“Someone Else’s Shoes”
Recess Music
With so much recent publicity on anti-bullying and harassment, I was so pleased to come across this Recess Music CD in the Best Foot Forward Series. “Someone Else’s Shoes”
As you move through the songs you’ll encounter a variety of themes, including anti-bullying, teamwork, differences and respect. The second track, Teamwork” speaks to being important; a song for emphasizing community and partnership with a great beat. For more good beats check out “Say Something Nice About Someone” surely a head-nodding kinda song and “There’s No Such Thing As Normal”. Nothing like dancing around to songs with such good meaning.
Personally, I enjoy the jazzy feel of the third song “You Hurt My Feelings” but more than that I appreciate the straight-forward approach to standing up for oneself. Along the same lines… “Please Stop Hurting My Feelings” lays it out there with focus on saying that even jokes hurt. From a message standpoint, my absolute favorite song is “Everyone Can See A Different Me” addressing the idea that people can change their ways. With so many conversations, news articles and policies addressing the victims and intolerable actions of bullies, this song sets the tone that one can change, apologize and become a better person. We just don’t hear enough of kids who’ve turned the corner and this is just as important a concept as prevention and reporting. I love this song – and will use it as a teaching point that everyone makes mistakes but those mistakes don’t have to be defining.
And for more perspective… check out “Be Nice To Old People” an adorable song reminding our young that older folks were once in there shoes. Kids don’t necessarily appreciate the older generation and certainly don’t think that they’ve shared experiences. This is a fun reminder. And lastly, let me mention my second favorite piece on this CD, “Just The Way You Are” an artistic song balanced with excellent vocals and simply pure message.
“Someone Else’s Shoes” belongs in every household with children. The CD hits the nail on the head in terms of understanding and appreciating differences and conveys this in a most entertaining manner. We toggle between listening in the car and listening in our playroom. Good tunes are a necessity for the car, but sometimes you just want to dance and I couldn’t think of a better message to bop around with and share. Amazon sells the CD for approx $10 or you can purchase individual songs. Click here