Lonesome Valley

Advanced syncopation, in 2/2 time (cut time), carried across the barline, triplets, and proper grammatical use of pronouns.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – African American Spiritual
Key: G Major
Time: 2/2 – advanced: cut time
Form: through composed
Rhythm: advanced: | ta/a/_|_a ti ti ti |
| ti ta/a_|_a ti ti/ ri | syncopation,
| ti-ti-ti ta/_|_a ti ti ti | triplet syncopation,
| ta/ ti | ti ta ti | syncopation – (_=tied note)
Pitches: intermediate: So La Do Re Mi So La – pentatonic scale
Intervals: intermediate: Do/Mi, Do\La/Do, Mi/So8, So8\Mi Do\So
Musical Elements: notes: whole, dotted half, half, dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; rest: quarter; cut time, pickup beat, triplet, tied notes, vocal slur, phrases beginning on the second half of the first beat (and of 1) and the second beat
Key Words: USA history, African American history, spiritual, sacred, Jesus, Bible Story, Jesus, walked, lonesome, valley, walk; pronouns: He, Him, Himself, you, yourself, yourselves, we, us, ourselves – note the capitalization when referencing Jesus

**“Lonesome Valley”**

		1.	Jesus walked this lonesome valley, He had to walk it by Himself, Oh, nobody else could walk it for Him. He had to walk it for Himself.
		2.	We must walk this lonesome valley, We have to walk it by ourselves, Oh, nobody else can walk it for us. We have to walk it for ourselves
		3.	You must go and stand your trial, You have to stand it by yourselves, Oh, nobody else can stand it for you. You have to stand it for yourself.

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Let Us Sing Together

Syncopation: second half of the first and second beats
(& of 1, & of 2), sharped tonic Di, and arpeggios built
on the tonic (Do) F, and the sub-dominate (Fa) C7.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: Czech Republic – Round
Key: F Major
Time: 4/4
Form: ABC
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ti ta ta | ta ta ta ta |
| ti ta ti ta/a | syncopation, | ta/ ti ta ta | syncopation, | ta/ ti ta/a | syncopation
Pitches: intermediate: So La Ti Do Di Re Mi Fa So – raised/sharped tonic Di
Intervals: advanced: Ti/Re, Do/Mi, Mi\So\Do descending tonic arpeggio (F), So/Fa (m7), Fa\Re\Ti\So descending sub-dominate arpeggio (C7), Fa\Re/Fa, Mi\Do, Re\Di, Re\Do
Musical Elements: notes: half, dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; raised tonic Di, tonic arpeggio, sub-dominate arpeggio, minor seventh interval, three part round, singing in parts, syncopation: second half of the first and second beats (& of 1, & of 2)
Key Words: world geography: Czech Republic – formerly Czechoslovakia, singing a three part round, singing together, camp song, joyous, together

**“Let Us Sing Together”**
Let us sing together, Let us sing together, One and all a joyous song. Let us sing together, One and all a joyous song. Let us sing again and again, Let us sing again and again, Let us sing again and again, One and all a joyous song.

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Jubilee

Beginners syncopation with the pentatonic scale,
arpeggios built on the tonic (Do) and the sixth (La),
while contrasting straight and syncopated rhythms.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA, Kentucky – Play Song
Key: F Major
Time: 2/4
Form: staves: ABACD – song: AB, verse/refrain
Rhythm: beginners: | ti ti ti/ ri | syncopation,
| ti ti ta | ta/a | ti/ ri ta | syncopation
Pitches: beginners: La Do Re Mi So La – pentatonic scale
Intervals: intermediate: Mi/So, La8\Mi, Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio, Do\La/Do, Mi\Do\La descending vi arpeggio (Dm), La/Mi, La/Do
Musical Elements: notes: half, quarter, dotted eighth, eighth; tonic arpeggio, vi arpeggio (Dm), contrasting straight rhythms to dotted syncopated rhythms (measures 1/3, 5/7, and 9-12), verse/refrain
Key Words: USA history, USA geography: Kentucky, jubilee (50th anniversary), dance tune, jubilee dance, railroad, hard work, farm work, easy work, horse, rocky road, true love, arm, half a chance, up and down, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, contractions: I’d (I would), they’ll (they will); abbreviations: swingin’ (swinging), crawlin’ crawling), darlin’ (darling); homonym: see/sea

**“Jubilee”**

	1.	All out on the old railroad, All out on the sea; All out on the old railroad, Far as I can see.
		Refrain:
		Swing and turn, Jubilee, Live and learn, Jubilee.
	2.	Hardest work I ever done, Working on the farm. Easiest work I ever done was Swingin’ my true love’s arm.
		Refrain
	3.	If I had no horse at all, I’d be found a-crawlin’, Up and down this rocky road, Lookin’ for my darlin’.
		Refrain
	4.	Some will come on Saturday night, Some will come on Sunday; If you give ’em half a chance, They’ll be back on Monday.
		Refrain

