Peter Alsop‘s SONGS TO CHEW

Latest Episodes:

Irish Seatbelt Jig - Apple Juice - MeMeMe - Spin Around Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

Our SONG TO CHEW this week, is a 'batch of songs'. We'll listen to the IRISH SEATBELT JIG, APPLE JUICE, ME-ME-ME, and SPIN AROUND. We'll 'chew on' how impactful these repetitive little children's songs can be! This kind of song gets into our heads, like some of the commercial jingles and 'ear worms' we find ourselves humming or singing to ourselves, word-for-word, years later! Unnoticed by us, these simple jingles and musical memes pass on our cultural messages too! Some messages are healthy for us, like my seatbelt song. It's a safety message. But other messages are 'not-so-wonderful', like some of the sexist, patriarchal and racist messages that pack our brains with images that separate us and de-humanize us. We won't be singing any of those today. When music's combined with simple rhymed lyrics, they can affect us very powerfully, and we unknowingly absorb their ideas. Today's four songs each have simple messages: "Seatbelts save lives!" "Anyone can make up a song about anything!" "Thinking about ourselves is our job when we're a kid!" and, "General rules don't always work for all people." Thanks for listening. Please subscribe and invite your friends, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast anywhere you get podcasts, or:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

I Cried Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

This week's 'Song To Chew' is I CRIED by Ruth Pelham from my 'Stayin' Over' album. I first heard Holly Near sing this wonderful song, then I met the wonderful Ruth Pelham in person. She's an educator, songwriter and performer and she's dedicated her life to helping children learn by using music. Her school programs and songs blend her years of experience with her innovative approach to education. I recorded I CRIED because it was the only song I'd ever heard for children and families about divorce. It's masterful and addresses the courageous and healing discussions that need to take place to help families move on to living in a different configuration than what they'd expected. It lays out how difficult it is to carry on our regular lives while we grieve the loss of a life that has changed. Divorces are traumatic for kids, and very difficult for parents as well. Often kids feel responsible when their parents get divorced! But we know for sure that "a child is never responsible when parent's get divorced." Some kids try to "act perfectly", hoping their parents will get back together. Others are uncooperative and "act out'. These are the cries of a hurting heart. Around the world, many of our social norms teach us that it's not okay to cry, especially for men and boys. Sadness is part of being human. Everyone has hurts, and crying helps heal our body and our souls by rebalancing us. Contact Ruth at: Ruth Pelham.com, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast anywhere you get podcasts, or,

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Pat Your Daddy Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

Our 'Song To Chew' this week, PAT YOUR DADDY ON THE KNEE comes from my “Uh-Oh!" album. When we scratch the surface of these 'family music' songs, we find important life-lessons for adults too. Adults who don't have any kids tell me, they learn from 'chewin' on' these songs! Life-lessons for little kids can help big grown-ups too! Everybody in the world has rough times when things happen that are painful and disturbing. And we don't want those rough time to come back again. The memory of them affects all our decisions; the kind of work we choose, who we fall in love with and how we respond when we're afraid. This song gives us a model of how we can use that experience to support other folks who are upset! We can give them some support! Maybe pat them on the back or the knee, or listen to them, or ask them if they want a hug. We can lift folks up who are down, and if we love 'em, we can tell 'em that! Seems pretty simple, and it goes a long way. Because then, those people pass on that caring behavior to others who need support! See that!? If you look, you can find some mighty useful stuff in kid songs! I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

The Newborn Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Our 'Song To Chew' this week, from my “Family Roles" album is THE NEWBORN, written by Rosita Perez. Technically, it's a 'Poem To Chew' from her book, "THE MUSIC IS YOU: A Guide to Thinking Less and Feeling More". I love this poem because it points out how the words 'belief' and 'faith' are different. When someone chooses to hold a 'belief' in something, no matter what evidence or verifiable facts are supplied, especially if they question the 'belief', a 'believer' will not change, and they may even refuse to listen to others who don't hold the same belief. It's a 'static' system. Whereas 'faith' also requires making a choice, but it's different than holding a 'belief.' When someone has 'faith' that some idea is real and true, they're not afraid to have a reasonable discussion with others, who think differently than they do. Exactly because they have 'faith', they know they can listen and alter their understanding of whatever idea they're discussing, and continue to refine how their 'faith' works in their life as they gather new information. In doing so, their lives become more balanced and manageable. It's a dynamic and spiritual way of perceiving our world. I’m Peter Alsop. If you've been enjoying my 'Songs To Chew' podcasts, please share them with your friends and family. And I’ll see you again next week! Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Uh Oh! Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

This week's SONG TO CHEW is the title cut from my "Uh-Oh!" album, so of course it’s called 'UH-OH!' Making messes is something all humans do from time to time. Actually, when we make a mistake, it’s a great opportunity for us to practice forgiving ourselves! When we can do that, it makes it easier for us to accept and forgive others around us who make mistakes. When we practice loving and supporting others who mess up, that helps us find the courage to go on next time we mess up! Usually we're not so excited about fixing up our own messes, but that's what we do! We work on it until we get it right, and try again! And we all know we're not alone when we make a mess or a mistake. We're part of a really big Club!! Right? "One person's 'mess', is another person's 'sense of organization'. I have papers all over my desk, and it might look messy to you, but I know where everything is, mostly! Forgiving someone for something doesn't mean that what they did is okay, it means that we don't want to hold a grudge against them, or blame them by making comments! Why do that!? They already know they did it! And it feels great to help folks out when mistakes are made, especially for people we love. Isn't it amazing how little kid songs can have deep meanings for grown-ups too! I’m Peter Alsop. See you next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

