The Caterpillar

“Songs of a Little Child’s Day”
In the Garden

Descending tonic octave skip in a very slow tune.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
Key: E Flat Major
Time: 4/4
Form: ABCD
Rhythm: intermediate: | ta ta ta ta | ta ti ti ta ta |
| ta/a/a (ta) | ta/a/a/a |
Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La Do
Intervals: intermediate: Mi/So, So\Re, Do/Fa, Mi/La, So/Do, Do\Do (ascending octave skip)
Musical Elements: notes: whole, dotted half, quarter, eighth; rests: quarter; tempo: quietly; dynamics: piano/soft, pianissimo/very soft, forte/loud, crescendo, decrescendo; repeat sign
Key Words: roly-poly, caterpillar, spun, blanket, slept, wakening, by and by, beauty, butterfly, animal science

**“The Caterpillar”**

		1.	Roly-poly caterpillar Into a corner crept. Spun around himself a blanket Then for a long time slept.

		2.	Roly-poly caterpillar, Wakening by and by, Found himself with wings of beauty, Changed to a butterfly.

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Careful

“Songs of a Little Child’s Day”
At Home

Mastering the tonic triad with running eighth notes.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
Key: F Major
Time: 6/8
Form: AB
Rhythm: beginners: running eighth notes
Pitches: beginners: Do Re Mi Fa So La
Intervals: intermediate: So\Mi\Do, Do/Mi/So, La\Fa/La, So\Mi/So, Fa\Re, Re/So
Musical Elements: notes: eighth; rests: eighth; pickup beat, tempo: allegro grazioso; accent mark
Key Words: jingle, character education, newborn baby, teaparty, dishes, dolly, break, child

**“Careful”**

		1.	Oh! little Miss Careful whenever she wishes May play with her very best teaparty dishes.

		2.	Her best dolly, too, any time she may take it, For little Miss Careful we know will not break it.

		3.	Indeed this dear child is so careful that maybe Her mother will soon let her hold the new baby.

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The Canary

“Songs of a Little Child’s Day”
With the Birds

Sixteenth rhythms and tempo changes for bird sounds.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
Key: C Major
Time: 3/8
Form: AaBCBC
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti | ta/ | ti ri ti ri ti ri |
Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La
Intervals: intermediate: Fa/La, La\Re, Re/So, So\Mi, Mi\Do, Fa\Re
Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, eighth, sixteenth; tempo: allegro, poco rit. (ritardando); dynamics: piano/soft, mezzo forte/medium loud, crescendo, decrescendo
Key Words: animal science, bird sounds, canary

**“The Canary”**
Yellow canary is trying his wings; Here he flies, there he flies, then sits and sings: “Twitter, twitter, twitter, twee-wee-wee! Tira, tira, tira, lee! “Twitter, twitter, twitter, twee-wee-wee! Tira, tira, tira, lee!”

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The Camptown Races

Uncommon syncopation, complete ascending tonic arpeggio, and whimsical verses are both challenging and fun!

Description

Grade: Fifth
Origin: USA – Stephen Foster (1826-1864), first publication 1850
Key: D Major
Time: 2/4
Form: AAB – song: AB verse/refrain
Rhythm: advanced: | ti ti ti ti | ti ti ti (ti)
| ti ta/ | syncopation, | ti/ ri ti ti | syncopation,
| ti ti ti ti ri | syncopation, | ti ri ti ri ti (ti) | syncopation, | ta/ (ti) | ta/ ti | syncopation,
| ti ti ti ri ti ri | ti ti ri ri ti ri ta | syncopation
Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La Do
Intervals: intermediate: So\Mi/So (m3), Re/So (P4), Re/Fa (m3), Do/Mi/So/Do8 ascending tonic arpeggio (D), Do8\La/Do8 (m3)
Musical Elements: notes: half, dotted quarter, quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth (flag/beam), pickup beat, repeat sign, syncopation, tonic arpeggio; style: energetically; note: first phrase ending on the supertonic (2, Re), second phrase ending picks up from the supertonic, passing it again before resolving to the tonic (1, Do)
Key Words: USA history, USA geography: Pennsylvania; westward expansion, American Minstrel, American Composers, tent city, whimsical song, comical song, hyperbole (exaggerated lyrics), folk tale, camptown, racetrack, horse race, caved, pocket full of tin, long-tail filly ( female horse), track, nag (very tired horse), blind horse, mud hole, bottom, ten foot pole, muley cow (without horns), bobtail (without a tail), bobtailed, flinged (tossed), railroad car, shooting star, ten-mile heat, repeat, money, tow-bag (gunny sack/burlap bag), bay (reddish color horse); contraction: I’ll (I will); abbreviations: stickin’ (sticking), goin’ (going)
Recorder: advanced: complete ascending tonic arpeggio (C Major), challenging syncopation, style: energetically