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I’ve Been Working on the Railroad

Advanced syncopation, advanced intervals, triplets, repeated
melodic rhythm patterns, and the raised/sharped tonic (Di)
makes this popular folk song fun and challenging.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – Folk Song, cir. 1894 Princeton University
Key: G Major
Time: 4/4
Form: by page: 1-A, 2-BC, 3-D; song: ABCD
Rhythm: advanced: | ta/ ti ti/ ri ti/ ri | syncopation,
| ta/a ta/a | ta/ ti ta ta | syncopation, | ta/a/a (ta) |
| ta/a ta ti/ ri | syncopation, | ta ti/ ri ti/ ri ti/ ri | syncopation, | ti/ ri ti/ ri ta ta | syncopation,
| ta ta ta/a | ta ta ta ta | ta/a ta/a |
| ti/ ri ti/ ri ti ti ta | syncopation, | ta/a/a/a |
| ti-ti-ti ta ta/a | triplets, | ta ta ti-ti-ti ta | triplets,
| ti ti ti ti ta ta |
Pitches: advanced: So La Ti Do Di Re Mi Fa So La – raised/sharped tonic (Di), extended range
Intervals: advanced: Do\So/Do, Mi\Do, Do/Fa, Fa\Do, Re\Di/Re, So/Fa, Mi\La, Do\La, Do/Mi, So/Do, La/Re, Re\Ti, Mi\Do\So descending tonic arpeggio, So/Do/Mi ascending tonic arpeggio, Fa/La8
Musical Elements: notes: whole, dotted half, half, dotted quarter, quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; rest: quarter; repeated melodic rhythm patterns, advanced syncopation, vocal slurs, triplets
Key Words: USA history, glee club song, Princeton University, work song, railroad, live-long, pass time away, whistle, blowing, rise up, morn, captain, shouting, blow your horn, kitchen, strumming, banjo; contractions: I’ve (I have), don’t (do not), someone’s (someone is); abbreviation: strummin’ (strumming)

**“I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”**

	I’ve been working on the railroad, All the live-long day; I’ve been working on the railroad, Just to pass the time away. Don’t you hear the whistle blowing? Rise up so early in the morn. Don’t you hear the captain shouting: “Dinah, blow your horn!”

	Dinah, won’t you blow, Dinah, won’t you blow, Dinah, won’t you blow your horn? Dinah, won’t you blow, Dinah, won’t you blow, Dinah, won’t you blow your horn?

	Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah, Someone’s in the kitchen I know. Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah, Strumming on the old banjo, and singing,

	Fee, fi, fiddly-i-o, Fee, fi, fiddly-i-o, Fee, fi, fiddly-i-o, Strummin’ on the old banjo.

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In the Good Old Summertime

Chorus from the original song; long phrases, changing emphasis
from the first beat to the second beat in 3/4 time.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – words: Ren Shields – music: George Evans – cir. 1902
Key: B flat Major
Time: 3/4
Form: phrases: ABCD
Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta/a| ta/a/a_|_a ta ta |
| ta/a ta | ta/a/a_|_a/a/a | ta/a/a_|_a (ta) ta |
| ta ta ta | (_|_=tied across barline)
Pitches: beginners: Mi So La Do Re Mi – pentatonic scale
Intervals: intermediate: So\Mi, Mi/So/Do/Mi8ascending tonic arpeggio, Do\La, So\Mi, Re\So, La/Do, Do\So
Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, quarter, eighth; rest: quarter; pickup beat, tied notes, long phrases, tonic arpeggio, pentatonic scale
Key Words: USA history, Tim Pan Alley, USA geography: New York, New York, from the musical “The Defender,” summertime, strolling, shady lanes, baby mine, tootsey wootsey

**“In the Good Old Summertime”**
In the good old summer time, In the good old summer time, Strolling through the shady lanes with your baby mine. You hold her hand and she holds yours, and that’s a very good sign That she’s your tootsey wootsey in the good old summer time.

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I Love the Mountains

Three part round, two quarter beat syncopated rhythmic patterns;
the first stepping up the staff from Do to La.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – Traditional Round
Key: F Major
Time: 4/4
Form: rhythm: AAABB – pitches: ABCD
Rhythm: intermediate: | ta ti/ ri ta ta | syncopation,
| ti/ ri ti ti ti/ ri ti ti | syncopation
Pitches: intermediate: So La Ti Do Re Mi Fa So La
Intervals: intermediate: La/Re, So/Mi, Do/Fa, Ti/So8, Mi/La8, Re\So
Musical Elements: notes: quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; three part round, repeat signs, repeating melodic rhythm steps up the staff Do to La, syncopation; note the straight eights in the last phrase
Key Words: three part round, camp song, sing-a-long, mountains, rolling hills, flowers, daffodils, fireside, lights are low

**“I Love the Mountains”**
I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills, I love the flowers, I love the daffodils; I love the fireside when all the lights are low. Boom-dee-ah-da, Boom-dee-ah-da, Boom-dee-ah-da, Boom-dee-ah-da. Boom-dee-ah-da, Boom-dee-ah-da, Boom-dee-ah-da, Boom-dee-ah-da.

