Mediation Song)
- 6 Cool Cooperation
- 7 Canned Peas Blues
- 8 Break 'em on Down
- 9 Clothes Don't Make the Person
- 10 Martin and Robby
- 11 The Strategy Wheel
- 12 Affirmations
- 13 Dealing with Feelings Rap (I-Message Song)
- 14 Come on Board!
- 15 Listen! Sing Along Track
- 16 TIME at the Peace Table Sing Along Track
- 17 Clothes Don't Make the Person- Sing Along Track
- 18 The Strategy Wheel- Sing Along Track
- 19 Affirmations- Sing Along Track
- 20 Dealing with Feelings Rap- Sing Along Track
- 21 Come on Board!- Sing Along Track
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Gets Kids Talking... and Singing!
The positive feedback on this CD seems to be universal! School aged kids ask for it again and again in classrooms and homes in all kinds of communities. Parents, teachers. and counselors recommend it as a musical way for children to express their feelings about everyday issues and to learn lifelong skills for building better relationships. The 14 songs feature engaging lyrics, contemporary sounds, and energetic vocals from a diverse group of musicians, including children and teens. From country to reggae, blues to hip-hop, the variety of musical styles entice children of all backgrounds and ages-as well as the adults listening in! The latest edition includes a bonus feature of 7 instrumental sing along tracks. A notated song book with guitar chords is also available directly from LessonSongs Music.
Peace educator Paulette Meier uses music as a way to build unity, explore differences, and teach skills and concepts in conflict resolution and social/emotional learning. Her songs grew out of her work with elementary and middle school age students in both rural Kentucky and urban Cincinnati areas, and they reflect common conflicts in all students' lives.
A strong believer in collaboration and inclusion, Meier brought in the voices of pre-teenagers and a wonderfully diverse mix of musicians. David Archer, a British musician living in the U.S., arranged most of the songs and provided vocal and guitar accompaniment. Atlanta hip-hop artist James Oglesby wrote and sang the lead on "Cool Cooperation," and jazz musician William Menefield sang the lead on "Martin and Robby." Come Join the Circle has won a Parents' Choice Approved Award, a Children's Music Web award, and was featured on the website, SongsforTeaching.com.
What People Are Saying...
"Excellent content, beautifully recorded, well sung and played. I love the variety of styles." -Peggy Seeger
"Come Join the Circle is absolutely exceptional. Every classroom across America should have it. The wisdom in it is priceless." --Naomi Drew, author of Hope and Healing: Peaceful Parenting in an Uncertain World; www.learningpeace.com
"The songs - melodic and catchy, but never preachy - just might inspire your children to work things out."
-- Parenting Magazine
"The excellent production, good songs that don't talk down to kids, live and lively instrumentation, and clear passion of the performers make this CD particularly entertaining and engaging to kids and families. And what's more, the kids might actually learn something useful to help them get along in life!" - John McCutcheon, musician and 5x Grammy award winner
"A delightful collection of songs aimed at teaching children about conflict resolution, cooperation, dealing with peer pressure and bullies...full of toe-tapping, hand-clapping tunes." -- Cincinnati Post
"It doesn't sound like a kids' CD, so your pre-teen won't be embarrassed to play it. Chances are it will get you dancing around the room as well!" -- review in Enough! -newsletter of The Center for a New American Dream
Song Descriptions and Run Times
* Come Join the Circle (2:14) This song's spiritual refrain is an irresistable call to everyone to join together to form an unbroken, powerful circle. A great way to gather people for singing and sharing. "In a circle, we're equal; no one is left out."
* Listen! (2:08) - One of the simplest parts of human communication is also often the hardest - good listening. This song, based on a Sufi chant, celebrates the satisfaction of receiving good attention when people take turns listening. The driving rhythms reinforce the compelling message of the refrain: "Listen! We all want to be heard."
* TIME at the Peace Table (3:10) - What do you do when someone spills pink juice all over your t-shirt? It can spark a fight - or a great discussion. T.I.M.E. turns out to be the magic word, spelling out some very helpful tactics for working through a conflict.
* What Does Peace Mean? (2:49) - Peace starts within each of us, as we go through our days "taking care of ourselves, each other and the earth."
* Good Friends (The Peer Mediation Song) (4:39) - A Celtic lilt influences this story-song about two seemingly opposite personalities who are assigned as 4th grade project partners. Their different styles lead to a blow up, and peer mediators jump to the rescue. The chorus "Who'd've ever thought that we could be good friends?" is a testimony to the "questions and good listening" of their skilled classmates.
* Cool Cooperation (3:48) - A cool urban beat makes the point here as Atlanta based hip-hop artist James Oglesby and some young friends sing together. "Cool cooperation/Let the rhythm move your feet/Because in the end you know we both win, so there's no need to compete!" Loaded with positive ideas, the contemporary sounds make this a sure-fire hit with cool kids!
* Canned Peas Blues (4:17) - You've tried rolling them on the floor, squishing them under your feet and sticking them under your seat - but it's hard not to get the blues from those boring old canned peas facing you on your plate. This song raises the question of how kids can win over a parent whose heels are dug in deep..."Oh, Mama, can't we please negotiate?"
