Brand New! We at Mental Note Music are gratified to have
completed what may be the most important CD we ever produce--Character Rocks!
We believe strongly both in the principles taught in this disc, and in the importance of
teaching these basics of ethical living in a way kids understand and enjoy.

These songs are great for students elementary through jr. high, and beyond.

Click on the titles below to hear RealAudio samples of the songs,
or click here to download an mp3 containing a portion of each song.

RealAudio clips are of low quality so that they'll play more quickly. Clips should not take long to start, depending on your connection speed.
The mp3 will have close to full-quality sound. The file is about 4mb, and will take a few minutes to download.
 
 

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Character
Words and music by Todd Hawkins

Do we need another person who
sees a line and pushes through
Lies and fights to get his way
Ignores what others have to say?

Six billion people, do we need
another saying "me, me, me"?
If we put aside our greed
we can build a world of peace

Who needs character? We all do!
I'm working on me, we need it from you!
Who needs character? We all do!
It's not what you say, but what you do
Who needs character? We all do!
Stand up, be strong, be one of the few
We're all better off when we realize
everything we do affects other lives
So be courageous, fair, kind, and true
Treat others the way you want them to treat you!

What we need are lots of people who
know and do what's right to do
Who see a problem, try to find
not what's easy, but what's right

Six billion people, do we need
to work on popularity?
It's more than personality,
character is what we need!

Who needs character? We all do!
It's not just personality
Who needs character? We all do!
It's who you are when no one sees

We're all better off...
 

 Kindness
Words and music by Todd Hawkins

Sometimes it's as easy as a smile
Sometimes itís a favor that can take you quite a while
It's easy showing kindness to a friend
It's fun being kind to someone you may never see again

I will show kindness
To someone whoís had it rough
I will show kindness
To someone whoís hard to love
I will show kindness
I will make somebody's day
Kindness in the things I do and say

Being kind is fun, can't you see?
It feels so good when someoneís happy 'cause of me
So find a grumpy person, make their day
The world can use more kindness, and you can show the way!
 

 Respect
Words and music by Todd Hawkins

Youíve got to give it
If you want to earn it
Respect is to recognize someoneís worth
And youíve got to learn it!

Basic respect belongs to everyone in the world
It's not earned, you owe it to every man, woman, boy and girl
All people have problems and faults, and sometimes they're strange
To show respect, understand and protect their right to be that way

Youíve got to give it
If you want to earn it
Respect is to recognize someone's worth
And youíve got to learn it!

Another kind of respect is respect for position
Itís obeying your parents, your teachers, policemen
Obeying though you, with your few years of living
May not think you need the advice theyíre givin'

Youíve got to give it
If you want to earn it
Respect is to recognize someone's worth
And you've got to learn it!
 

 Diligence
Words and music by Thom Miller

Who are the people that we can count on
To do the things that need to be done
Who are the people that always works hard
And earn respect from others for their diligence?

They don't let challenges stand in their way
They're not the type of people who procrastinate
Working to achieve their goals and striving for excellence
Anything worth doingís worth doing with diligence

Diligence is working hard to do your best
Diligence can make you proud and bring you success
So work to achieve your goals and strive for excellence
We've all got the will to win
It takes the will to prepare to winódiligence!

Donít give up, try again
Whether you lose or winódiligence!
 

Responsibility
Words and music by Thom Miller

I take responsibility
For the things I do
I know if I don't do my part
It makes things harder on you.

I know I am responsible
For the choices that I make
So when I mess  up, I need to fess up
And learn from my mistakes

But when I do
What I know is expected of me, I see
I earn respect from others
As a person of responsibility

Following through on our commitments
And being dependable
Helps us know we can count on each other
For the jobs we're expected to do

As I earn respect
I earn better opportunities, to be
The best I can be
As a person of responsibility

 Courage
Words and music by Thom Miller

Choosing to do what you believe is the right thing to do
That's courage!
Being determined to follow your heart
Even when others donít agree with you
It's an inner strength when the choice is clear
To hold to your beliefs or to face your fears
You can win the respect of your peers
Follow your conscience and show youíve got courage!

It isnít always easy, it's pretty tough
To stand your ground when enough is enough
Are you made of that courageous stuff?
If you stand tall, you can rise above
Follow your conscience and show you've got courage!

 Integrity
Words and music by Todd Hawkins

Sometimes you may not wanna play by the rules
If you cheat, you can't win, even if you don't lose
Nobody wants to play if the game's not fair
Cheaters ruin things for people everywhere

Things would be cheaper if it weren't for cheaters
School is more strict 'cause some lie to their teachers
People keep cheating, make it hard for us
To be trusted by others and to know who to trust

Value justice
Never cheat
Keep your word
Integrity

Keep your standards high
Your conscience clean
Tell the whole truth
Integrity
 

 Trustworthiness
Words and music by Thom Miller

Trustworthiness means people can depend on you
Trustworthiness means you do what you say you will do
To be a person who is worthy of trust
Integrity and honesty are a must
You've got to be sincere and tell the truth because
Thatís what it takes to be a person people can trust
Trustworthiness

Trust isnít something that we're given
It's something that we earn
Trust takes a long long time to build,
But it only takes one lie to burn

Being honest and admitting when we are wrong
Is how people tell our character is strong
So always be sincere and tell the truth because
Thatís what it takes to be a person people can trust
Trustworthiness