Also known as “Camptown Races” and “Goin’ to Run All Night.” Stephen Foster is known as the “father of American music.” Foster’s “camptown” experience occurred in Pennsylvania. A “camptown”, or “tent city” was a temporary accommodation familiar in many parts of the United States, especially along the rapidly expanding railroad network.

**“The Camptown Races”**

	1.	The Camptown ladies sing this song Doo-dah! Doo-dah! Camptown racetrack five miles long, Oh, the doo-dah day! I come down there with my hat caved in, Doo-dah! Doo-dah! Come back home with a pocket full of tin Oh, the doo-dah day!
		Chorus
		Goin’ to run all night, Goin’ to run all day. I’ll bet me money on the bab-tailed nag, Somebody bet on the bay.
	2.	The long-tail filly and the big black horse, Doo-dah! doo-dah! They fly the track and they both cut across, Oh, the doo-dah day! The blind horse stickin’ in a big mud hole, Doo-dah! doo-dah! Can’t touch bottom with a ten foot pole, Oh, the doo-dah day!
		Chorus
	3.	Old muley cow comes onto the track, Doo-dah! doo-dah! The bobtail flinged her over his back, Oh, the doo-dah day! They fly along like a railroad car, Doo-dah! doo-dah! Running a race with a shooting star, Oh, the doo-dah day!
		Chorus
	4.	See them flying on a ten-mile heat, Doo-dah! doo-dah! Round the racetrack, then repeat, Oh, the doo-dah day! I win my money on the bobtail nag, Doo-dah! doo-dah! I keep my money in an old tow-bag, Oh, the doo-dah day!
		Chorus

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The California Song

Five note acsending tonic arpeggio entends the vocal range.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – Folk Song
Key: F Major
Time: 2/2 counted in 4/4
Form: AB verse/refrain
Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta ti ti ti ti | ta ta ta ta |
| ta ti ti ta ti ti | ta ta ta ti ti | ta ti ti ta ta |
| ta/a ta/a | ta/a/a ta | ta/a/a ti ti | ti ti ta ta ti ti |
Pitches: intermediate: So Do Re Mi So La – pentatonic scale
Intervals: advanced: Mi/So, So\Mi/So, So\Re/So, Do\So, So/Do/Mi/So8/Do8 ascending tonic arpeggio, Do8\La, So/Do8, So8\Mi\Do\So descending tonic arpeggio, Do8\Mi
Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, quarter, eighth; pickup beat, ascending and descending arpeggios, 2/2 counted in 4/4, verse/refrain
Key Words: USA geography, Sacramento, CA, Sacramento River, USA gold rush, gold mining, journey, promised land, golden ore, shore, thar (there), whar (where), iron bar, spade, pick, lumps, brick, heave a sigh, bye and bye, shed, patiently, expect, coarsest, fare, wolves, howl, mountains, heigh, Frisco (San Francisco)

