Teach With Honesty

[VERSE 1] [female voice]
Listing every fear I’ve got
Feels too much for me
Maybe there’s a better way
Teach with honesty

[VERSE 2] [male voice]
Giving pep talks to myself
That’s not quite healthy
Maybe there’s a better way
Teach with honesty

[CHORUS 1]
[female voice] Should practice what we preach, ooh, ooh
[male voice] Open speech, ooh, ooh
[female voice] Life’s a peach, ooh, ooh
[both voices] That’s how we’ll show them what they can do

[VERSE 3] [both voices]
Trying hard to stay on course
When we want to flee
Maybe there’s a better way
Teach with honesty

[VERSE 4] [female voice]
Clinging to these rigid rules
Can’t be our story
Maybe there’s a better way
Teach with honesty

[VERSE 5] [male voice]
Dodging Principal Shty Fler
Does not set me free
Maybe there’s a better way
Teach with honesty

[CHORUS 2]
[female voice] Keep our minds in the game, ooh, ooh
[male voice] Drop the shame, ooh, ooh
[female voice] Spark the flame, ooh, ooh
[both voices] That’s how we’ll teach them to trust what is true

[VERSE 6] [both voices]
Show our students how to stand
Help them grow and see
Maybe there’s a better way
Teach with honesty

Playful 1920s Broadway jazz duet in the style of vintage Tin Pan Alley and “Button Up Your Overcoat” (1928) by Ray Henderson. Light-hearted, flirtatious and witty with the charming chemistry and vocal style of Doris Day and Donald O'Connor. Medium uptempo foxtrot/swing feel, around 118–126 BPM. Vaudeville-inspired Broadway orchestration with stride piano, banjo, muted brass, clarinet, saxophones, tuba/upright bass and lively percussion. Features a coy back-and-forth between a middle-aged man and woman, full of teasing banter, playful interruptions, spoken asides and cheeky romantic tension. Warm vintage vocal tone with crisp comedic timing and expressive theatrical phrasing. Catchy call-and-response structure, bright ensemble-style harmonies in places, charming old-fashioned humour and a polished Jazz Age Broadway sound. Elegant Art Deco atmosphere, buoyant rhythm, sparkling orchestral fills and a fun, show-stopping finish.