Choose Kind Songs By Design

At Storytime Solidarity, we try to keep our song selection anti-racist by choosing songs that are kind and inclusive by original design. See our list of Problematic Songs to be aware of.

Don’t Whitewash

We don’t “whitewash” problematic songs by changing the lyrics and keeping the old tunes intact — we believe the tunes carry the original intent and associations with them.

Research

We research the history and origins of the songs we sing to children, and if original or past versions of the songs contain hurtful, derogatory, belittling, or dehumanizing elements, we don’t sing them. If something slips past us in our research, please let us know!

Join Us On Our Journey

Anti-racism is an ongoing journey and we feel like we’re just getting started. If anyone sees anything we’ve included on our website that seems to go against our values, please inform us so we can make corrections. Join us in building a kinder, more inclusive world — one song at a time!

Resources

Storytime Solidarity List of Problematic Songs

Songs with a Questionable Past – a Google doc compiled by Lauren McDougle at the American Kodaly Institute.

Keeping the Joy in Storytime: Dismantling Racism in Storytime Songs — a presentation by Meghan Klaus, Annie Lin, Amber Moller, and Juana Flores of the New York and Brooklyn Public Libraries at the Urban Libraries Conference, 2021.

Decolonizing the Music Room — a nonprofit organization aiming to disrupt the minimization and erasure of non-dominant cultures and identities in the field of music education.

Know Better Do Better Project — encourages conversation and awareness of songs that have played a role in sustaining systemic racism, and the writing of new alternative songs.

Do you know other great resources for keeping problematic songs out of storytime? Please let us know!