About the songs… (song descriptions with suggested grade levels)
Ally (5-12)
Being an Ally means standing with someone, especially someone who is being targeted by bias or bullying. It doesn't mean you have to be that person's best friend, or even like them. But you stand with them because you stand for fairness and against bias and bullying. Have you got the courage? This song asks straight kids to be Allies to LGBT kids.
Bein' Brave (4-12)
"Telling" to get someone in trouble or make them look bad is snitching: it's mean-spirited. But "speaking out" to keep someone safe and out of trouble is Bein' Brave. What's the difference? Intent! What's your intention? Step up to the plate!
Compasión (5-12)
It takes courage to speak out for others. But it also takes compassion (in Spanish, compasión). Imagine what it feel like to stand in another person's shoes? "Do you feel me?" Others feel pain just like we do. We all suffer when we're treated unfairly or cruelly. So let's be part of the solution. This song is in English and Spanish
Cyber Sniper (4-12)
The internet is an amazing tool for connecting to old friends and new. But "have the courage" not to use it as a weapon to hurt others, and the wisdom to use to wisely and keep yourself safe. A "Cyber Sniper" -- a cyber bully -- deals in cowardly fare / Talkin’ trash, talkin’ mean / While you hide behind a screen somewhere / It’s a Mean Girls kind of game / Taking pleasure in my pain / Have the courage not to play"
Do the Right Thing (K-12)
It takes "moral courage" to do the right thing--especially when no one else is doing the right thing. But we can't sit back and be silent bystanders, waiting for others to take the lead. We're faced with tough choices all our lives, from childhood through adulthood. So don't wait: Listen: "I hear a voice inside me sing, 'Do the right thing...'"
Don't Take the Bait (K-5)
When someone is "fishing for a fight," sometimes the best thing to do is to walk away. Maybe they're hungry for attention, or angry about something that has nothing to do with you. So don't feed their need for negative attention. Don't get "hooked on somebody else's line: Don't take the bait!"
Every One of Us (K-12)
We're most aware of "dis-abilities" that we can see or hear, in how someone moves or speaks. But we're all differently-abled. We all have challenges in different parts of our lives, whether they're visible to everyone or just to ourselves. So let's show extra compassion for those who have to work a little harder every day. Every one of is deserving of respect. And every one of us is special.
I Can Be (K-4)
We each have so much potential! "I can be all that I want to be / If I put my mind to it, I can do it." But bias and bullying can dampen our spirits: "I can get tangled in a web / By an unkind thing that was said / Then there's just one thing I can do / Just tell myself It isn't true!" "You have got a special way you don't see everyday!" Let's celebrate each and every one of us!
I'll Speak Out (K-4)
"I'll speak out if someone tries to hurt you / I'll speak out if someone is unkind / I'll speak out, I will not desert you / You can count on me! / I'll speak out for you!" Young children have a strong sense of fairness. If they learn to speak out now, they'll grow up to be Allies, not Silent Bystanders!
Live Out Loud (7-12)
Believe in yourself, be proud to be exactly who you are, and never give up! As Émile Zola wrote, "If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you, I came to live out loud!" Bias and bullying unchecked can crush our spirits, make us question our belief in ourselves, our worth, and how we each impact the world and all the people around us. This is my It Gets Better song: No matter how bad you are feeling about your life at this moment, there is at least one Ally out there who will help you hang in there. Pick up the phone and make that call - don't go it alone and never give up on yourself!
Mountain of Shoes (7-12)
Bias and bullying unchecked moves along the spectrum of hate to the other extreme: genocide. During the Holocaust, the Nazis kept all the personal belongings of their victims, including millions of pairs of shoes. A survivor of the death camp in Majdanek, Poland wrote a poem called "The Mountain of Shoes," in which he envisioned these mountains of shoes rising up and marching... This poem and an exhibit of a "mountain of shoes in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum inspired this song. If there's ever any danger, we always tell our children to come home, where they will be safe. What would it have been like to be a child--targeted for being Jewish,Sinti or Roma (Gypsies), Jehovahs Witnesses, or disabled--whose life was in danger because of prejudice, and couldn't be kept safe, even by his or her own parents?
No (8-12)
Like bullying, unhealthy dating, sexual assault, and date rape involve major power imbalances. Teens need to know the facts and speak out for themselves and each other: no silent bystanders or collaborator/accomplices. No means No: “No matter if you paid, if you pleaded, if you thought that it was well understood, she would finally come through / No matter how you feel, ticked off, led on, ripped off / There’s nothing that s/he owes to you.”
