OBWISANA
This chant from Ghana, Africa is part of a tradition of rock passing singing games popular in the region. "Obwisana" comes from the singing of Gustav Oware Twerifoo.

Over the years, I have learned several game chants and songs from Bonnie Lockhart, an exceptional teaching artist and musician who specializes in musical folk games and movement songs from around the world.

To contact Bonnie, e-mail or write her at: bonnielockhart@mindspring.com or 1032 Winsor Ave, Oakland, CA 94610.

ME STONE IS ME STONE!
Another traditional stone passing game from Tobago.

ROCKY DAUGHTER
In 1996, I was a resident artist at A. L. Johnson Elementary School in Marengo County through a grant from the AL State Arts Council. Two third graders (Ashley Richerson and Adrienne Lucy) taught me this clapping game, which they had learned from the movie, The Color Purple.

I have taken the liberty of "zipping in" a few additional words and phrases.

MASHED POTATOES
I wrote this piece while remembering the many wonderful times my twelve cousins and I had eating Sunday supper at my grandmother's house.

Pretend you are making mashed potatoes the old fashioned way- and move your body to mimic the lyrics. I generally use three props: an old flowered apron, big wooden spoon, and some granny glasses. Then I assume the character of my own grandmother. Begin as a rap rhythm-- by slapping your knees twice with both hands and then clapping once. Repeat. So--Slap Slap Clap rest; slap slap clap rest... Begin speaking the chant on the first slap or the downbeat.

VAN-LA
Traditional game chant recorded from a group of children in Massacre, Dominica.

In this Caribbean chant, the children of Dominica sing about the winds of two neighboring villages called Layou and St. Joseph, while trying to "break the wind up" or conquer it. With their hands and fingers, they try to "poke it full of holes," and while chanting the words, they buffet it faster and faster with their fists.

PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION:
Van-la vantay, Oh vahn
Van-Layou-la, Oh vahn
Van-La Sin Joe, O vahn
Noo kaiy pea-chay
Noo kaiy pea-chay, Oh Vahn!

TRANSLATION: Wind is blowing, Oh wind
Out of Layou, Oh Wind
Out of Saint Joe, Oh Wind
We're going to stick; we're going to stick, Oh wind

FUNGA A LA FEEYA
I have been an artist with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning in the Arts (Vienna, Virginia) for many years. My initial experience with chants came nine years ago, during a national Wolf Trap conference for artists. Movement artist John Taylor helped welcome all 250 artists by singing and dancing to this particular chant.

The Wolf Trap Institute provided artists, training and resources to many early childhood educators, Head Start Centers and pre-schools throughout the world. I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained through my involvement with the Wolf Trap Institute. I adapted four of the chants on this album from chants originally recorded by the Wolf Trap Institute.

This is a traditional welcome chant from Ghana, West Africa. It is a good circle time activity or transitional-- to greet children, welcome, recognize someone's birthday or special event, or praise them.

Try playing with pitch and tempo and encourage each child to come up with his or her own movement.

WAVE HILOW!
I wrote this piece as an "energizer" or "warm-up" chant. It is best done standing up in 4/4 time as a march, while moving along with the lyrics. It may also be adapted from a seated position, using simple fingerplays, hand, arm, and/or small motor skills.

EN DEN DINO
This traditional "nonsense chant," was sent and taught to me by Ann Rachel, who learned it from the Israeli children she worked with while living in Israel. Ann is a terrific singer, songwriter and performer who now lives in the U.S. and can be reached at: annrachel@empire.net

MISTER RAM GOAT-O
This is a traditional game chant found on a field recording made at San Juan Girls' Government School in Trinidad.

Animals, in African American tales, are often formally addressed as "Sister/Brother/Aunt/Mister/etc." to demonstrate respect.

KEEMO KYEMO!
This traditional African American/Appalachian song has many similarities to the popular "Froggie Went a Wooing (or Courting) Go."

It contains one of the most complicated nonsensical lyrical phrases or chants known in folk music history.

The reference to "soap fat", may date it back to a time when soap was made from animal fat and lye, which could be from the 1700's to the early 1900's. I wrote and added the last two verses, so you can also easily make up your own!

FAN FEEDBACK: This alternate version of some of the text was sent in by Barbara Gates of The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (www.actsofkindness.org). Her grandfather taught it to her when she was a child. The "i" is long except wher obvious -- as in kitty, sing, piddle, etc.

Keemo Kimo di-ri-ro
Ma-ho, ma-hi
Ma-rumsetty bumsetty
Setty betty piddle waddle
Long come a nit-cat
Sing a song, kitty
Won't ya ki-me-o!

HUNK-TA-BUNK-TA BOO!
This particular information is fascinating, in that it shows how far and wide various sounds and languages travel.

The first song I ever wrote for children, is called "Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta-Boo!" (Listen to the whole song on my first album by the same name: "Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta BOO!"). The simple rhythmic sound of "Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta" is part of a much longer series of sounds or phrase that my grandmother taught me 45 years ago. She learned it from her grandmother who learned it from her grandmother, and who knows who how she learned it! I liked the sound of it so much that I named my web site, and whole series of recordings Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta and also re-recorded it as a field holler chant on my sixth album, Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta CHANTS. I have tried to research the origin of the phrase since 1991.

In August 2001, I performed at a retirement community in Denver and performed the song. Shortly after the concert, a lovely woman (about 89 years young), came up and introduced herself to me as Elizabeth Ellet. She told me that she had grown up in Juneau, Alaska. When she was 11 and her brother was three, they were given a pet rabbit named:

Hip ta minicky
Honey Ka zack
Da boom
Da la
Da hoo.

She couldn't remember how the name originated, but she thought it might have been an Aleut word (tribe of native people who live in Alaska). She was thrilled to hear a similar word some 75 years later!

As you can see, the name of Elizabeth Ellet's pet rabbit some 80 years ago is very similar to the word my grandmother taught me-- particularly if I spell it out the way she wrote her pet rabbit's name! It is most interesting that my grandmother's roots are the east coast, midwest, and Colorado, and that Elizabeth's are north and about as far west as one can get!

Try surfing the net to find out other origin of words like this.

Kick ta billicky
Alluh Guh locks
Ta hunk
Ta bunk
Ta boo!

FLEA FLY FLOW MOSQUITO!
I first heard a version of this traditional chant when I was at a camp in 1965 and adapted it through the years to suit this record. Surely it was originally created around a campfire, then shared with many mosquito- bitten campers. A call-and- response technique works well with small or large groups for this piece.

PAJARITO
This is a another traditional game chant/song I learned from Bonnie Lockheart. She learned it from staff and families while working as an artist W-in- residence at Companeros State Preschool in San Francisco's Mission District.