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Fischy Music - These are our Emotions - You can hold on
5. You can hold on
Where does it fit in?
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S.E.A.L. topic
“I understand that how I express my feelings can have a significant impact on other people
and what happens to me”
Theme
This song explores times when we feel sad and angry, when someone has done something that has
hurt us. The lyrics suggest that we can either hold on to the feeling of hurt, sadness or some other
emotion, or we can let go which, although extremely challenging, can lead to increased well-being.
Teaching the song...
‘You can hold on’ works well with two groups doing call and response in the first two lines of the
chorus, and everyone joining together to sing the last line ‘You can hold on to the feeling, or you can
let go’.
If you are using the sheet music, humming the guitar tune at the beginning of the song is a good way
to create a reflective atmosphere.
Start by singing the first two lines of the chorus with children echoing what you sing.
Now teach the last two lines of the chorus - going straight from the second to the third line takes a
couple of practices, as the third line comes in straight after the call and response section.
It works best for one person to sing the verses and the children listen. There are some dramatic signs
for the verses that all the children could learn if you have enough time.
©Fischy Music 2010
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Fischy Music - These are our Emotions - You can hold on
Ideas
5 – 7’s
• Watch a clip from ‘Shrek’ and discuss how Shrek reacts to people who try to hurt him. Does
he try to get back at them? Find other DVD’s that portray a ‘goody’ getting back at a ‘baddy’.
• Think of a time when you have had a splinter in your hand: although you want to get the
splinter out, you may be reluctant to let someone squeeze and pick at the sore area. It may
hurt to remove it but it is far better when the splinter has gone. Then make the analogy with
negative feelings, and how we feel better when we are brave and ‘let them go’.
8-11’s
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Play a clip from one of the Star Wars films silently with the Fischy song “You can hold on”
playing. (A good one is a battle scene from ‘Revenge of the Sith’ (chapter 5 11:07 - 13:58).
Do the children know the story of the Star Wars movies? Discuss how Darth Vader went over
to the Dark Side himself. All six films are based around the battles between the ‘goodies’
(Jedi knights) and the dark side, headed up by Darth Vader, a dark lord who turns out to
have been a Jedi turned bad. Darth Vader had been a Jedi knight, Anakin, but was turned evil
by holding on to the anger he felt after the death of his mother. If you and the children know
the Star Wars movies well, have a Star Wars quiz. Discuss how Anakin held on to bitterness
until it destroyed him - and also destroyed many others along the way. Although it is a
science fiction film, is there any truth to be learned from it? Can holding on to anger/hurt
really cause that much devastation? If the Star Wars analogy works, use a final clip from
Yoda in ‘Revenge of the Sith’ Ch.10 32:35 to 33:19 explaining how important it is to let go.
Since forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian message, it would be appropriate to use a
bible story to illustrate the point. Do a dramatic version of Matthew Chapter 18 v 35, a story
Jesus told about a man who owed a king millions of pounds. The king excuses the man’s
debt, but then the same man goes out and won’t excuse the debt of a man who owes him
hardly anything. Discuss why Jesus told that story:
When we do not forgive the people who hurt us we are like the first man
a. We forget just how much we hurt people and how we depend on others forgiving
us.
b. We all let each other down and hurt one another. No one is perfect. We all need
forgiveness.
Set up a panel game called the “Forgiveness Factor”. Give the panelists (each table of
children could represent a panelist) 2 cards with “hold on” or “let go“ written on the cards.
Give the panelists the 3 scenarios below. After hearing each they must decide as a group
whether or not the injured party should hold on or let go, and show the card!
©Fischy Music 2010
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Fischy Music - These are our Emotions - You can hold on
Story 1: Your sister borrows your bike without asking. She left it in the middle of the road
and your dad drove over it. She is ALWAYS borrowing your stuff without asking and she
never replaces it. Since Christmas she has done it 70 times. What should you do?
Story 2: It’s not fair. Your dad likes your brother better than you. He always gives him new
stuff and you just get hand-me-downs. He got this great brand new Helly Hansen jacket last
week. And Dad is always talking about him. Joe this, Joe that! Dad never notices any of the
clever stuff you do. Plus, Joe is always letting you know how special he is. You and the rest of
the family are on your own with Joe today. Dad is miles away. It would be so good to just
drop him down a hole and leave him. That would teach him a lesson. What should you do?
Story 3: It’s not fair. My mum died when I was little and my step-brothers hated my guts.
They dropped me down a hole one day and left me. Then I got taken away by some child
traffickers to be a slave in another country. I kid you not! I won’t even begin to tell you what
happened there, but I ended up in prison and it wasn’t my fault. Then I got lucky and got a
good job. Weird though, years later, after all of this my brothers turned up at my job, looking
for help! What should I do?
©Fischy Music 2010