**“The California Song”**

	1.	We’ve formed our band and we are all well-named To journey afar to the promised land, Where the golden ore is thick in store On the banks of the Sacramento shore.
		Refrain
		Then ho, boys, ho! to California go, For the mountains bold are covered with gold On the banks of the Sacramento, Heigh, ho away we go, Digging up gold in Frisco.
	2.	Oh the gold in thar most anywhar, They dig it out with an iron bar, And where it’s thick with a spade and pick, They’ve taken out lumps as big as a brick.
		Refrain
	3.	Oh don’t you cry or heave a sigh, For we’ll come back again bye and bye, Don’t have fear or shed a tear, But patiently wait for about two year.
		Refrain
	4.	We expect our share of the coarsest fare, And sometimes sleep in the open air, Up on the cold ground we will sleep sound, Except when the wolves come howling round.
		Refrain

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Can’t Dance Josey

Practicing sixteenth divisions, extended pentatonic scale,
adding dance movements to known rhythms.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: USA – Traditional
Key: F Major
Time: 2/4
Form: ABAC
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ri ti ri ti ti | ti ti ti ti |
| ti ti ta |
Pitches: intermediate: So La Do Re Mi So La – extended pentatonic scale
Intervals: intermediate: Do/Mi, Mi/So8, So\Do, Do\La, So/Do
Musical Elements: notes: quarter, eighth, sixteenth; repeated melodic rhythm patterns, stepping down from the submediant to the tonic (La-Do), adding dance movements to music
Key Words: USA history, play-ground song, play song, chicken, fence post, dance, choose, partner, chew, gum, shoestring, broke, mule, while; contraction: shoestring’s (shoestring is)

**“Can’t Dance Josey”**

	1.	Chicken on the fence post, can’t dance Josey, Chicken on the fence post, can’t dance Josey, Chicken on the fence post, can’t dance Josey, Hello Susan Browny-o!

	2.	Choose your partner and come dance Josey, Choose your partner and come dance Josey, Choose your partner and come dance Josey, Hello Susan Browny-o!

	3.	Chew my gum while I dance Josey, Chew my gum while I dance Josey, Chew my gum while I dance Josey, Hello Susan Browny-o!

	4.	Shoestring’s broke and I can’t dance Josey, Shoestring’s broke and I can’t dance Josey, Shoestring’s broke and I can’t dance Josey, Hello Susan Browny-o!

	5.	Hold my mule while I dance Josey, Hold my mule while I dance Josey, Hold my mule while I dance Josey, Hello Susan Browny-o!

	Dance Instructions:
		Form a double circle with partners facing each other. Measure 1: step to the right in front of a new partner Measure 2: clap hands twice (2 eighths), and clap partners hands twice (2 eighths) Measure 3-4: repeat measures 1-2 Measure 5-6: repeat measures 1-2 Measure 7: step to the right in front of a new partner Measure 8: pat knees twice (2 eighths), clap hands twice (2 eighths) and clap partners hands three times (2 eighths-1 quarter)

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The Cackling Hen

“Songs of a Little Child’s Day”
At the Farm

Introducing tempo and tempo changes.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
Key: E Flat Major
Time: 2/4
Form: ABCCDE
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ti | ta/ ti | ta ti ti |
| ta ta | ta (ti) ti |
Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do
Intervals: intermediate: So\Mi, Re/Do, Ti\So, So/Do, So\Mi, Fa\Re
Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; rest: eighth; tempo: allegro moderato, poco ritardando (slow tempo), a tempo (resume tempo); 1st and 2nd endings, repeat, pickup beat
Key Words: farming, raising chickens, biddy hen, animal science, grand air, hen, cackle, queen, egg

**“The Cackling Hen”**

		1.	“Good day, my biddy hen, good day! What does your grand air mean? You step about so proudly, You cackle out so loudly; Have you been made a queen? Have you been made a queen?”

		2.	“Look. look, look, look!” said biddy hen; “Look in my nest, I beg. I step about so proudly, I cackle out so loudly Because I have laid an egg! Because I have laid an egg!”

