Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic

Discoveries of a Pop Music Archaeologist

Category: Music in physical education

"Doin' My Thing"
Zeroto180

The Klacker-King Song — “Outlaw Bubblegum” on Rotten Rat Records

Before the “klacker toy” had been banned by federal authorities, a New York City-area beat group with two 45 releases under its belt, The 8th Wonders of the World, seized an opportunity to record a song of praise for the dangerously hyperkinetic play object marketed squarely at the teenybopper demographic.

Read More »
"The Wonderball"
Zeroto180

“Wonderball”: Musically Reborn!

Do you remember playing a “hot potato” game as a young child called “The Wonderball” in which a ball is passed from person to person, while a rhyming passage is recited aloud, and you try to avoid being the last to hold it?  More importantly, do you recall a melody

Read More »
"Hipster"
Zeroto180

“Hipster”: That You, Mr. Brinson?

I’m surprised there aren’t more web pages that pay tribute to Julius Brinson, gym teacher extraordinaire, whose boundless energy and relentless good cheer have brightened countless days for the students, parents, and fellow staff of Sligo Creek Elementary School. It’s no secret that Mr. Brinson is rather adept at mixing

Read More »
"Recess"
Zeroto180

The Musical Equivalent of Recess

Amen Corner is one group who has managed to capture the joy of unstructured play time at school — that midday break known as “Recess“: “Recess” Amen Corner (1969) This song has particular meaning for this PTA parent who heads up a Recess Committee as a collective effort to improve

Read More »
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
Zeroto180

Ambrose Brazelton: Fab Four as Force for Fitness

In a noble attempt to leverage the Beatles’ massive popularity on behalf of making kids more physically fit all across America, Ambrose Brazelton – a lifelong educator and former Director of Health, Physical Education & Recreation for the Ohio public school system – went into a NYC recording studio in

Read More »
All Categories
Archives