Introduction
Smithsonian Folkways Products is famous for preserving and disseminating culturally specific music worldwide. As a person interested in children’s mind organization and their attraction to various repetitive sounds, I have chosen Ella Jenkins’s “Songs Children Love to Sing” album to explore its features, such as clapping and rhymes that foster active participation. Although released in the late 20th century, the album is still in demand from children due to its timeless messages of kindness, positivity, and unity.
First Impression
Upon listening to Ella Jenkins’s album, it becomes evident that this release is the most positive collection of songs that bring smiles to its listeners. Each of the 17 songs is unique in its rhythm and resembles folk music traditions discussed in the class, as her sounds include diverse musical traditions that might be transmitted orally (Smithsonian Folkways Records). The first impression is that Ella Jenkins makes her audience happy through catchy melodies, forcing them to sing a song and facilitating their musical experience. Overall, this music contributes to the child’s excitement and the adult’s comfort, causing various but equally positive reactions.
Regarding the album’s visual design, it reflects the songs’ nature. The first notable feature is a depiction of Ella Jenkins, who holds a guitar and wears a colorful sweater. I enjoy this representation because her image seems compelling for children, as if she were an older lady singing songs to them in a physical world rather than through a music disk. In this cover, the record label is an eye-catching sun that brings warmth and energy regardless of the listener’s age (Smithsonian Folkways Records). The album and record label’s representations evoke optimism and vitality.
Ella Jenkins’s album targets children’s audiences, highlighted by its name. It features a repertoire of diverse children’s songs. As stated above, its primary genre is folk songs passed down through generations, thus emphasizing cultural and national experiences and values. Jenkins’s linear notes specify that this album covers folk songs from a large geographic and musical path: from her corner to the world (Jenkins 2). This way, she promotes friendly and uniting folk songs characterized by melodic simplicity and beauty.
Aural Analysis
The inclusion of broad terrain fosters Jenkins’s use of various instruments. According to the Sachs-Hornbostel system, the global classifying method of acoustic instruments, the singer features three distinct categories. The primary category is idiophones, such as maracas in the “Tu Cantares, Yo Cantare” song (Lee 5). It might be classified as a Latin American ethnic instrument (Image 1).
Meanwhile, aerophones with melodic accompaniment are included in her 13th song, “Harmonica for Hanukkah,” where the harmonica plays a vital role in the aerophone, reminding African American and Jewish children of their favourite celebration (Jenkins 9). Apart from that, bongo drums and hand drums in most songs are classified as membranophones and African American ethnic instruments simultaneously (Image 1). These instruments enhance the listeners’ musical experience without interfering with Jenkins’s captivating vocals.
However, the most essential instrument in these songs is Jenkins’s voice. Born in 1924, a famous African American singer started her career as a child psychologist at San Francisco State University (Ella Jenkins). Later, her high expertise and extensive experience with children allowed her to lead the television program “This is Rhythm,” which facilitated her songwriting specialization.
Ella created musical masterpieces such as “You’ll Sing a Song, and I’ll Sing a Song” with repetitive lyrics that became a classic for every child. A decade earlier, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award – a sign of her international recognition and fame (Ella Jenkins). Her genuine love for children and her talents established her successful career as a singer.
Analysis of the album “The World is Big, and the World is Small” is clear and well-produced, focusing on the singer’s voice and balancing instrumentals with vocals. The pitch is moderate, while the song is short, as it is only one and a half minutes long. However, such pitch and duration allow children to stay engaged and repeat after Ella (Weber 8).
Meanwhile, the phonetic structure is simple homophonic, with the singer’s voice as the melody and harmony through the guitar. Its lyrical content that touches on diversity and unity emphasizes the idea that everybody should treat others as friends, as the planet unites them (Jenkins 11). The song contains a repetitive chorus and two verses that are easy to remember for children. This song serves as a template for other Jenkins songs and promotes a positive message and joyful melody.
Cultural & Production Considerations
Jenkins’s albums always illustrated her position as a radical, multicultural musician and educator. Her folk child songs repertoire highlights cross-cultural exchange as her songs incorporate several languages and ethnic instruments such as Latin Americans, Indigenous Groups, Europeans, and Caribbeans. As a post-World War II singer, her repertoire fights for civil rights protection and anti-fascism (Wald 2).
For example, her “Tu Cantares, Yo Cantare” has English, Spanish, and French lyrics, uniting different cultures. Another essential feature is that her songs are a tool of cultural education, meaning that her introduction of different languages and sounds helps to promote global awareness as a pedagogical method. Her “Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero” song involves group singing from synagogues and churches, helping children to develop tolerance. Jenkins’s genre promotes cultural differences respectfully.
The primary figure of this album is Jenkins, as she is the musician who fosters children’s appreciation and inclusivity toward different world cultures. Another essential person from the record label is Moses Asch, the founder of Smithsonian Folkways, who was also committed to preserving world recordings. After his death, the label aims to disseminate diverse songs from different cultural backgrounds and focuses on educational outreach with high accessibility through YouTube and Spotify. Although sometimes tracks require purchase, they can be easily found on digital platforms.
Conclusion
To conclude, Smithsonian Folkways Records’ primary function is to increase global awareness and understanding of music repertoires. It encompasses music from various backgrounds and disseminates it, making it available to most people. This label contributes to Ella Jenkins’s global recognition as a peace and unity promoter through children’s perspectives. Her album is an exceptional illustration of how some songs remain timeless because they cover crucial issues of friendship and equality.
Works Cited
Ella Jenkins: The First Lady of the Children’s Folk Songs. Web.
Jenkins, Ella. “Songs Children Love to Listen: Liner Notes.” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1996, pp. 1–19. Web.
Lee, Deborah. “Hornbostel-Sachs Classification of Musical Instruments.” Knowledge Organization, vol. 47, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1–31. Web.
Smithsonian Folkways Records. “Songs Children Love to Listen.” Web.
Werner, Riah. “Music, Movement and Memory: Pedagogical Songs as Mnemonic Aids.” TESOL Journal, vol. 9, no. 4, 2018, 1–11. Web.