‘Daisy Digs It’ and the power of song

Inspired by my work as an early years music specialist, I'm on a mission to write songs that are catchy, relatable, singable and fun!

Daisy digs it, Daisy digs it
She digs it where the earth goes down!

Last year, I introduced the musical preschool series my sister, Polly, and I have been developing with King Bee Animation in this blog post.

Daisy Digs It is about a little girl who loves singing, digging and finding out about the world. The show is inspired by my work as an early years music specialist – as well as my passion for outdoor learning – and it’s packed with children’s songs that are catchy, relatable, singable and fun.

What makes a great children’s song?

A relatable theme? A catchy tune? An unforgettable hook?

The answer is all these and more. Children love songs they can relate to and join in with. They enjoy clever wordplay and the opportunity to get up and dance. But they also respond to music that makes them feel things – happy, sad, excited, contemplative, joyful, crazy, inspired. 

And, of course, they make their own music by singing and playing to themselves or with their friends and families and by responding musically to what they see and hear around them – what they recognise

And that will be different for every child.    

A woebegone worm missing his home under the ground

The first Daisy Digs It songs spilled out of me one hot Summer. As I lay in my hammock, I would immerse myself in different musical styles – Motown, ska, disco, rap – and think about the kinds of characters Daisy might meet.

  • Romanian gypsy music? A woebegone worm missing his home under the ground
  • Brazilian samba? A bossy mama duck shepherding her babies down to the pond
  • Trinidadian calypso? A daddy pig watching his piglets scramble over each other to get to the trough
  • Songs from the musicals? A lonely lunar module pining for her astronaut friends

The music suggested the characters and the characters suggested the songs – which kind of wrote themselves.

This ongoing process is at the heart of Daisy Digs It. Great songs with catchy tunes and hook lines reflecting the diversity of people and music across the world. Songs you can recognise yourself in. Songs you can ‘dig’ like Daisy!