THANKS, FARMER! A Song of Celebration

COMING JUNE 10!

Download the Lesson plan

Buy the Musical Arrangement by Jeremy Doss to accompany a performance.

THANKS, FARMERS! is a book that catapults kids into action as they sing about farmers to the tune of the old Shaker hymn, "T'is a Gift to Be Simple.

Imagine an assembly: Kids dressed as farmers, broccoli, or seed packets. The kids SING their gratitude, and then RECOGNIZE and HONOR local and community farmers. The music teachers will appreciate the musical accompaniment file, an arrangement by composer Jeremy Doss.

To an adaptation of “’Tis a Gift to Be Simple,” children perform a play to celebrate farmers. Kids dress up as snowflakes, spring flowers, the sun, a packet of seeds, vegetables, and of course, farmers. It’s fitting that kids sing this tribute to farmers, who provide “the milk and plants and food that we eat.”

The tune includes text and a melody line, adapted by composer Jeremy Doss, who teaches elementary music and needed a Thanksgiving play. The traditional Shaker hymn, “’Tis a Gift to be Simple,” was made famous when American composer Aaron Copeland adapted it for a modern ballet for Martha Graham. By bringing it to kids in this book, the traditional song returns to its agrarian roots and helps kids express gratitude to our nation’s farmers.