>>Hey there friends!

>>We're so glad you joined us today.

>>We sure are.

And we have so much learning to do together today.

>>So come take a ride with us!

>>Come on!

♪ Come play with me ♪ ♪ Won't you come play with me ♪ ♪ Come on, come on, come on ♪ ♪ Come play music with me ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ >>Welcome to Songs and Stories >>With Mary and Mike!

>>Where we tell the stories of music >>And we share the music of all people.

So what are we doing today?

>>Well, I'm going to be sharing the story called Last Stop on Market Street.

>>Oh, I love that book.

It's about a boy riding a bus, but kind of seeing the world in a new way.

>>Absolutely.

The little boy, CJ, gets on the bus kind of grumpy, and his nana has this way of pointing out how to see the beauty around him, even in places where he might not normally look.

>>Hmm.

Okay.

And what else are we going to do?

Well, before we share that story, we're going to make music together.

>>All right!

Yes!

>>I'll be playing the drum, you'll be playing the guitar.

We're going to be singing call and response.

>>Okay.

>>It's gonna be great.

>>All right.

Well, let's get started.

>>Let's get started.

>>Let's make music!

>>Let's make some music.

>>That sounds great.

>>All right.

Well, to get us started with our groove today, I am going to be playing this drum.

>>What's the drum called?

>>The drum has an awesome name.

It is called the djembe.

Can you say that with us?

>>(together) Djembe.

>>Ooh, I like how that sounds.

>>Where's the djembe from?

>>The djembe was first made in an area of Africa called West Africa.

That's a pretty large region with a bunch of different countries but some you might've heard of are Mali, Senegal, Ghana.

>>Okay.

Well how does it sound?

>>Yeah.

Oh, sure.

I should play it, huh?

All right, here we go.

(drum beats) >>Oh, I like that sound.

>>Nice.

>>I like the low ring and the high sound too.

It's a good beat!

Yeah.

>>There's that low sound.

Here's the higher one.

And now together.

>>Friends, can you do a steady beat with me with her rhythm?

Let's give it a try.

Take your hands.

We're going to do a beat on our knees.

Here we go.

Beat, beat, beat, beat.

Now we're going to move to our hips.

Hips.

We're gonna move to our shoulders.

Get ready.

Here we go.

And shoulders!

All right, let's move to our head.

Don't hit your head too hard.

Here we go.

Head!

And back to shoulders, and back to hips, and back to knees.

Now let's do a pattern.

So we're going to do our head and do our shoulders.

Here is our head.

Head.

Shoulders.

Head.

Shoulders.

Let's do the floor.

Floor!

Stay on the floor!

And come back to your knees!

Oh, there we are.

Nice jobs, friends.

>>Nice job on the floor!

>>I love it.

That's my favorite spot.

>>That was wonderful.

So much fun.

And while I was playing that beat, I kind of got lost in my own little world a little bit thinking about this pulse and this groove reminded me of riding in a car or a bus, maybe even a train.

>>There's a lot of rhythm when you're in a vehicle of some kind, yeah.

>>It really is, like a pulse of it starting and stopping and the bumps.

And then this melody came to mind.

♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes.

♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes.

♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, ♪ ♪ the train is a'coming ♪ ♪ the train is a'coming, oh yes.

♪ >>That's great.

Could I play guitar while you sing that?

>>Oh, please!

>>Oh, great.

(drums continue) (guitar strumming) ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ >>Love it.

Let's do it one more time.

♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ Oh, let's break this one down.

All right, friends.

I can hear that there are two parts of this song.

I'm singing the call.

♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ Oh yes ♪ And then Mike sings the response.

Call, response.

It's like we're taking turns or having a conversation.

All right, so I want you to, we're not, I won't play the drum, you don't play the guitar, and we're just going to sing.

And I want you to be thinking about when the call happens, when the response happens, because I hope when we sing it in a minute, you'll sing it with us.

Just listen.

♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes.

♪ ♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes.

♪ Ooh, nice.

It's like this back and forth between us and at the end, did you notice?

I sing the call three times before the response happens.

All right, now I'm going to get our groove going.

>>Okay.

>>Mike's going to play the guitar.

We're going to sing this gorgeous song, and you can just groove with us, you can keep the beat, (drum beating) you can try the response, (guitar strumming) or you might even try the call with us or both or all of it!

Here we go.

♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming ♪ ♪ The train is a'coming, oh yes ♪ We better get our tickets!

♪ Better get our tickets, oh yes ♪ ♪ Better get our tickets, oh yes ♪ ♪ Better get our tickets ♪ ♪ Better get our tickets ♪ ♪ Better get our tickets, oh yes ♪ Now, you know who the conductor is?

>>Who?

>>The conductor is Jamal.

>>Oh, okay.

>>Let's sing about Jamal.

♪ Jamal's the conductor, oh yes ♪ ♪ Jamal's the conductor, oh yes ♪ ♪ Jamal's the conductor ♪ ♪ Jamal's the conductor ♪ ♪ Jamal's the conductor, oh yes ♪ And do you know who the engineer is?

>>There's an engineer?

>>There sure is.

