Ain't It Good To Know?

Every year, I choose one pop song for my choir to sing. Usually, I choose a song the kids recognize, like "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons or "In Summer" from Frozen. (No "Let It Go" in our repertoire so far.)

This year, I found a two-part choral arrangement of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend." I figured the kids wouldn't be familiar with it, but I was in a Carole King mood after seeing the touring production of Beautiful this year. And we kind of claim her here in Idaho.

Carole King's music also resonates on a personal level with me. I mentioned in a previous blog post that the Tapestry album may be one of the reasons I became a vocalist and music teacher.

"You've Got a Friend" holds a special place in my heart. My mother, father, brother, and I went to a James Taylor concert several years ago. James Taylor, who could probably be credited with making the song famous, performed all of his greatest hits, including this one. It was the last concert I remember attending with my mother.

When I introduced the piece to my choir, the kids thought I meant "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story, a totally cute song. I might track down a choral arrangement of it in a year or two.

I started out by playing the choir my Carole King recording. I half-expected the kids to scrunch up their noses. I mean, this song is not even from their parents' generation. It's more than likely from their grandparents' generation.

By the end, the children were sweetly singing along with the chorus. One fifth grade boy was copying all of King's vocal gymnastics with such sincerity, I almost teared up.

"Wow! That is a good song!" the kids exclaimed. "Why don't they play songs like that on the radio anymore?"

I shared my amazement at the kids' enthusiasm with some of my colleagues.

"You've taught them to appreciate quality music," one teacher said. "They recognize the good stuff when they hear it."

In one of my classes, the kids were still talking about the song, and an oblivious non-choir boy started singing, "You've Got a Friend in Me."

"That's a different song. It's written by Randy Newman and from the movie, Toy Story," a choir boy explained to him. "This is a song by Carole King, and it was recorded in the 1970's. Right, Mrs. Duggan?"

Right!

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.