Listen to your favorite songs from the now-digital Cub Scout Songbook

If you don’t know an octave from a treble clef, you might be a little intimidated by sheet music. Wouldn’t it be helpful if you could hear how a song goes?

Now you can listen to your favorite tunes featured in the revised Cub Scout Songbook. The book features a link to SoundCloud so you can hear each song. Songs like “God Bless The USA” and “America, the Beautiful”; fun songs like “Boom Chicka Boom” and “Do Your Ears Hang Low”; and many Scouting songs. It’s a perfect resource for leaders to build den and pack spirit and enthusiasm. You can get a hard copy of the Songbook at the Scout Shop.

Updating the Songbook

Hunter McDaniel, a singer-songwriter and Eagle Scout from Troop 2 in Naples, Fla., helped edit and record all 93 songs in the Songbook. Lyrics have been updated to align with BSA programs today.

“On top of the lyric editing, I also picked appropriate key signatures, wrote out every single chord for every song and recorded all of the songs with guitar and voice, so that leaders will have an audio reference to accompany the lyrics and chords on the page,” McDaniel says.

Bill and Barbara Coen are longtime Scouting volunteers in the Southwest Florida Council, Florida State University marching band alumni and Scouting mentors to McDaniel. Bill Coen had served as the Alligator District chairman when Anthony Berger, national director of Cub Scouting, began his Scouting career in the South Florida Council. Over the last two decades, the Coens and Berger have kept in touch. Berger knew the Coens’ connection to Florida State’s music program might help find a talented musician to revise the Songbook. McDaniel was the first person the Coens mentioned.

McDaniel joined as a Cub Scout in Pack 21, crossed over to Troop 2 and earned the Eagle Scout Award in 2014. He graduated from Florida State with a bachelor’s degree in music composition and theory.

Using his background in Scouting and musical expertise, McDaniel included helpful tips for Scouters, including guitar tabs written for every song and chords above certain words indicating when to change the chord.

“If there is no instrument around or the Scout or leader doesn’t play guitar or piano, they can simply sing along with the recording or lead the sing-along a cappella,” he says.

What else is in the Songbook

In addition to the song lyrics, the Songbook features tips on how to teach and lead Cub Scouts in a sing-a-long. It also explains why you should try incorporating a song or two into your next meeting agenda and how to choose the right songs. The recorded songs found in the Cub Scout SongBook are now available in ScoutBook’s Den Leader Experience for free under resources.