GREEN CAROLS:
UNCLE RUTHIE’S CHRISTMAS REVENGE

By Ruthie Buell

December is here, Thanksgiving leftovers have been consumed or quietly thrown out, and the music teacher is making the rounds of classrooms to discover her role in the Holiday Program.

“Hi! Have you decided what song you’d like to sing for the program?” I already know the answer. Either Rudolph, Frosty, or Jingle Bells.

“We’re doing Jingle Bells Rock. We have a CD.”

“We’re doing Frosty the Snowman. Can you play it?”

It’s a stretch, but I tell them I’ll try. I’ve only played Frosty 547 times.

It happens every year, and it’s not the teachers’ fault. Our wonderful little private school for blind children has the same restrictions the public schools I am so happily severed from. No religious music. No Silent Night, no Oh Come Little Children no The First Noel, nothing with any real beauty in the melody.

After the third class tells me they are doing Rudolph with antlers, my mind travels back many years to Larry B. the principal at Perez Center. Before Larry there was Norbert, my favorite Principal. “Ruthie, play anything you like. This is a Catholic neighborhood and our kids love religious carols. They’re beautiful and to hell with the rules. Let them fire me!”

Then Norbert died and LarryByTheRules took over.

“Larry, we’d like to do The Carol of the Animals for the holiday show.

“Buelly, if you play one religious song, I’ll pull the plug on you!”

“Larry, things have come to a pretty pass when a Jewish Atheist has to beg to sing religious carols at Christmas time.” I did have a mild revenge on Larry. I inverted the melodies of the songs I played between the children’s performances, while the scenery was being changed. Silent Night went EFEG, EFEG, BBD, GGC (Musicians will understand) “What’s that you’re playing, Ruthie?” he asked, “It sounds so familiar !” Just improvising, Larry, “I assure him, what a great tie!”

But this year I decided that Rudolph and Frosty were Toast. If we couldn’t sing the carols as they are traditionally sung, we would start a new tradition! Green Carols. And I was supported in my secular crusade by my three favorite teachers, G, R, and M. (Initials only, for security reasons!)

The first and second grades in R’s room learned and sang two of my Green Carols:

SING AND TELL (The First noel)

Oh, the sun is shining bright, it’s a beautiful day

And we’re gathered together to sing and to say,

(CHORUS)

SING AND TELL, SING AND TELL, SING AND TELL, SING AND TELL,

THE EARTH IS OUR HOME AND WE MUST TREAT HER WELL.!

Oh the sun is going down, and the night’s coming soon,

We are singing our wish by the light of the moon, (chorus)

and:

OH COME LITTLE CHILDREN

Oh come little children, oh come now and bring

Your heart and your voice to this sweet song we sing,

The air is so quiet; the stars are so bright,

We’re singing for Peace on this magical night.

The world’s filled with people, each one is a friend.

We dream of a day when all fighting will end,

We’ll dance in the sunlight, we’ll sing with the birds,

We’ll solve all our problems by using our words.

In our school we use the title “Teacher” I’m Teacher Cuca, and the last green carol was sung at our holiday show not only by Teacher G’s class, but by the entire audience of parents, grandparents, and siblings.

We put copies of our closing Green Carol on every seat and the audience sang along. (next year I’ll have to translate it into Spanish):

GIVE ME YOUR HAND (Silent Night)

Give me your hand, give me your hand,

Peace will come, to our land,

Brothers and sisters, we’re one family

Singing under the friendship tree

On this magical night, on this magical night.

Give me your hand, give me your hand,

Earth and sky, sea and sand,

Children everywhere, under the sun

Our green Earth is for everyone,

On this magical night, on this magical night.

Everyone loved our Green Carols. After the program, there was a delicious lunch, and I went home and slept twelve hours that night. The next day there was a program for the parents and I played the piano for many songs, some religious, but safely in Spanish. The parents spoke about their lives and their love for their children and the school. Many cried. I cried. After the parents’ program I made a little speech in my imperfect Spanish, I told the parents they were my heroes, because they cared so well for their blind children and loved them so much. I told them it was a honor to be their music teacher. I said to them “You think of me as someone who writes songs. It is your children who write my songs. They fill me with the music of their spirit.” We ate lots of tamales and carnitas. We hugged each other. It was another wonderful day at The Blind Childrens Center.

Uncle Ruthie is the producer and host of HALFWAY DOWN THE STAIRS, heard every Saturday morning (8:00am) on KPFK Radio, 90.7 FM. She also teaches music at The Blind Children’s Center in Los Angeles. Ruthie does concerts for children, families and adults, as well as teacher workshops. She teaches beginning piano, and especially welcomes students with special needs. She can be reached at 310-838-8133, or at uncleruthie@aol.com.