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Ifca’s Castle

Contrasting straight and dotted syncopation, expanding the vocal range while singing in parts, and practicing the intervals
of the tonic chord/arpeggio in voice and on xylophones.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: Czech Republic – Folk Song
Key: E flat Major
Time: 4/4
Form: rhythm: AABB – phrases/song: AB
Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta ta/ ti | dotted syncopation, | ti ti ti ti ti ti ta | straight syncopation
Pitches: advanced: So Do Re Mi Fa So Do
Intervals: intermediate: So/Do, Mi\Do, So8/Do8\So8, Mi/So\Mi, Do\So – all intervals of the tonic chord/arpeggio, E flat Major (Bb-Eb-G-Bb-Eb), or I (one)
Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; pickup beat, four part round, singing in parts, verse/refrain, recognizing the intervals associated with the I chord
Key Words: world geography: Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia – now the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic), plain, gold, green, young, plainly, swiftly, flowing, river, lifted, head, spires, instead, pleasure, grand, castle, deep, shade
Xylophones: intermediate: Letter Names Format is presented in G Major; practicing tonic chord intervals

Same song as “Above the Plain,” fifth grade, two parts.

**“Ifca’s Castle”**

	1.	Above the plain of gold and green, A young boy’s head is plainly seen;
		Refrain
		A huya, huya, huyaya, Swiftly flowing river; A huya, huya, huyaya, Swiftly flowing river.
	2.	But no, ’tis not his lifted head, ‘Tis Ifca’s castle spires instead.
		Refrain
	3.	For our pleasure it was made This grand old castle deep in shade.
		Refrain

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I Don’t Care if the Rain Comes Down

Two examples of syncopation, ascending and descending tonic arpeggios, and an ascending tonic octave skip make this a
perfect intermediate tune for voice, recorder, and keyboard.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – Folk Song – additional verses Jess Buice
Key: C Major
Time: 2/4
Form: staves: AaBb – song AB
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ti ri | syncopation,
| ti ti ta | ti ti ri ti ti | syncopation, | ta (ta) |
| ta ta | ti ri ti ri ta ta |
Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So Do
Intervals: intermediate: Do/Mi, So\Do, Do/Do ascending tonic octave skip, Do\So\Mi descending tonic arpeggio
Musical Elements: notes: quarter, eighth, sixteenth; rest: quarter; octave skip, tonic arpeggios, each line and phrase ends with a rest
Key Words: USA history, rainy day song, bad weather song: rain, sun, wind; dance all day, I don’t care, carry me away, shine, down; contractions: don’t (do not), I’m (I am), gonna (going to); abbreviation: ’round (around)
Recorder: intermediate: excellent for practicing the lower register: tonic (C) through the dominate (G), with an added tonic octave skip
Keyboard: intermediate: a five finger exercise with an octave skip

**“I Don’t Care if the Rain Comes Down”**

	1.	I don’t care if the rain comes down, I’m gonna dance all day, I don’t care if the rain comes down, I’m gonna dance all day.
		Refrain:
		Hey, hey carry me away, I’m gonna dance all day, Hey, hey carry me away, I’m gonna dance all day.
	2.	I don’t care if the sun don’t shine, I’m gonna dance all day, I don’t care if the sun don’t shine, I’m gonna dance all day.
		Refrain
	3.	I don’t care if the wind blows ’round, I’m gonna dance all day, I don’t care if the wind blows ’round, I’m gonna dance all day.
		Refrain
	4.	I don’t care if the weather’s bad, I’m gonna dance all day, I don’t care if the weather’s bad, I’m gonna dance all day.
		Refrain

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The Hunters of Kentucky

Syncopation, tonic arpeggios, and an interval of a minor seventh (m7).