Please Get to Know Me (K-4)
"I cannot be judged by the color of eyes, the color of my skin, the clothes I like to wear, or whatever group I'm in / So please get to know me, before you decide what I'm like inside." "Prejudice doesn't let us find treasures in all humankind / Prejudice makes it hard to see how we're different and the same." Very young children have a strong sense of fairness. This song was written in the first person to underscore that sense: They would never want to be pre-judged and treated unfairly. They understand that no one else should be treated unfairly either.
Prejudice Is the Enemy (7-12)
Stereotypes fool us into believing that all people in any particular group are all the same. We know that all women are not alike, nor are all Muslims, Jews, African-Americans, Latinos, Caucasians, north Americans, immigrants, straight people, LGBT people, etc. But stereotypes are also used as a tool to turn different groups against each other: scapegoating. It's easiest to blame someone outside our own group - "the other" - for society's problems, and to label some group, other than our own, as The Enemy. But I believe no group is The Enemy: Prejudice Is the Enemy.
Song for All Sizes (K-4)
This is a song for all sizes, colors, shapes, faiths, languages and cultures, celebrating our nation of immigrants and "every man and woman and child and all the animals of the earth." "We're a spinning globe of colors and creeds / and people of every kind / If we look past all our differences / We all have peace in mind."
Speak Out for Me (7-12)
"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak out..." "Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me." I have put to music this unforgettable quote about the Bystander by the Reverend Martin Niemoller. I have added verses naming other groups that were also persecuted by the Nazis, in addition to those he named. We need to remember those as well, including homosexuals, disabled children, Sinti and Roma (Gypsies), and Polish priests. We need to speak out for ourselves and for others, especially those who are targeted and need our voices most.
Think Before You Speak (4-12)
We each have unique identities, each deserving of respect. How would we feel if our own identities were used as generic-putdowns or insults? When we use aspects of other identities and personal characteristics that way it's dehumanizing and hurtful. Language matters. If something is "stupid" or "not cool," we should call it just that. Term's like "That's so gay!" and "That's retarded" need to be erased from our vocabularies. They support the bias and bullying that creates a hostile school environment for all students.
Words and Hands (K-5)
We can disagree with grace, using words--not hands. And others might see our (different) perspective if we "stick to the subject" rather than resorting to name-calling or hitting to "win" an argument. "Hands are for making music / Hands are for writing words / Hands are for helping people / Hands are not meant to hurt." This song in 7/4 time is written in an Afro-beat style. It is very lively and calls for a fun and different hand-clapping pattern!
Ally (5-12)
Being an Ally means standing with someone, especially someone who is being targeted by bias or bullying. It doesn't mean you have to be that person's best friend, or even like them. But you stand with them because you stand for fairness and against bias and bullying. Have you got the courage? This song asks straight kids to be Allies to LGBT kids.
Bein' Brave (4-12)
"Telling" to get someone in trouble or make them look bad is snitching: it's mean-spirited. But "speaking out" to keep someone safe and out of trouble is Bein' Brave. What's the difference? Intent! What's your intention? Step up to the plate!
Compasión (5-12)
It takes courage to speak out for others. But it also takes compassion (in Spanish, compasión). Imagine what it feel like to stand in another person's shoes? "Do you feel me?" Others feel pain just like we do. We all suffer when we're treated unfairly or cruelly. So let's be part of the solution. This song is in English and Spanish
Cyber Sniper (4-12)
The internet is an amazing tool for connecting to old friends and new. But "have the courage" not to use it as a weapon to hurt others, and the wisdom to use to wisely and keep yourself safe. A "Cyber Sniper" -- a cyber bully -- deals in cowardly fare / Talkin’ trash, talkin’ mean / While you hide behind a screen somewhere / It’s a Mean Girls kind of game / Taking pleasure in my pain / Have the courage not to play"
Do the Right Thing (K-12)
It takes "moral courage" to do the right thing--especially when no one else is doing the right thing. But we can't sit back and be silent bystanders, waiting for others to take the lead. We're faced with tough choices all our lives, from childhood through adulthood. So don't wait: Listen: "I hear a voice inside me sing, 'Do the right thing...'"
Don't Take the Bait (K-5)
When someone is "fishing for a fight," sometimes the best thing to do is to walk away. Maybe they're hungry for attention, or angry about something that has nothing to do with you. So don't feed their need for negative attention. Don't get "hooked on somebody else's line: Don't take the bait!"
Every One of Us (K-12)
We're most aware of "dis-abilities" that we can see or hear, in how someone moves or speaks. But we're all differently-abled. We all have challenges in different parts of our lives, whether they're visible to everyone or just to ourselves. So let's show extra compassion for those who have to work a little harder every day. Every one of is deserving of respect. And every one of us is special.
