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2nd Grade

Giddy Up, Little Horses

"Giddy Up, Little Horses" Lyrics, Text Format

Introducing syncopation, the dotted quarter, and a melody transitioning from a center of Mi to Do.

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Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: Tennessee, USA – Folk Song
  • Key: G Major
  • Time: 3/4
  • Form: ABaC
  • Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ta ta | ta ta ta |
    | ti ta/ ta | syncopation, | ta (ta) ti ti |
  • Pitches: beginners : Mi So La Do Re Mi – pentatonic scale
  • Intervals: intermediate: Do/Mi, Do\La, So\Mi, Mi/So, La/Do
  • Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; rest: quarter; pickup beat, vocal slur, syncopation; melody begins centered around the third (Mi) evoking a feeling of sadness during the first three phrases before ending on the true tonic (Do)
  • Key Words: moving west, country life, horses, hungry, eat, hay, pony, darling, feed, belongings, ride, lonely, cabin, home, courting song, contraction: ain’t (are not)

“Giddy Up, Little Horses” 
1.
 My horses ain’t hungry,
They won’t eat your hay,
So I’ll get on my pony,
I’m going away.
2.
 I know you’re my Polly,
I’m not going to stay,
So come with me, darling,
We’ll feed on our way.
3. With all our belongings,
We’ll ride till we come
To a lonely little cabin,
We’ll call our home.
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The Friendly Beasts

"The Friendly Beasts" Lyrics, Text Format

Excellent assessment of beginning level skills in second grade.

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Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: England – Christmas Carol
  • Key: F Major
  • Time: 3/4
  • Form: ABCD
  • Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta ta | ta/a ta | ta/a ti ti |
    | ta/a/a |
  • Pitches: beginners: Ti Do Re Mi FA So La
  • Intervals: beginners: Mi\Do/Mi, Mi\Ti, Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio, So\Mi, Re/Fa, Re\Ti
  • Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, quarter, eighth; common ending, 2\7/1, Re\Ti/Do; note: each phrase begins and ends on a pitch of the tonic triad
  • Key Words: world geography: England, Bethlehem; Bible story, birth of Jesus, sacred, Brother, humbly, born, stable, rude, friendly, beasts, around, stood, donkey, shaggy, carried, safely, cow, manger, pillow, sheep, curly horn sheep, wool, Christmas morn, dove, rafters, cooed, mate, animal science

 

 


“The Friendly Beasts” 
1.
 Jesus our Brother kind and good,
Was humbly born in a stable rude,
And the friendly beasts around Him stood.
Jesus your Brother, kind and good.
2.

“I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown,
“I carried his mother up-hill and down,
I carried her safely to Bethlehem town.”
“I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown.
3.

“I,” said the cow, all white and red,
“I gave him my manger for a bed,
I gave him my hay to pillow his head.”
“I,” said the cow, all white and red.
4.

“I,” said the sheep with the curly horn,
“I gave him my wool for a blanket warm,
He wore my coat on Christmas morn.”
“I,” said the sheep with the curly horn.
5.

“I,” said the dove from the rafters high,
“I cooed him to sleep so he would not cry,
We cooed him to sleep, my mate and I.”
“I,” said the dove from the rafters high.
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Father We Thank Thee

"Father We Thank Thee" Lyrics, Text Format

Lowered/natural subdominant (Fe), major sixth (So/Mi),
tonic and submediant arpeggios.

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Description
  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: USA – Quaker Hymn, music: D. Bachellor – words: Rebecca J. Weston
  • Key: B Flat Major
  • Time: 4/4
  • Form: ABAC
  • Rhythm: beginners: | ta ti ti ta ta | ta ti ti ta/a |
    | ti ti ti ti ta/a | ta ti ti ta ti ti |
  • Pitches: intermediate: Fe So La Ti Do Re Mi – lowered/natural subdominant (Fe)
  • Intervals: intermediate: So\Fe/So, So/Mi (M6), Mi\Do\La descending submediant arpeggio (vi, Gm), La/Do, Re\So, So/Do/Mi ascending tonic arpeggio (I, Bb)
  • Musical Elements: notes: half, quarter, eighth; accidental: natural subdominant (Fe), tonic arpeggio, submediant arpeggio
  • Key Words: USA, sacred, hymn, Quakers, Lord, God, Father, Thee, night, pleasant, morning, rest, food, loving care, world, fair, should, loving

