THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 7, 1996 TAG: 9606050096
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 3W EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 60 lines
Singing together around a campfire has been a part of Scouting since its earliest days.
But a group of adult Girl Scout leaders are concerned that the tradition isn't as strong as it used to be and that present-day Scouts are missing out on all the fun.
Barbara Mettler and about 15 other Girl Scout leaders formed the Sing-along Service as a way of keeping the Scouts singing.
The lawn of All Saints Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach was the setting of a recent sing-along and ice cream social attended by about 10 troops and 80 girls.
Mettler never tires of singing, although she has been a Girl Scout adult 37 years, is a volunteer master trainer of other volunteer leaders, and is on the council archives committee.
``We were afraid that group singing was getting lost in Scouting,'' said Mettler, who lives in Virginia Beach. ``There's a Scouting tradition of singing for fun and fellowship and learning about the music from other countries. We wanted to perpetuate that tradition. Singing is just fun. We want to spread that fun.''
In the beginning, sing-along members brushed up on a lot of the old songs. And for the past four or five years, they have offered their services to fairly large groups of Girl Scouts or service units.
Sometimes they perform, but mostly they teach Scouting songs.
``Sometimes we teach the leaders,'' said Cathy Six of Great Bridge, a 16-year Scouting volunteer. ``Sometimes we go to different camps to sing and teach songs by the campfire.''
The service offers classes to help Scout leaders get started with sing-alongs and rhythm making. They also provide suggestions for simple instruments the girls can make themselves. Oatmeal boxes, coffee cans and film cartridges with things inside make rattles, shakers or drums.
Two Sandpiper Cadettes attended the sing-along at All Saints. One decided on the spot to join the group.
The Virginia Beach gathering was led by Six, Sallie Ziel, Karen Simons and Beverly Moody of Virginia Beach, Kim Landen from Deep Creek and Pam Carey of Newport News.
The girls built a make-believe campfire out of their hot pink, teal, green and red bandanas.
They began with a song about making new friends while keeping the old. To that they added ``Row, Row, Row Your Boat'' and ``Three Blind Mice.'' Appropriate motions livened up each selection.
In spite of attacks by hungry mosquitoes, the three groups of singers chimed in smartly with their portion of the three-tune round.
``Hey, you guys are good,'' Karen Simons said. ``See how wonderful we can sound - like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!''
The girls sang on, first ``The More We Get Together,'' then ``Frere Jacques,'' then a tongue-twister with a chorus that sounded like, ``A-ram-sam-sam, a-ram-sam-sam, a-rafi, a-rafi, guli-guli-guli.''
``I enjoy getting out and singing and meeting the girls and adults,'' Six said. ``I've gotten to know folks in the sing-along group. We see each other when we can since some of our daughters are no longer Girl Scouts.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Cathrine Six teaches some young Girl Scouts old songs and dances. by CNB