>>Who is it?

>>Her name is Maya.

Let's sing about Maya, the engineer.

Here we go.

♪ Maya's the engineer, oh yes ♪ ♪ Maya's the engineer, oh yes ♪ ♪ Maya's the engineer ♪ ♪ Maya's the engineer ♪ ♪ ♪ Maya's the engineer's, oh yes ♪ whoo!

Now we've got our conductor and our engineer, and that train is leaving the station, boys and girls.

I hear it leaving.

♪ The train is a'leaving, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'leaving, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'leaving ♪ ♪ The train is a'leaving ♪ ♪ The train is a'leaving, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'leaving, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train is a'leaving, oh yes ♪ ♪ The train a'leaving, oh yes ♪ (whistle blows) (footsteps sounding) (guitar strumming) ♪ Is the bus a'coming, I don't know ♪ ♪ Is the bus a'coming, I don't know ♪ ♪ Is the bus a'coming ♪ ♪ Is the bus a'coming ♪ ♪ Is the bus a'coming, I don't know ♪ ♪ I hope it comes soon, oh yes ♪ ♪ I hope it comes soon, oh yes ♪ ♪ I hope it comes soon ♪ ♪ I hope it comes soon ♪ ♪ I hope it comes soon, oh yes ♪ Oh!

♪ I hear it on the road, oh yes, woo!

♪ ♪ I hear it on the road, oh yes, woo!

♪ ♪ I hear it on the road ♪ ♪ I hear it on the road ♪ ♪ I hear it on the road, oh yes ♪ >>Let's be mindful!

>>In just a minute, we are going to read a story about a little boy named CJ and his nana, and they take a bus ride through their town.

And Nana has this wonderful way of pointing out all of the beautiful things on the bus and in their city that CJ otherwise might not notice.

So I thought we should take a few minutes to get our bodies and minds all calmed down and ready to listen and enjoy that delicious story.

And this is how I thought we'd do it.

I want you to look around the room that you're in.

Find something that really makes you happy or something that brings you joy or maybe it even makes you laugh and focus your eyes on that object or maybe take a couple seconds and go get it so you can hold it in your hand.

And as we're focusing on that object we're going to take three deep breaths all together.

Now I want to show you my object.

I have this and I honestly don't even know what to call it.

But I love that it's so colorful.

I love that it moves in really unexpected ways.

So I'm going to hold this in my hand because it really does make me smile when I look at it.

And I want you to focus in on your object, whether it's in your hand or across the room, or maybe even out a window and focus your energy and your eyes on that object and let's breathe together.

We're going to inhale through our nose (inhales) and on the exhale, I want you to go, ah (exhales) and smile that beautiful smile.

All right, let's do it three times together.

Here we go.

(inhales) Ah!

(inhales) Ah!

Last time.

(inhales) Ah!

Nice job.

Now we're ready to listen, focus, and learn from our story together.

>>Let's read a book!

>>Let's read the book Last Stop on Market Street.

This story is about a little boy named CJ and his nana taking a bus ride through town.

I truly love this book and I hope that you will too.

Last Stop on Market Street.

Words by Matt de la Pena.

Pictures by Christian Robinson.

(bus rumbling) CJ pushed through the church doors, skipped down the steps.

The outside air smelled like freedom, but it also smelled like rain which freckled CJ's shirt and dripped down his nose.

He ducked under his nana's umbrella saying, "How come we got to wait for the bus in all this wet?"

"Trees get thirsty too," nana told him, "don't you see that big one drinking through a straw?"

CJ looked for a long time, but never saw a straw.

Do you see the straw?

I think nana is talking about this beautiful tree trunk that through its roots underground is drinking up all that rainwater (slurps) to help its leaves grow beautiful and green.

From the bus stop, he watched water pool on flower pedals, watched rain patter against the windshield of a nearby car.

His friend Colby climbed in, gave CJ a wave, and drove off with his dad.

"Nana, how come we don't got a car?"

"Boy.

what do we need a car for?

We got a bus that breathes fire and old Mr. Dennis, who always has a trick for you."

The bus creaked to a stop in front of them.

It sighed and sagged and the doors swung open.

Friends, what does nana mean when she says we've got a bus that breathes fire?

Do you see the dragon on the side of the bus?

And it's actually breathing fire!

but I think she might also mean that the bus breathes fire as it chugs down the road.

Have you ever been near a bus when it starts up and starts rolling down the road and it kind of (sighs) has that big exhaust sound?

I wonder if she might be talking about that.

"What's that I see?"

Mr. Dennis asked.

He pulled a coin from behind CJ's ear, placed it in his palm.

Nana laughed her deep laugh and pushed CJ along.

They sat right up front.

The man across the way was tuning a guitar.

An old woman with curlers had butterflies in a jar.

Nana gave everyone a great big smile and a "good afternoon."

She made sure CJ did the same.

The bus lurched forward and stopped, lurched forward and stopped.

Nana hummed as she knit.

"How come we always got to go here after church?"

CJ said, "Miguel and Colby never have to go nowhere."

"I feel sorry for those boys," she told him.