No One’s Normal Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

This week our 'Song To Chew' comes from my “Pluggin' Away" album. It’s called NO ONE'S NORMAL. I wrote it because if you tell someone they're 'normal', they can get insulted by that! But if you say they're 'abnormal', they don't like that either. Maybe we should get rid of these 'label' words and stick to action words! Tell me what someone does, not what category they fall into! Everyone is themself! And no one person is ever completely normal! So this song is about understanding that the word "normal" refers to being included in a group that has the most people in it. We may have 'average' height or weight or wear the same kind of clothing as most other people, but that doesn't mean that we're a 'normal' person. Using labels like 'normal' and 'abnormal' to describe someone, can limit how we see that person. When we're lumped into a big category, it's easier to be ignored or dismissed because we're summed up under one label! Others miss the complexity and beauty of who we are. I once presented at a conference for teachers of 'gifted' children. I've always had a problem with labels like that, because when we designate a child as 'gifted', it just shows our own inability to see the gifts in the child sitting next to that gifted kid. No one's normal, you know that, including every one of us! I'm Peter Alsop. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’! Bye for now!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Take Me With You Feb 04, 2023

Show notes

Our 'Song To Chew' this week is the title cut from my TAKE ME WITH YOU album. This song exemplifies the 'naughty child' themes that I find so appealing, and use so often in my family songs. Kids are really smart. They figure out what works best for them to get what they want from their parents. When we're little, we have to depend on big folks around us to supply us with what we need! Food, clothing, shelter, and parents are very busy human beings, because doing everything that needs to be done in a family, can be a tall order! Some parents go to work in the morning and don't come home until after dark. Some kids come home from school to an empty house and often make their own dinner. Being alone can be very tough for a child, and we sure need more affordable day care facilities or cooperative arrangements for families who find themselves stuck in this situation. A kid's fears of being left on our own are very powerful. When parents are upset with us, our imaginations can go wild! Thousands of years ago being left out of our 'tribal community' was essentially a death sentence, so it's actually a 'healthy survival technique' when kids learn how to manage their parents, by finding and pushing the 'parental buttons'! We'll 'chew on' some of these techniques today, and look at ways we 'negotiate' and 'manipulate' and push the buttons of people in the systems where we live and work and play. I’m Peter Alsop, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

My Gums Grow Teeth Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

This week our 'Song To Chew' is MY GUMS GROW TEETH from my ““Uh-Oh!" album. One of the 'rites of passage' for all kids, is 'losing a tooth'! I thought I'd write a song about that for my 'pre-schoolers' album, but then I realized, pre-schoolers aren't losing their teeth, they're growing them! That's probably pretty scary, like, "How do my gums know what to do? How come they don't get all mixed up?!" In order to write this song, I had to put myself into the shoes of a pre-schooler, and that was very instructive! I highly recommend it to those of us who are no longer pre-schoolers, because when we put ourselves into another person's shoes, we benefit from seeing what it's like to be in that person's 'vulnerable space'. Imagining ourselves in 'someone else's shoes' provides us with an opportunity to build understanding and empathy for others. We can sense what feelings might be going on for another person, especially if they're baffled, scared, angry, or sad about something in their own life. That momentary insight into someone else's world, can help us understand that, they're being upset may not have anything at all to do with us. I’m Peter Alsop. See you next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Listen To The Beet Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

Today, for your audio pleasure, we'll LISTEN TO THE BEET, as our 'Song To Chew' from my 'Grow It At Home' album. I entered this song in a contest put on by the L.A. Unified School District where the winning songs would be included in a CD compilation, to be distributed to all the elementary school kids in Los Angeles, to get them to eat and enjoy more vegetables! My motivation to write usually comes from some life lesson I learned. I figure, if it's helped me get some clarity about things going on around me, why not pass this information along to kids and families who might find it useful too! But this song, was a challenge, until I decided to have it sung by 'The Beet' himself! We'll look at the steps I took in writing this song, because the better we understand our creative process, the better we become at "doing what we do!" And we can avoid some of the pitfalls where we used to get stuck! Unfortunately this song was NOT one of the finalists in the food song contest. I have no idea why not! Personally, I think it's a masterpiece! Check it out and see what you think! I’m Peter Alsop, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

If It Doesn’t Have Me Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

Our Song To Chew this week, 'IF IT DOESN'T HAVE ME' was written by my buddy Bill Harley. It's from our “In The Hospital" album that helps kids understand more about hospitals and doctors and nurses, and builds compassion for other kids and people who have medical difficulties. The original inspiration for this project came from two wonderful pediatric nurses, Diane Grimm Gates and Penny Pefley. They suggested a number of topics that would make great songs. We got together with Bill and together won the 1989 Parent's Choice Award for Best Children’s Recording of the Year! When a child has to be away from familiar places and people in their lives it's hard on them. The younger a child is, the more painful the separation from parents, family, and home. The feelings generated by this experience can develop into a sense of loneliness, isolation, depression and sometimes, "problem behaviors" such as refusal to eat, difficulty sleeping, or being uncooperative. Kids need to know they're important to others and that they're missed, but not forgotten when they're not there. This album has helped tens of thousands of children and families over the last 34 years. If you have any ideas about more funding to help get this album into more hospitals and into the hands of kids and families who need it, please get in touch with me at peter@peteralsop.com. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe