Last month, the City of Chicago and educators around the globe celebrated Ella Jenkins’s 100 birthday. If you grew up listening to borrowed albums, tapes, or CDs from your local library, I guarantee that Ella Jenkins has touched your life. If you’ve been to a state or national early learning conference, there is a good chance that  Ella Jenkins was the keynote speaker!

Click on the image below to hear “Sweet Ella Jenkins,” an original song celebrating the 100th birthday of “The First Lady of Children’s Music.” Written and performed by songwriter and preschool teacher Greg Gardner (aka Mr. Greg), with musical accompaniment by Ben Sigelman and harmonizing vocals by the Chapin sisters, “Sweet Ella Jenkins” contains lines from Jenkins’ classic songs. This catchy new song is a heartfelt and engaging tribute to the woman who taught us all to “sing a song together.”

Here are just a few of the song’s lyrics:

“You sing the song, we sing it right back,

A call and response with a rhythmic clap,

Our voices all blend, and our toes start to tap.

Tap to the tune of Miss Mary Mack,

And we all sing along, yes, we all sing along,

With the first lady of children’s folk songs.”

If I have learned one thing from listening to Ella Jenkins, it is the effectiveness of call-and-response singing and chanting. Jenkins is a master at call-and-response singing and uses it often in her music. She recognizes that the interactive nature of call and response helps maintain the attention and focus of children by inviting them to respond to the leader’s prompts. Call and response breaks up the monotony of passive listening and keeps children actively involved in the learning process.

Click on the image below to hear songs from Ella Jenkins’ first album. Released in 1957, it features simple call-and-response chants from the U.S. and Africa, adapted for young children. The album launched Jenkins’ long and successful career as one of Smithsonian Folkways Recording’s most beloved artists.

Call-and-response songs help children develop self-regulation skills by requiring them to pay attention and take turns. Songs like “Miss Mary Mack” and “Did You Feed My Cow” foster cooperation and group processes.

The repetition and rhythm in these songs make it easy for very young children to remember the sequence of patterns. As they learn to anticipate these patterns and the sequences of events or objects, children build early math skills.

Educators worldwide have seen the emotional and social connections that form when we use call and response in our classrooms. The responsive nature of this activity creates a sense of community, fosters a positive learning environment, and makes learning more enjoyable while creating trust and friendship.

Call and response fosters social interaction and collaboration. It encourages children to work together and take turns, which helps them develop social skills. Repeating phrases or information through call and response can enhance memory and recall.

Click on the image below to hear Jenkins’ infectious song, “Get Moving.”

Music holds a powerful place in the human brain—and singing utilizes the brain’s language and music areas. When children actively listen to music, multiple brain areas light up! 

Music and movement are powerful tools that we can use daily to reinforce math concepts, and the more senses that children employ as they participate in this activity, the more they learn. A five-year study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that using music in early childhood accelerates brain and language development, speech perception, and reading skills.

I remember the Jenkins song, “Counting Games and Rhythms for the Little Ones,” from my own kindergarten days. Jenkins’ songs are great teaching tools for those of us who are fostering early math skills such as counting, patterns, rhythm, and basic arithmetic in early learners. Math, set to music, leads to a deeper grasp of numerical concepts.

Click on the image below to hear it!

My favorite kindergarten game was singing along with Jenkins as she taught us “Johnny Had One Friend.” We skipped around and grabbed the hand of a friend as she reinforced our counting skills with “Johnny Has Two Friends.” We stood on the carpet and recited “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.” We practiced our fine motor skills by repeating “Two Little Black Birds.” When you can remember anything from kindergarten, you know it was a powerful moment!

“Wake up, little sparrow, come join the choir,

Sing a song for a lady we all admire, 

Her heart’s been beating for a full century, 

And these songs will live on for eternity.

Let’s raise a glass to a woman with class

And sing with sweet Ella Jenkins.”

Join us in celebrating the gift of Ella and her music! Play it loud, sing it louder, and let’s all sing a round of Miss Mary Mack!

Happy 100th birthday, Ella Jenkins, from all of us here at Early Math Counts and countless early childhood educators around the globe. Thank you for all that you have taught us over the years. We are forever grateful!