UNSCHOOLING SONGS

[Jacob Seligmann]

I thought it might be nice to share songs that we've found helpful or inspiring or just fun in our unschooling path...

[Jacob Seligmann]

Here are a few links to that are songs I've written that have very unschooling themes, or themes of freedom etc... some are for the kids and some are for the parents and some are for both..

the fist that comes to mind is this song i wrote based on John Berryman's poem "The Ball Poem." It's something naomi and I have listened to a lot (she did a version which i'll also post below!). It is about a boy who loses his ball in the harbor... it seems to help naomi whenever we lose things or don't get what we want... instead of freaking out about it, we listen to this and it really helps... of course we talk about what it all means, and how loss is part of life and we also meditate and talk about ways to deal with these hard feelings... it's just a really good and fun springboard song...

http://jacobmusic.com/songsfolder/ballsong.html

here's the one of her doing it:
http://jacobmusic.com/demos/nomiball.mp3

all the other songs on my demo page, (http://www.jacobmusic.com/demos)
which are demos, so excuse the quality of some of it,
are about being free, letting go, being here now...
all themes i associate strongly with our path

i wonder if there are any songs you guys have used or gotten inspiration
from on the path of opening up to freedom and unschooling...

thanks,
jacob

[Ren]

There's always Pink Floyd's "The Wall"....the unschooling theme song of all time.
I love Amy Steinberg's "Exactly" and Danny Schmidt's "Company of Friends". Then there's the wonderful "You Learn " by Alanis Morrisette.

All good stuff. There are many more but that's off the top of my head. I'll have to go check your links out.

[Heather McCarty]

How about Shining Star- Earth, Wind and Fire, and Express Yourself- Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band?

[mom5X's]

Boy did I get in trouble for "The Wall", teacher didn't like that song! I guess she didn't see the rythmic poetry in it. I was in 6th grade and we were allowed to take records to school.

[Lisa]

Another Brick in the Wall always makes me smile when it comes on the radio.

[Amanda Gauthier-Parker]

I love "the One Who Knows" by Dar Williams, on "The Beauty of the Rain." It's from the parents' perspective, really beautiful, very unschooly.

http://www.amazon.com/The-One-Who-Knows/dp/B000TEAKVG/ref=sr_f2_1?i...

[Kim Zerbe]

Jimmy Buffett wrote a song about his then 4yr old daughter called "Delany Talks to Statues" that is really nice, it aptly captures the innocent life of a child and her free spirited dad. I don't think he knows about unschooling, but he's gotta be a fun dad to have! I found the lyrics here: http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/jimmy_buffett/delaney_talks_to_s...

He also wrote a song for his older daughter Savannah when she was about the same age called "Little Miss Magic," but I think it lacks the creativity he put into Delany's song years later!

http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/jimmy_buffett/little_miss_magic-...

[Bonnie]

David Bowie has a song called "Kooks" that is very sweet. I love it because even for a new baby to join the family is phrased as a choice ("Will you stay in our lover's story?"), and it says "if you ever have to go to school" and "we'll throw the homework on the fire" *grin* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=339ixMtHrVk

"They" by Jem is all about the little unnecessary rules in society and how silly they are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSLvcJ4I1mw

"Change of Habit" by Elvis Presley is a GREAT song for deschooling, I remember one time as a kid I played it for a friend who I thought had a bad attitude! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJhrQ6rXB1A

"People Got to Be Free" by the Young Rascals is good too, although some of the lyrics are odd ("I'll do unto you as you do unto me" sounds like retaliation more than peace), but singing the chorus definitely feels good! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjX_dV8Qk_M

And because this post is making me sound about 30 years older than I really am, I'll throw in this one from when I was little: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is3rxDzUmUE

[Frank Maier]

Felix changed the words. That phrase is NOT in the original version of "People Got to Be Free."

[Bonnie]

It's in the version I have, by the Young Rascals, was there another one before that?

[Elisabeth]

Liv and Lex always ask me to crank-up Sly and The Family Stones' "Thank -you for Letting Me Be Myself" !

[Frank Maier]

My mistake. You're right, That phrase sounded wrong in my memory of the song but when I looked at the lyrics, there it was.