People You Do & Don’t Know

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

I very distinctly remember my mom sitting my brother and I down and telling us all about stranger danger.  She explained who we could trust to stay with us, take us places, and even made up a code word for adults to let us know that it was okay to go with them in the case of an emergency situation.  Now, over twenty years later, I still get lectures about stranger danger from my mom, but I guess I can’t blame her.  After all, the world can be a scary place, as we are too often reminded by the stories in newspapers and on television.

The song that I wrote to address this topic identifies three different categories of adults:

  1. Safe Side Adults
  2. People You Kind of Know
  3. Strangers

Today’s song identifies and defines the three categories, and also determines whether or not it is safe to go with people from each.  The term “Safe Side Adult” came from a consult client who uses this word with her children (a benefit of custom-written songs – incorporating your own phrases and terminology).

The world is full of people,
Some you’ll know and some you won’t.
I wanna tell you ’bout three
Kinds of people you see,
Some you can go with, some you don’t.

A safe side adult is a person that you know.
With a safe side adult it’s okay to go.
Because it’s your grandma, grandpa, mom or dad,
Or someone that you’ve been told:
Is a safe side adult, a person you know,
With whom it’s okay to go.

There are also people that you kind of know.
With those people you shouldn’t go,
Unless a safe side adult has told you for sure,
That a person, specifically,
Is someone you can trust and know,
With whom it’s okay to go.

A stranger is a person that you don’t know.
With a stranger you should never go.
Because it’s someone that you’ve never seen before,
Or someone that you’ve been told,
Is a stranger, a person you don’t know,
With whom you should not go.

The world is full of people,
Some you’ll know and some you won’t.
I told you ’bout three
Kinds of people you see,
Some you can go with, some you don’t.

I’m sure you noticed that the tone is a little heavier than my other songs; I wrote the melody this way on purpose. Children need to realize how serious the topic of strangers really is, and I wanted this song to reflect that seriousness. What methods have you used to approach this subject with your children or students? Know of any other stranger danger songs? I’d love to hear about them!

Red, Yellow, and Green

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized


Teaching functional skills and real-world concepts are high on my list of priorities, since the ultimate goal for my students is independence. The Hope Institute uses a Skills Assessment to determine whether or not each student is reaching goals such as dressing, eating properly, interacting with peers appropriately, and so on. Included on this list is personal safety, which encompasses crossing the street, using the crosswalk, and identifying traffic signals.

That is the topic of today’s song: learning the meaning of red, yellow, and green as related to the traffic lights. Many teachers use this concept in their classroom or when traveling with students from one place to another, using colored signs to indicate whether students should stop, slow down, or go. Learning and practicing this in a protected environment is the first step in transferring such knowledge to a real-world situation.

Stop when the light is red.
Go when it’s green.
Slow down when the light turns yellow,
That’s the color in between.
The traffic lights are red, yellow and green.

Red, red, is at the top,
Of the traffic light.
If you stop when you see red,
Then you know you’re doing it right.

CHORUS

Yellow, yellow is in the middle,
Of the traffic light.
If you slow down when you see yellow,
Then you know you’re doing it right.

CHORUS

Green, green is at the bottom,
Of the traffic light.
If you go when you see green,
Then you know you’re doing it right.

CHORUS

Although the songs I’ve written cover many of the topics included on my school’s Skills Assessment, there are many more opportunities for new tunes to cover this exhaustive list. Of course, I’ll be posting them as I write them – an ongoing process that will take me well into the summer, I’m sure!

Safety Comes First

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

I love hearing from my readers, especially when they have a success story to share involving a song I’ve shared on the blog. A close second to that is readers who give me ideas for new songs and activities, because sometimes I need a little grease to get the wheels turning!

Well as I mentioned yesterday, music therapist Amy from L.A. did just that earlier in the week. She asked if I knew of any good street and traffic safety songs, as she was addressing this topic with one of her students diagnosed with autism. I told her I didn’t, but that I would love to try my hand at writing one. She specified that the language should be pretty basic, and then gave me a few key elements to include. Here is what resulted:

Left, right, left.
Left, right left.
Look both ways before you cross the street!
Left, right, left.
Left, right, left.
Use your eyes before you use your feet.

You gotta be safe,
And you gotta be smart,
When there are cars around,
So do your part.
Always think
Before you act,
Because safety comes first,
And that’s a fact.

Do not run.
Do not run.
Walk very slowly in the parking lot!
Do not run.
Do not run.
Slow is good but going fast is not.

CHORUS

Stay away.
Stay away.
From the street unless it’s time to cross.
Stay away.
Stay away.
Because the street is very dangerous.

CHORUS

Watch the lights.
Watch the lights.
Red means stop, and green means go.
Watch the lights.
Watch the lights.
They will tell you what you need to know.

CHORUS

I like that the lyrics to this song can be easily modified or added to, since the verses are so simple. There are many other concepts it could cover, such as walk/don’t walk signals, crossing guards, etc. Hopefully Amy can use this tune, or a version of it, to better teach these concepts to her student!