 


“Father We Thank Thee” 
1.
 Father, we thank Thee for the night,
And for the pleasant morning light.
For rest and food and loving care,
And all that makes the world so fair.
2.
 Help us to do the things we should,
To be to others kind and good;
In all we do in work and play,
To grow more loving everyday.
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Ev’rybody’s Welcome

"Ev'rybody's Welcome" Lyrics, Text Format

Skipping dotted eighth rhythms contrasted with straight eighths.

 

Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: Tennessee, USA – Folk Song
  • Key: G Major
  • Time: 2/4
  • Form: ABCD
  • Rhythm: intermediate: | ti/ ri t/ ri | ta ti ti |
    | ta ta | ta/a |
  • Pitches: intermediate: So La Do Re Mi So – pentatonic scale
  • Intervals: intermediate: Do\So, So/Do, Do/Mi, Mi\Do, Do/So, So\Mi, Mi/So, So\Do, Do\La, So/So ascending dominate octave skip
  • Musical Elements: notes: half, quarter, dotted eighth, sixteenth; vocal slur, ascending dominate octave skip; note: last staff is a combination of the third and second staves
  • Key Words: sacred/secular, welcome song, Tennessee, hallelujah; abbreviation: ev’rybody’s (everybody is)



“Ev’rybody’s Welcome”

Ev’rebody’s welcome, yes, yes, welcome!
Ev’rybody’s welcome, come along and go.
Oh, glory hallelujah!
Oh, glory, come along and go.
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Eh Soom Boo Kawaya

"Eh Soom Boo Kawaya" Lyrics, Text Format

Excellent introduction to syncopation!

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Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: Nigeria
  • Key: G Major
  • Time: 4/4
  • Form: AABCD
  • Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ta ti ta ta |
    | ti ta ti ta (ti) ti | ta/a ta/a |
  • Pitches: beginners: So Ti Do Re Mi Fa
  • Intervals: beginners: So/Do, Do\La
  • Musical Elements: notes: half, quarter, eighth; rests: quarter, eighth; syncopation, pickup beat
  • Key Words: Nigeria, geography, tribal chant


“Eh Soom Boo Kawaya”

 

Eh soom boo kawaya kedou, kadee.
Eh soom boo kawaya kedou, kadee.
Kedou, kedou, kedou, kadee.
Eh soom boo kawaya kedou, kadee.
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Early One Morning

"Early One Morning" Lyrics, Text Format

Arpeggios extend the vocal range and challenge pitch accuracy
before stepping down the major scale to rest.

 

Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: England – Folk Song
  • Key: F Major
  • Time: 2/4
  • Form: AaBC
  • Rhythm: intermediate: | ta ti ti | ti ti ti ti |
    | ti ti ta | ta/a |
  • Pitches: advanced: So Ti Do Re Mi Fa So La Do
  • Intervals: advanced: Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio, La\Fa, Fa\Re, Ti/Re, La\Fa\Re\Ti descending thirds, Re\So, So\Mi\Do descending tonic arpeggio, Do/Mi/So/Do complete ascending tonic arpeggio
  • Musical Elements: notes: half, quarter, eighth; arpeggios, stepping down the major scale, extending the vocal range
  • Key Words: England, earth science, changing seasons, morning, risen, gaily, south, blowing, growing, herald, Spring, autumn, afternoon, setting, pipe a song, farewell, cold

 


“Early One Morning” 
1.

Early one morning, before the sun had risen,
I heard a bluebird in the fields gaily sing.
“South winds are blowing,
Green grass is growing,
We come to herald the merry Spring.”
2.
 One autumn afternoon, just as the sun was setting,
I heard a bluebird on a tree pipe a song,
“Farewell! We’re going,
Cold winds are blowing,
But we’ll be back when the days grow long.”
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Do Your Ears Hang Low?

"Do Your Ears Hang Low?" Lyrics, Text Format

Third staff is a variation of the first staff using more notes of lesser value.