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Bye, Baby Bunting

Counting eighth notes, syncopation, feeling 2/4. while reading 6/8,
introducing the raised fourth, Fi, and, practicing three perfect fourths.

Description

Grade: Kindergarten
Origin: England – Nursery Rhyme
Key: C Major
Time: 6/8
Form: ABBA
Rhythm: advanced: | ta ti ta ti | syncopation,
| ta ti ta/ | syncopation
Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa Fi So La – introducing the raised subdominant (Fi)
Intervals: advanced: Mi/So, So\Re (P4), Re/Fa, Do/Mi, Do/Mi/La ascending submediant arpeggio, Re/So (P4)
Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; vocal slur, dotted quarter, raised fourth (Fi), accidental (sharp-#), counting eighth notes, syncopation, grouping three eighths into a dotted quarter, feeling duple meter in 6/8 time
Key Words: world geography: England; nursery rhyme, family members, father, mother, sister, brother, hunting, silking, milking rabbit, lamb, baby, bunting (lightweight worsted wool fabric generically known as tammy, made in the 1800’s)

**“Bye, Baby Bunting “**

		1.	Bye, bye, Baby Bunting Father’s gone a-hunting, To buy a little rabbit skin, To wrap the Baby Bunting in.

		2.	Bye, Baby Bunting. Daddy’s gone a hunting, To get a little lambie skin, To wrap his Baby Bunting in.

		3.	Bye, Baby Bunting. Daddy’s gone a hunting, A rosy wisp of cloud to win, To wrap his Baby Bunting in.

			Longer Version
			Bye, baby Bunting, Father’s gone a-hunting, Mother’s gone a-milking, Sister’s gone a-silking, Brother’s gone to buy a skin To wrap the baby Bunting in.

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By’m Bye

Ritardando, syncopation, and reinforcing the descending
tonic octave skip, Do\Do.

Description

Grade: Kindergarten
Origin: USA – Texas, Folk Song
Key: C Major
Time: 4/4
Form: ABCDE
Rhythm: advanced: | ti ti ti ti ta ti ti | ta/a ti ta/ | syncopation, | ta/a/a ta | ta ti ti ta ti ti |
Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So Do
Intervals: advanced: So/Do, Do\So, So\Mi, Do\Do descending octave
Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, dotted quarter, eighth; pickup beat, syncopation, ritardando, octave
Key Words: USA geography: Texas, counting 1 to 10, stars, shinning, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

“By’m Bye”

1.

By’m bye, By’m bye.
Stars shinning, number one,
Number two, number three,
Number four, number five.

Refrain

Oh, my! By’m bye, by’m bye,
Oh, my! By’m bye, by’m bye.

2.By’m bye, By’m bye.
Stars shinning, number six,
Number seven, number eight,
Number nine, number ten.

(refrain)

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Button, You Must Wander

Keeping a steady beat and developing the individual voice.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: United States Singing Game
Key: F Major
Time: 2/4
Form: AaBa
Rhythm: beginners: | ti ti ti ti | ta ta | ta/a |
Pitches: beginners: Do Re Mi So La
Intervals: intermediate: Mi/So, So\Re/So, Mi\Do, Re/La, La\Do, So\Do
Musical Elements: notes: half, quarter, eighth, movement with a steady beat, singing alone and with others
Key Words: button, singing games, wander, sharp, ev’rywhere (everywhere)

GAME INSTRUCTIONS:

Using a single button, one student is surrounded by the class in a circle. The center student closes their eyes as the class sings the tune while passing the button to student on their right, using a steady beat.1 At the end of the song all students place their hands behind their backs as if hiding the button. The center student has three chances to pick who has the button. If chosen, the student with the button takes the place of the student in the middle of the circle.

1 Variation: student with the button sings the third (3rd) line alone.

**“Button, You Must Wander”**
Button, you must wander, wander, wander, Button, you must wander, ev’rywhere. Bright eyes will find you, sharp eyes will find you. Button, you must wander ev’rywhere.

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