* Break 'em on Down (2:03) - A gospel-style intergenerational choir joins Paulette Meier on this rousing bilingual Spanish-English chant originally written by Harmony Grisman. The arrangement of this piece invites participation as it breaks down the walls between people.
* Clothes Don't Make the Person (3:45) - Every school kid knows the agony of measuring up to the latest brand name clothing standards. In this poignant two-story song, an older sister imparts valuable wisdom as she affirms her younger sister's true assets. And a father raises a son's consciousness about the people making those hot new, high-priced basketball shoes in foreign lands, where the wages are so low "they can barely afford to eat."
* Martin and Robby (2:58) - David Kisor joined Paulette in writing this jazzy story-song about two boys who get into a fight, with one calling the other a "sissy." Martin and Robby discover that crying is not a bad thing when you're upset or sad. They don't have to just "stuff it" - "when we hurt, we'll cry and get over it."
* Strategy Wheel (2:58) -- A reggae style informs this conflict-resolution song about how to handle the situation when a friend betrays a confidence, or even when you suspect someone stole from you. The strategy wheel offers several non-violent options for dealing with big trouble.
* Affirmations (3:54) - Everybody needs to hear positive things about themselves. Simple recognition from friends and peers can make a day go right. Listeners can easily add their own good thoughts to the many real-life affirmations offered here.
* Dealing with Feelings Rap (I-Message Song) (4:14) - With some hip tracks as the backdrop, two young rappers offer ideas for how to get feelings out in constructive ways, e.g."Let yourself cry when you're feeling really sad, ask for some attention when you're down or mad." They advise listeners, "Don't bottle up those feelings and keep them inside where they can mess you up and eat you alive." The rap moves into an R & B sound, with young soloists demonstrating ways to communicate their feelings and work through problems in words, using a helpful formula called an "I-Message."
* Come On Board! (4:22) - Anyone from any walk of life is called to "Come on Board" the train bound for healing, compassion and justice in this inviting song of inclusion. A great way for kids to begin to explore differences in the world and even in their classrooms, with the concluding message: "We have lots of differences, but we've lots more in common.
reviews
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Come Join The Circle
author: Susan M.After hearing this artist on XM Kids, I found the CD on CD Baby. My seven year old loves it, and it's somthing my husband & I like to listen to as well. The lyrics affirm peacefulness, positive messages, and being yourself - which are things we all want our children to learn. The melodies are beautiful. I've also purchased the CD for my church's Nursery School and my daughter's former preschool. They love it too!
Great music, great teaching tool!
author: Winnie BoalThis CD is great music just for listening to and is a wonderful teaching tool for kids (adults?) as well! Besides my personal copy, my employer is buying one for our health education lending library as well. Love it!!
Best children's CD I know!
author: Heidi GreenPaulette Meier has captured a fun and invigorating way to teach children some important values. I've given it to a number of children I know, and always get a joy out of watching them dance and sing to this one, over and over! This is a must-have CD!!
This CD inspired a daily Peace Circle in my lst and 2nd grade classroom!
author: Kathy StratteI love these songs. For the past three years, we have started our day in my primary multiage classroom with a peace circle. We sing 1 or two songs from this CD (Come Join the Circle, followed by Listen or What Does Peace Mean? Then we pass a candle around the circle and each of us makes a peace wish. When we blow out our candle, our wishes become a part of our room. Thanks for the awesome inspiration.
Perfect for Montessori classrooms
author: Raechel CombsI am a 3-6 teacher in a Montessori classroom. Each of these songs is appropriate and well suited for our philosophy of teaching. The children love the songs.
My 3rd graders LOVE the song What Does Peace Mean!
author: Mary MacKayThe songs (and meanings) stay with you long after the singing is over. What a great CD! And this is my 30th year of bringing in my own guitar and singing with children!
Great songs to use with conflict resolution curriculum!
author: Ruth Ann HaussmannThese songs are very useful in the conflict resolution curriculum I teach in grades 1-5. As a school counselor, I am always looking for ways to reinforce the concept of peaceful conflict resolution. Come Join the Circle and Listen are especially effective!
Great resource for a counselor!
author: Mary Ann SweetThis is a wonderful resource for counselors to use either in classroom guidance or small groups. I can see many ways the songs can reinforce the skills being taught.
Great CD
author: SarahThis CD has a lot of powerful messages. I hope they come out with a new cd with just the rap and r&b. It is so motivational for my students.
Great for both children and parents.
author: Ron SauerCome Join the Circle addresses the problem of conflict resolution for children an a manner that both children and adults can enjoy. The messages are put to music genres to which children relate, and their parents, teachers, and other adults can appreciate and use. It is both a great teaching tool and fun just for the listening.
I think this cd should be heard by children and adults alike because it inspires
author: Patricia WadeThis cd is a must for all adults looking to bring some peace into the lives of children."Cool Cooperation" blew me and my grandchildren away! Thanks to everyone who had anything to do with this cd being released!
What a powerful peacemaking tool!
author: Lisa ReillyIf every child grew up listening to and learning these songs, the world would be a different place for sure.
Thrilled to have this resource!
author: Jeanne HalladayThese warm and wonderful songs make children want to move, think, smile and learn new ways to live. I'm thrilled to have this resource for my classroom!