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Bill's Unofficial Cub Scout Roundtable
A compendium of Ideas For Cubmasters, Den Leaders and those who help them.
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Songs are the punctuation marks of Scouting. They bring sparkle and
romance to the rest of the program. They set the moods for games and
skits. They frame ceremonies in everlasting color. They engrave the
joys of camping firmly in memory.
Most packs rarely sing enough. I hope your pack sings often,
loudly, with gusto, and with a huge smile exploding on the face of
every boy. Bill>
Good Cub Scout songs make no sense whatever.
Songs like: I Like Bananas (p13), John Jacob Jingleheimer (p12),
Stay on the Happy Side are fun to sing. Don't try to teach a lesson
by choosing songs with meaningful words for pack meetings. It makes
the songs dull and the lesson fails. Closing songs like Taps(p84) or
Cub Scout Vespers(p85) work, not so much for their meanings, but more
for the moods that are created when they are sung. Use them to set up
a Cubmaster's minute or solemn ceremony.
Best are Songs with lots of actions like Grand Ol' Duke (p24)
Choose songs that you like to sing.
Songs with LOTS of repetition work best. We're All Together(p8) Cub Scout Spirit(p41) and Alice the Camel are great examples not only because of the repetition but also they are set to familiar tunes.
"Repeat after me" songs (also called lining out) like the Bear Song(p15) and Ravioli are fun but require a little more practice by the leader.
Print the words with BIG letters on news print or butcher paper. Kevin Pate, from Norman OK, advises this because song sheets are a downer: everyone is looking down at the sheets instead of up and you can't do the actions right when you're reading from a sheet or book.
Don't forget songs that everyone knows like My Bonnie(p27) and Clementine(p14)
Sustained enthusiasm beats musical ability, hands down. So choose songs that YOU really like.
Have everyone stand ( a must) and insist on loud volume.
Keep the beat lively and look directly at people.
Wear orange gloves People will look at the gloves instead of directly at you. (something Ed Hesser, a great Cub Scouter, taught me).
Above all, KISMIF