"They'll never get a chance to meet Bobo or the sunglass man.

And I hear Trixie got herself a brand new hat."

CJ stared out the window feeling sorry for himself.

He watched cars zip by on either side, watched a group of boy hop curbs on bikes.

A man climbed a board with a spotted dog.

CJ gave up his seat.

"How come that man can't see?"

"Boy, what do you know about seeing?"

Nana told him.

"Some people watch the world with their ears."

"That's a fact.

They're noses too," the man said sniffing at the air.

"That's a mighty fine perfume you're wearing today ma'am."

Nana squeezed the man's hand and laughed her deep laugh.

Friends, what an interesting idea.

So this man is blind.

He has on his dark glasses, he has his walking stick and he has his guide dog that helps him navigate through the city.

And Nana tells CJ that some people watch the world with their ears.

How can you watch the world with your ears?

And the man says, "That's right.

Their noses too."

So with the blind man, his eyes can't see.

So he uses his other senses to tell him about the world around him.

He smells (sniffs) all the smells, and he uses his ears to tell him what's going on around him.

How wonderful.

Two older boys got on next.

CJ watched as they moved on by and stood in back.

"Mm, sure wish I had one of those," he said.

Nana set down her knitting.

"What for?

You got the real life things sitting across from you.

Why don't you ask the man if he'll play us a song?"

CJ didn't have to.

The guitar player was already plucking strings and beginning to sing.

"To feel the magic of music," (guitar strumming) the blind man whispered, "I like to close my eyes."

Nana closed hers too.

So did CJ and the spotted dog.

And in the darkness, the rhythm lifted CJ out of the bus, out of the busy city.

He saw sunset colors swirling over crashing waves, saw a family of hawks slicing through the sky, saw the old woman's butterflies dancing free in the light of the moon.

CJ's chest grew full and he was lost in the sound, and the sound gave him the feeling of magic.

Hmm.

I love the way the page makes me feel with the illustrations and the description of how, when CJ closes his eyes, the rhythm and magic of the music transports him out of the bus and into his imagination.

Oh, how wonderful.

The song ended and see CJ opened his eyes.

Everyone on the bus clapped, even the boys in back.

Nana glanced at the coin in CJ's palm.

CJ dropped it in the man's hat.

(coin clinks) "Last Stop on Market Street!"

Mr. Dennis called.

CJ looked around as he stepped off the bus, crumbling sidewalks and broken down doors, graffiti tagged windows and boarded up stores.

He reached for his nana's hand.

"How come it's always so dirty over here?"

She smiled and pointed to the sky.

"Sometimes when you're surrounded by dirt, CJ, you're a better witness for what's beautiful."

CJ saw the perfect rainbow arching over their soup kitchen.

He wondered how his nana always found beautiful where he never even thought to look.

He looked all around them again at the bus rounding the corner out of sight and the broken street lamps still lit up bright and the stray cat shadows moving across the wall.

I think CJ is really starting to know how to find the beauty, even when things aren't perfect all around him.

When he spotted their familiar faces in the window, he said, "I'm glad we came."

Friends, can you see Trixie with her brand new hat and the sunglass man, and maybe this is Bobo standing with them and waving to Nana and CJ?

He thought his nana might laugh her deep laugh, but she didn't.

She patted him on the head and told him, "Me too, CJ.

Now come on."

Friends, can you find CJ and his nana in this picture?

I think they're over here and they are serving food to other members of their community.

So nana has this wonderful way of pointing out all of these beautiful things around them.

And then at the end of the book, we find out that they're headed to a place where they can be sharing food with members in their community.

What more beautiful thing could they be doing than sharing their time with others to help people.

I love this story and it truly inspires me to look around, especially on the days when I'm kind of grumpy, to look around and see the beauty and the little pieces of perfection everywhere even on the rainy days, even on the grumpy days.

And then for nana to not only see the beauty, but then share that beauty with others.

How wonderful.

It truly inspires me to do that.

And I hope it inspires you too.

>>You are a beautiful learner.

>>Thanks so much for taking a ride with us today.

>>We were so thrilled to have you with us.

And we learned so many new things.

Now, remember what we always say about learning new things?

Repeat after us.

I am brave.

>>I am curious.

>>I am strong because I can do hard things.

>>(together) I am a beautiful learner.

>>And yes you are.

All right friends.

We will see you next time.

(instruments strumming) ♪ Come play with me ♪ ♪ Won't you come play with me ♪ ♪ Come on, come on, come on ♪ ♪ Come play music with me.

♪ ♪ We're gonna sing, yes ♪ ♪ And we're gonna dance ♪ ♪ We're gonna learn to play some instruments ♪ ♪ Oh, and come play with me ♪ ♪ Won't you come play with me ♪ ♪ Come on, come on, come on ♪ ♪ Come play music with me.

♪ ♪ We're gonna sing, yes ♪ ♪ And we're gonna dance ♪ ♪ We're gonna learn to play some instruments ♪ ♪ Oh, and come play with me ♪ ♪ Won't you come play with me ♪ ♪ Come on, come on, come on, ♪ ♪ Come play music with me ♪ (happy music)