OUR SONGS FROM
Connecting the dots
A Hiyeni
COUNTRY: Mozambique
“A Hiyeni” welcomes us to class by reminding us that “we all are in the village.”
Agua de Beber
COUNTRY: Brazil
“Agua de Beber” is a groovy bossa nova song from the most beautiful beach in Brazil.
Ali Alo
COUNTRY: France
"Ali Alo” is a laborer's song from France.
Be Ganala
COUNTRY: Australia (Torres Straits)
“Ba Ganala” is an ancient song from the Australia's Torres Straits Islands. We sing it with hand motions and a drone.
Bambo du Bambo
COUNTRY: Brazil
“Bambo du Bambo” is a samba from Brazil. The original is an embolada, a fast-paced, often-improvised song style popular in northeastern Brazil in which vocalists challenge each other, competing lightly based on verbal and vocal ability.
Daweedem
COUNTRY: Afghanistan
“Daweedam” is a Dari chant from Afghanistan that tells the tale of a little boy who values his teacher so much he honors him by baking him a loaf of bread.
Dilmano Dilbero
COUNTRY: Bulgaria
“Dilmano Dilbero” is a playful pepper harvest song from Bulgaria.
Down by the Riverside
COUNTRY: U.S.
“Down By the Riverside” is the essential “Spiritual,” inspiring generations of world-changes to “study war no more.”
Hai Hoa
COUNTRY: Vietnam
“Hai Hoa” is a Vietnamese folk song that gives us the chance to celebrate the flower harvest.
I love my cow
COUNTRY: Iran
“I Love My Cow,” a Kurdish-language song from Iraq, is essentially a love song to a cow.
J'ai Passé
COUNTRY: U.S.
“J'ai Passé,” a Cajun Classic, is a sad song about lost love.
Layla
COUNTRY: Saudi Arabia
“Layla” is a Saudi Arabian love song that we sing while we're playing amazing imaginary instruments in our awesome Arabic orchestra.
Let’s Write a Song
COUNTRY: Laos
“Let's Write a Song” is a Laotian melody that inspires us to invent our own improvisational songs in the local style of Mor Lam.
Lu Core Meu
COUNTRY: Italy
“Lu Core Meu” is an exuberant, tambourine-shaking love song from southern Italy.
Ma Teodora
COUNTRY: Cuba
“Ma Teodora” is, legendarily, the first “son” song from Cuba, about a girl who goes out to collect firewood.
Nanu Nanu Ney
COUNTRY: Ethiopia
“Nanu Nanu Ney” is a phenomenally funky Ethiopian dance song from the 1980s. In class we use it as inspiration to enjoy the shoulder shaking dance, the Eskista.
Our Story may Be Sad
COUNTRY: Honduras (Garifuna)
“Our Story May Be Sad” is a drumming song from the Garifuna people of Honduras and Belize. The original tells a tale of woe, one that we will only endure if we laugh during its telling just as hard as we cry.
Sweetest Darling
COUNTRY: The Philippines
“Sweetest Darling” is a Filipino Independence-era “kundiman” that on the surface seems to be a song about love.
Ud Re Mora
COUNTRY: India
“Ud Re Mora” is a universal song about the peaceful feeling of waking up before dawn on the farm.
V’la l’bon Vent
COUNTRY: Canada
“V'la L'Bon Vent” is an Acadian fur trappers' tale from the dense forests of Canada's northeast.
Yar Yar
COUNTRY: Uzbekistan
“Yar Yar”is a song from Uzbekistan in which we mourn for the love of the past...as we dance!