No More Bullies

PreS-Gr 4—The third children's music release from Leonardo and the Makin' Waves Band is a concept album of ten rock 'n roll songs about bullying. Opening with the rockabilly "B True 2 Your School" (with lyrics that encourage unity and pride for one's school), each song delivers a message or advice on an aspect of the topic. Themes include describing types of things bullies do ("That's a Bully"), speaking up for the right thing, however unpopular ("Making Waves"), and reporting bully activity to an adult ("Tell Somebody"). Among the other are the U.S. Deptartment of Health & Human Service's official slogan put to a punk beat in "Take a Stand, Lend a Hand," the Golden Rule with new lyrics set to the tune of Sam the Sham and the Pharoah's classic "Wooly Bully" ("No More Bullies"), and a reggae warning about the power of cyberbullying in "Don't Send It." The band instrumentation is minimal (guitar, bass, and drums), but tight harmonies and strong rhythms pull everything together beautifully. Schools should consider adopting some of these as "their" songs in their effort to educate children about bullies and how to deal with them.—Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH