BALOO'S BUGLE

BALOO'S BUGLE - (September 2016 RT / October 2016 Prog Ideas) Page 22
Assistant RTC can receive is, "I used that
ones who know what plays best at your District's
ceremony (song, skit, cheer) you demonstrated Roundtable.
last month and the boys loved it. Thanks for It is important that we keep demonstrating these
your help. Your demonstration gave me the things or soon everyone (All generalizations are
confidence to do it back in the unit." Pizzazz false, including this one) will be having blasé Pack
does help retention of Leaders and Youth.
Meetings. Leaders will forget or never learn what
HINT - Make sure you have a copy of everything pizzazz does for a Pack or Den Meeting.
you demonstrate (game, skit, song, cheer, stunt)
Now let's look a little at some of these –
for participants to bring home or they will forget it
Songs, Stunts, Cheers –
and never use it. Something one of my RT
Songs and sparklers should be included as part of
mentors said became the credo for my RTs:
every roundtable and every Pack Meeting.
You will receive a copy of everything Knowing how to lead a song is an important skill
demonstrated here at RT to take home. for CS Leaders to have.
Otherwise it was just entertainment and Morale features (songs, jokes, cheers, stunts)
there are better shows on TV and you have should be interjected anytime the audience
better things to do than watch us.
becomes restless, bored, or shows other signs that
a change of pace is necessary.
Let's look at another reason:
All songs and sparklers must follow the "Positive
One of my favorite promo RT sayings is:
Values" guidelines and should not include putdowns
or negativity.
Use and teach the song-leading tips in the Cub
Scout Songbook (explain, provide copies).
ROUNDTABLE – Where you get:
The WILL to do and
The SKILL to do
We demonstrate games, skits, songs, cheers and
stunts at RTs to show the Leaders how easy it is
to do. Getting in front of a group to lead a song or
cheer is not easy for many people. They need
encouragement. They need to be shown that it is
all right for an adult to "act like a 9 year old." So,
RTCs and Assistant RTCs demonstrate these
things to give confidence to the leaders.
Although, based on a survey of leaders, the
emphasis on them has been reduced in the 2016-
2017 CS RT PG, the Guide still calls for skits,
songs, cheers and stunts to be demonstrated to
show the leaders how to do it. Because of the
quality of the Pack Meeting plans (Prepped by a
Task Force lead by my friend Kim) and the Den
Meeting plans, it was felt that additional theme
related skits, songs, cheers and stunts were not
needed at RT. So, they provided items for the
Interest Topics.
However, on page 5 of the CS RT PG, it states:
"You may continue to emphasize the pack meeting
plans during your Roundtable as a helpful
resource." Your team (The ADC-RTs, you, the
CS RTC, and your Assistant RTCs) are the only
How to Lead a Song
From CS Songbook
Choose It. As the leader you must choose the
song that the group will sing. You want to be
certain that all songs chosen support the values
and ideals of Cub Scouting. You will also want to
choose a song that fits the program. Fast action
songs get the program off to a brisk start. Patriotic
songs add a note of dignity to the program. At the
end of the program, slower closing songs can
leave every one calm and thoughtful.
Know It. The song leader should know the
song—both words and tune—before leading it.
Learn the song, then practice before the meeting
by teaching the song to your family or to the pack
committee members at the monthly pack planning
meeting.
Teach It. Start by telling your audience the name
of the song. Unless you are certain that everyone
in the group knows the song, you need to teach
both the words and the tune. You may wish to
provide copies of the words. Use songbooks,
reproduced song sheets, or words on a large sheet
of paper or overhead projector.