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – Samuel Woodworth, 1821
Key: G Major
Time: 4/4
Form: AB – verse/refrain
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti | running eighth notes | ta/ ti ti ti (ti) ti | syncopation,
| ti ti ti ti ti ti (ta) | ti ti ti ti ti ta ti | syncopation
Pitches: intermediate: So La Ti Do Re Mi Fa So La
Intervals: advanced: So8\Mi\Do descending tonic arpeggio (I, G), Do\So (P4), So/Do-Do/Mi ascending tonic arpeggio (I,G), Mi/So8 (m3), Fa\Re/Fa (m3), Do\La (m3), So/Fa (m7), Re/So8 (P4), So8\Ti (m6)
Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; rests: quarter, eighth; pickup beat, verse/refrain, tonic arpeggios, running eighth notes, syncopation
Key Words: USA; Kentucky, New Orleans; gentlemen, grace, rehearse, ditty, opportunity, conceive, hardy, freeborn, race, stranger, chase, despising toil, danger, daring, foe, annoys, alligator horses, attempted, wince, schemes, repented, rifles, occasion, hue, sooty, brags, cotton bags, spite, greater, half a horse, half an alligator, vain, booty, wisely, danger, protect; Old English: Ye (you); contractions: ’tis (it is), we’ll (we will), you’ve (you have), there’s (there is), he’d (he would), ’twas (it was); abbreviations: e’er (ever), s’pose (suppose), cock’d (cocked), flock’d (flocked), fam’d (famed), ev’ry (every), wish’d (wished)
Recorder: intermediate: playing in G major, introducing F#, tonic arpeggios, syncopation

Packenham: Sir Edward Pakenham (1778–1815) Anglo-Irish Army Officer and Politician
Old Hickory Jackson: Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) was the seventh President of the United States (1829–1837)

**“The Hunters of Kentucky”**

	1.	Ye gentlemen and ladies fair who grace the famous city, Just listen if you’ve time to spare, while I rehearse a ditty; And for an opportunity, conceive yourselves quite lucky, For ’tis not often here you see a hunter from Kentucky.
		Refrain:
		Oh Kentucky, the hunters of Kentucky, Oh Kentucky, the hunters of Kentucky,
	2.	We are a hardy freeborn race, each man to fear a stranger. What e’er the game, we join the chase, despising toil and danger, And if a daring foe annoys, what e’er his strength and forces, We’ll show him that Kentucky boys are “alligator horses.”
		Refrain
	3.	I s’pose you’ve read it in the prints how Pakenham attempted To make Old Hick’ry Jackson wince, but soon his schemes repented; For we with rifles ready cock’d through such occasion lucky, And soon around the hero flock’d the hunters of Kentucky.
		Refrain
	4.	You’ve herd I s’pose how New Orleans is fam’d for wealth and beauty, There’s girls of ev’ry hue it seems, from snowy white to sooty; So Pakenham he made his brags, if he in fight was lucky, He’d have their girls and cotton bags, in spite of old Kentucky.
		Refrain
	5.	A bank was raised to hide ourselves, not that we thought of dying, But that we always like to rest, unless the game is flying; Behind it stood our little force-none wish’d it to be greater, For ev’ry man was half a horse and half an alligator.
		Refrain
	6.	They found at last ’twas vain to fight, where lead was all their booty, And so they wisely took a flight and left us all our beauty; And now if danger e’er annoys, remember what our trade is; Just send for us Kentucky boys, and we’ll protect you, ladies.
		Refrain

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Hop Up and Jump Up

Mastering the intervals of the tonic arpeggio,
with ascending and descending arpeggios and four
examples of syncopation with a very quick tempo.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – Shaker Song
Key: C Major
Time: 2/4
Form: rhythm: ABCD – pitches: ABCb
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ri ti ti ri | syncopation
| ti ti ti ti | ti ri ti ti ri ti | syncopation,
| ti ri ti ri ti ti | ti ti ri ti ti | syncopation,
| ti ri ti ti ti | syncopation
Pitches: intermediate: Do Mi So La Do
Intervals: intermediate: Do\So, So\Mi\Do descending tonic arpeggio, Do/Mi/So/Do ascending tonic arpeggio, Do/Do ascending tonic octave skip, Do\La, So\Mi, Mi\Do, Mi/So
Musical Elements: notes: eighth, sixteenth; tempo: (BPM 152), arpeggios, octave
Key Words: USA history, Shaker religion, USA geography: New York, sacred, Shaker dance song, jump, whirl, gather love, flowing, catch, reach high and low, reach down; abbreviation: ’round (around)
Recorder: Advanced: mastering intervals of the tonic triad including ascending and descending arpeggios
Keyboard: Advanced: mastering intervals of the tonic triad, including ascending and descending arpeggios; right, left and two hands together

**“Hop Up and Jump Up”**
Hop up and jump and whirl ’round, whirl ’round, Gather love, here it is all ’round, all ’round, Here is love flowing ’round, catch it as you whirl ’round, Reach up high and reach down, here it is a ’round. Movements: Divide class into two groups. First group moves during the first two lines; second group moves to the last two lines. Each group will hop up, jump, turn around and around, then sit; the second group adds reaching up high and down before sitting.

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4th Grade