 

Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: USA – Traditional
  • Key: G Major
  • Time: 4/4
  • Form: rhythm: ABCD – pitches: ABaC
  • Rhythm: intermediate: | ta ta ta ti ti | ta/a ta/a |
    | ti ti ti ti ta ti ti | ti ti ti ri ti ti ti ti ti |
  • Pitches: intermediate: Mi Fa So La Do Re Mi
  • Intervals: beginners: Do\Mi, So\Mi, Mi/So/Do tonic arpeggio, Mi\Do
  • Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth; pickup beat, arpeggio
  • Key Words: nonsense song, ears, hang, wobble, to and fro, tie, knot, bow, toss, shoulder, Continental soldier; abbreviation: ’em (them)

 


“Do Your Ears Hang Low?”

 

Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie ’em in a knot?
Can you tie ’em in a bow?
Can you toss ’em over your shoulder
like a Continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?

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Down at the Station

"Down at the Station" Lyrics, Text Format

Dotted eight syncopation, tonic arpeggio, and, a major sixth.

 

Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: USA – Traditional
  • Key: F Major
  • Time: 2/4
  • Form: ABAC
  • Rhythm: intermediate: | ta ti/ ri | syncopation,
    | ta ta | ti/ ri ti/ ri | syncopation, | ta/a |
  • Pitches: beginners: So Do Re Mi Fa So
  • Intervals: intermediate: Mi\Do\So descending tonic arpeggio, So/Mi (M6), So\Mi, Mi\Do, Do/So,
    So8\Re/So8, So8\Do
  • Musical Elements: notes: half, quarter, dotted eighth, sixteenth; syncopation, tonic arpeggio, minor sixth (So/Mi)
  • Key Words: railroad, train station, train engine, puffer bellies, coal engine, morning, engine driver, chug, woo


“Down at the Station” 

Down at the station, early in the morning,
See the little puffer bellies all in a row.
See the engine driver pull the little handle.
Chug! Chug! Woo! Woo! Off they go.
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Circle ‘Round the Zero

"Circle 'Round the Zero" Lyrics, Text Format

Extending the vocal range with a circle game song.

Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: USA – Traditional Playground Song
  • Key: G Major
  • Time: 4/4
  • Form: ABCD
  • Rhythm: beginners: | ti ti ti ti ti ti (ta) |
    | ta ta ti ti (ta) |
  • Pitches: intermediate: La Do Re Mi So La Do – pentatonic scale, more than an octave range
  • Intervals: intermediate: So/Do8, Do8\So, So\Mi, Mi/Do, Do\La, La/Do
  • Musical Elements: notes: quarter, eighth; rest: quarter, each fourth beat is a quarter rest
  • Key Words: playground song, circle game, front, back, side, zero; abbreviations: ’round (around), lovin’ (loving)

 


“Circle ‘Round the Zero” 

Circle ’round the zero,
Find your lovin’ zero,
Back, back zero,
Side, side zero,
Front, front zero,
Tap your lovin’ zero.
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Christmas Is Coming

"Christmas Is Coming" Lyrics, Text Format

Tonic and dominate octave skips, syncopation, and tonic arpeggios will challenge you best readers.

Description

  • Grade: Second
  • Origin: English Folk Song
  • Key: C Major
  • Time: 4/4
  • Form: ABCaBC
  • Rhythm: intermediate: | ta ti ti ti ta ti | syncopation, | ti ti ti ti ta (ta) | ti/ ri ti ti ti ti ti ti |
    | ta ta ta ti ti | ti ti ti ti ta ti ti | ta ti ti ta ti ti |
  • Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do
  • Intervals: advanced: Do\So, So/Do, Do\Do descending tonic octave skip, Mi\Do, Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio, Do/Do ascending tonic octave skip, Do\So\Mi ascending tonic arpeggio, So\Do, vocal slur
  • Musical Elements: notes: quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; rest: quarter; tonic and dominate octave skips, tonic arpeggios, syncopation
  • Key Words: sacred, holiday season, Christmas, giving season, God, goose, penny, please, getting; abbreviation: haven’t (have not), possessive: man’s, contraction: ha’penny (half penny)

 


“Christmas Is Coming” 

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.
Please to put a penny in an old man’s hat.
Please to put a penny in an old man’s hat.
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you.
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you.
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