Superheroes to the rescue! As May is Imagination Month here at YCCA, I made a goal to write a new song since it had been awhile since I’d come up with an original composition. Since superheroes are always popular nowadays, why not write a song about all the special powers of superheroes? Dramatic play is an important part of healthy development so a song about getting to act like a superhero seemed like a natural fit.
On my lunch break one day, I started playing around with guitar strums and chord progressions, trying to find that balance of kid-friendly melody and mysterious super power sound. Once I found something I liked, I tried out a few melodies adding in lyrics little by little. In the end here’s what I came up with:
CHORUS: I’m a superhero in disguise
I wear a mask to hide my eyes
I’m a superhero in disguise
Get ready … to be surprised!
VERSE: I can fly! Way up in the sky!
You can listen to the song “Superhero” on the My Music page.
When I used this song in an intervention with a group, I handed out scarves to each of the kids. We use scarves a lot in early childhood music as they inspire movement and creativity (and it’s very hard to hurt anyone with them). We held them up over our faces to make them masks as we sang the song. When we got to the verse (“I can fly…”), I let them stand up and fly around the room with their scarves as capes. Then I started the guitar strum for the chorus again to cue them to sit back down. For the next verse, I asked for ideas of what super powers we might have and changed the lyrics accordingly. Running fast was popular as was being super strong. One kid said we should use “The Force” and another suggested shooting rainbows out of our hands. I always love what ideas they come up with.
The main goals I was aiming for with this intervention were as follows:
- Promoting dramatic play (acting out the masks and the super powers)
- Encouraging personal choice and self expression (allowing the kids to choose the super powers)
- Increasing direction following through musical cues (using the guitar strum of the chorus to redirect the children to return to their seats and put their “masks” back on)
- Developing gross motor skills (letting the children fly, jump, run, etc. during the verse)
- And of course, just generally having fun. Because who doesn’t love to be a superhero?
I know a song is successful when I hear kids singing the chorus to themselves later in the day or even later the following week. Easy lyrics that repeat and encourage dramatic play are almost always a success. A simple rhyme scheme usually helps as well. Plus everyone wants to be a superhero!
Next Time Won't You Sing With Me? 