Pack meetings and songs...

[83Eagle]

All the badge books have activities in them involving singing and a lot of them refer to singing at pack meetings. But how many packs do this? My anecodotal observation is, "not too darn many." And our pack has been no exception.

 

But...I'd like to do this. I'm not afraid to lead the group and I could actually strum passable chords to "Cub Scout Spirit" on the gee-tar if need be. On the other hand, I get that nightmare vision that it's a total disaster. I know, nothing ventured, nothing gained...

 

So for those packs out there that do incorporate songs at meetings, how do you do it? What works best?

 

And particularly if you've had sit-on-your-hands pack meetings in the past, how do you get this off the ground and the boys (and parents?) off their seats the first time?

[AnaMaria]

We sing. All you need is someone to lead & handouts or a screen to project the words. All the goofy Cub Scout songs we do are to familiar tunes. A little guitar might be nice, but we've always done without any accompaniment. We do just scouts or just parents on some verses. Lots of fun. Get an enthusiastic leader and add this fun to your meetings.

[4ScoutParent]

Our pack also sings. From our cubmaster who encourages audience participation - yes even from the parents; to the dens, especially one with a den leader with a guitar. Most of the time it is done without instruments.

 

My favorite is "Baby Shark". Don't know if that is the correct title, but it is fun and easy for others to pick up on the words as there are only a few. The cubmaster has a few songs always ready to go in case there is need for a filler. Sometimes they are actually scheduled in the agenda.

[Rockford8070]

We sing at every pack meeting. The way we do it is everyone stands up, parents too, and we all sing a song. And if the parents don't participate enough, then the scouts face the parents and watch the parents sing along with the leaders. We've only had to do that once so far. It's great fun!

[perdidochas]

While not a routine thing at pack meetings, last year my Web IIs sang "On top of Spaghetti" at a pack meeting (as part of the showman activity badge). Just try it at the next pack meeting. You might like it.

[drmbear]

A very long time ago, as a youth, I ran our council's Troop Leader Training course (like NYLT now) for three years in a row. I spent months training the staff, building a great leardership team, and then running the course during the week that 50 or so participants were there. I learned something about this singing we do all those years ago that is the main reason I do it now as a Cubmaster - breaking down those barriers that create resistance from getting out of comfort zones is where leadership is developed.

 

We trained the Leadership Corps (staff) to be model Scouts - perfect uniforms, travelling in formation, singing everywhere they go, and always boisterously participating or leading every song at every opportunity. It was always humerous to see these teenage course participants show up the first day or so, thinking how un-cool this singing is, reluctant to participate, and overall thinking we were completely nuts.

 

We only had them a week, and by mid-week these guys that had no desire to actually sing in public, were just as loud and into it as the Leadership Corps. I'd hear patrols singing together out in the woods and while walking around together. The campfires and such were a blast.

 

In Cub Scouts, our main goal isn't leadership development, but they still get it in the things we do. The willingness to take action, even if it may be unpopular or un-cool, to stand up for someone, to stop injustice, even to wear the uniform proudly, sometimes takes guts. Whe we as Cubmasters and Den Leaders get up there as adults, are willing to be silly in front of all these families and everyone, and actually KNOW the words to silly songs, it is an amazing thing. It may start that they'll be looking around to see who else is actually singing, but your enthusiasm and ability to engage the other leaders and parents as well, will start to create a shift in the boys. If it's a regular part of what you do as a pack, not only will you have amazing fun, but you'll be shaping future leaders.

[Scoutfish]

We sing at least one song, if not two or three.

 

We open witha flag ceremony, and either I or the ACM will say hey or something and ask who is excited/happy to be here tonight?

Then no matter how great they cheer, we compare them to a graveyard because it's soooo quiet!

 

Then they yell harder, then harder and so on.

 

Then we say that they have too much energy and we need to burn some off.

Sometimes, I'll say something like" Tonight, I was going to show you some magic tricks. The CC gave me some money to buy a magic kit, but I didn't buy that magic kit. Instead...I ...bought...some..Bazooka-zooka Bubble gum!

 

WEll,it'sa great intro to that song anyways.

 

Biggest problem I have is that we are running out of songs. I don't read music, so most books don't help.

 

I have to hear it a few timems to learn it,and most stuff is printed.

[drmbear]

I know that http://www.boyscouttrail.com/songs.asp includes a little gizmo to play the tune for lots of the songs at that site. I've gone there to get the tune for some of the songs I've found.

 

Sometimes you can just put the title in the search engine and find the tune somewhere - I've done that as well.

[frank10]

In the two Pack meeting I've been to I haven't heard a song yet, but at my tiger cub den meeting we did 5 verses of "Aint Gonna Rain No More No more".

We're just about ready to take our show on the road, so If the pack didn't sing before, they better get used to it now. We may be out of tune but we are loud.

[Scoutfish]

We do skits too occasionally.

 

I'd like to see the boys do more skits personally.

 

They shy away if you ask them to, but if you ever get them to do one skit, and they get a laugh..they then pester you to do "just one more skit" ...at least 4 times.

 

We had a few scouts begrudgenly do a skit at council camp. But after it was over, they could not wait til pack camping the next week to do it again plus others!

[shortridge]

If you're just starting out and have a bunch of shy, "non-singing" Scouts and parents, repeat-after-me songs are great. They just require volume and a few people who can vaguely follow the tune. Bill Grogan's Goat - Froggy - Boom-Chica-Boom - I Met A Bear - etc.

 

Then again, repeat-after-me songs are about the only kind I can sing, so I may be a bit biased in their favor.

[Scouting4Ever]

We are working on bringing singing back into our Pack meetings. For the past few years "Singing in the Rain" is about all we got.

 

We put a "songbook" on our Pack website and every month introduce a new song that they will be singing at day camp or other District and Council events like "Pink Pajamas" or "Pizza Hut."

[xwbaox]

I am working on creating a cub scout "buddy book". It's a book with the cub scout promise, law of the pack, boy scout oath and law, outdoor code, etc. Plus songs songs songs. I'm creating it as part of my wood badge ticket, and got the idea from my wood badge course. They handed out song books our first day, and at least four times a day, it was "Take out your song book and turn to song X"

[ScoutLass]

We sing and do skits at every pack meeting. The boys and adults seem to enjoy it, even with my off-key singing!

 

A few things we do:

Each den must do a skit or a song at each pack meeting. Let the den leaders know in advance so they can plan. The skit/song is done by each den before they are handed their awards.

 

We usually open with a repeat-after-me song or other simple, quick to learn song. This way any stragglers can just join in as they show up.

 

Den chiefs. These guys know a thousand songs & love being centerstage. We have a secret signal we give if people start to look bored. When the chief sees the signal, he bursts into whatever song, from where ever he is in the room. Everyone looks confused for a minute before joining in. Always results in lots of laughs.

 

 

[Pack212Scouter]

Our Pack incorperates songs into Pack Meetings. They will never admit it publicly, but the boys love it. We usually have one or two silly songs (Baby Shark, No Banannas in the Sky, and the like) and close with the Cub Scout Vespers song.(This message has been edited by pack212scouter)