I Can Be (K-4)
We each have so much potential! "I can be all that I want to be / If I put my mind to it, I can do it." But bias and bullying can dampen our spirits: "I can get tangled in a web / By an unkind thing that was said / Then there's just one thing I can do / Just tell myself It isn't true!" "You have got a special way you don't see everyday!" Let's celebrate each and every one of us!
I'll Speak Out (K-4)
"I'll speak out if someone tries to hurt you / I'll speak out if someone is unkind / I'll speak out, I will not desert you / You can count on me! / I'll speak out for you!" Young children have a strong sense of fairness. If they learn to speak out now, they'll grow up to be Allies, not Silent Bystanders!
Live Out Loud (7-12)
Believe in yourself, be proud to be exactly who you are, and never give up! As Émile Zola wrote, "If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you, I came to live out loud!" Bias and bullying unchecked can crush our spirits, make us question our belief in ourselves, our worth, and how we each impact the world and all the people around us. This is my It Gets Better song: No matter how bad you are feeling about your life at this moment, there is at least one Ally out there who will help you hang in there. Pick up the phone and make that call - don't go it alone and never give up on yourself!
Mountain of Shoes (7-12)
Bias and bullying unchecked moves along the spectrum of hate to the other extreme: genocide. During the Holocaust, the Nazis kept all the personal belongings of their victims, including millions of pairs of shoes. A survivor of the death camp in Majdanek, Poland wrote a poem called "The Mountain of Shoes," in which he envisioned these mountains of shoes rising up and marching... This poem and an exhibit of a "mountain of shoes in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum inspired this song. If there's ever any danger, we always tell our children to come home, where they will be safe. What would it have been like to be a child--targeted for being Jewish,Sinti or Roma (Gypsies), Jehovahs Witnesses, or disabled--whose life was in danger because of prejudice, and couldn't be kept safe, even by his or her own parents?
No (8-12)
Like bullying, unhealthy dating, sexual assault, and date rape involve major power imbalances. Teens need to know the facts and speak out for themselves and each other: no silent bystanders or collaborator/accomplices. No means No: “No matter if you paid, if you pleaded, if you thought that it was well understood, she would finally come through / No matter how you feel, ticked off, led on, ripped off / There’s nothing that s/he owes to you.”
Please Get to Know Me (K-4)
"I cannot be judged by the color of eyes, the color of my skin, the clothes I like to wear, or whatever group I'm in / So please get to know me, before you decide what I'm like inside." "Prejudice doesn't let us find treasures in all humankind / Prejudice makes it hard to see how we're different and the same." Very young children have a strong sense of fairness. This song was written in the first person to underscore that sense: They would never want to be pre-judged and treated unfairly. They understand that no one else should be treated unfairly either.
Prejudice Is the Enemy (7-12)
Stereotypes fool us into believing that all people in any particular group are all the same. We know that all women are not alike, nor are all Muslims, Jews, African-Americans, Latinos, Caucasians, north Americans, immigrants, straight people, LGBT people, etc. But stereotypes are also used as a tool to turn different groups against each other: scapegoating. It's easiest to blame someone outside our own group - "the other" - for society's problems, and to label some group, other than our own, as The Enemy. But I believe no group is The Enemy: Prejudice Is the Enemy.
Song for All Sizes (K-4)
This is a song for all sizes, colors, shapes, faiths, languages and cultures, celebrating our nation of immigrants and "every man and woman and child and all the animals of the earth." "We're a spinning globe of colors and creeds / and people of every kind / If we look past all our differences / We all have peace in mind."
Speak Out for Me (7-12)
"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak out..." "Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me." I have put to music this unforgettable quote about the Bystander by the Reverend Martin Niemoller. I have added verses naming other groups that were also persecuted by the Nazis, in addition to those he named. We need to remember those as well, including homosexuals, disabled children, Sinti and Roma (Gypsies), and Polish priests. We need to speak out for ourselves and for others, especially those who are targeted and need our voices most.
Think Before You Speak (4-12)
We each have unique identities, each deserving of respect. How would we feel if our own identities were used as generic-putdowns or insults? When we use aspects of other identities and personal characteristics that way it's dehumanizing and hurtful. Language matters. If something is "stupid" or "not cool," we should call it just that. Term's like "That's so gay!" and "That's retarded" need to be erased from our vocabularies. They support the bias and bullying that creates a hostile school environment for all students.
Words and Hands (K-5)
We can disagree with grace, using words--not hands. And others might see our (different) perspective if we "stick to the subject" rather than resorting to name-calling or hitting to "win" an argument. "Hands are for making music / Hands are for writing words / Hands are for helping people / Hands are not meant to hurt." This song in 7/4 time is written in an Afro-beat style. It is very lively and calls for a fun and different hand-clapping pattern!