Miss Mary Mack

Introducing syncopation, stepping up from So to Do,
descending perfect fourth (P4), and keeping the steady
beat with a partner hand jive*, WHAT FUN!

Description

Grade: Kindergarten
Origin: USA – African American Clapping Song
Key: G Major
Time: 2/4
Form: AAaA
Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta | ta (ta) | ti ti (ta) |
Pitches: beginners: So La Ti Do
Intervals: beginners: ascending Perfect Fourth (P4) So/Do
Musical Elements: notes: quarter, eighth; rest: quarter; beamed eighth notes, pickup beat, stepping up the staff from the dominant (5, So) to the tonic (1, Do), descending perfect fourth Do\So, clapping a steady beat with a partner hand jive – NOTE: transfer vocal reading skills to fine motor skills on keyboard and recorder
Key Words: USA history, African American History, rhyming words: mack/black/back, cents/fence, high/sky, July/lie; clapping song, hand jive, dressed, silver, buttons, mother, fifty, cows, jumped, 4th of July; York Alabama Version: river, cross, paid, five, dollars, grey horse, pull, swapped, holler/dollar, spend, grass, grow/hoe, chop/shop. money/honey, shop, bees, eat, meat, gnaw, bone, good-bye; contractions: couldn’t (could not), wouldn’t (would not), I’m (I am)
Keyboard: beginners: four finger exercise for right, left, and two hands together
Recorder: beginners: color coded, excellent addition to the Beginning Recorder Songs, after song number one, stepping up from G to C, perfect fourth C\G, when playing C: intrument balance – left thumb and right hand fingers

* Includes hand jive directions.

**“Miss Mary Mack”**

	1.	Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, All dressed in black, black, black, With silver buttons, buttons, buttons All down her back, back, back.
	2.	She asked her mother, mother, mother, For fifty cents, cents, cents, To see the cows, cows, cows, Jump over the fence, fence, fence.
	3.	They jumped so high, high, high, They reached the sky, sky, sky, And never came back, back, back, Till the fourth of July, lie, lie.

	York Alabama Version

	1.	Oh Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, All dressed in black, black, black, With silver buttons, buttons, buttons, Up and down her back, back, back.
	2.	I went to the river, river, river, And I couldn’t cross, cross, cross, And I paid five dollars, dollars, dollars, For he old grey horse, horse, horse.
	3.	And the horse wouldn’t pull, pull, pull, I swapped him for a bull, bull, bull, And the bull wouldn’t holler, holler, holler, I swapped him for a dollar, dollar, dollar.
	4.	And the dollar wouldn’t spend, spend, spend, I put it in the grass, grass, grass, And the grass wouldn’t grow, grow, grow, I got my hoe, hoe, hoe.
	5.	And the hoe wouldn’t chop, chop, chop, I took it to the shop, shop, shop, And the shop made money, money, money, Like the bees made honey, honey, honey.
	6.	Well, I eat meat, meat, meat, And I gnaw my bone, bone, bone, Well, good-bye honey, honey, honey, I’m going on home.

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Minding Their Mother

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

"Minding the Mother" Lyrics, Text Format

Extending the vocal range with advanced intervals.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
Key: D Major
Time: 2/4
Form: AB
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ti | ta/ ti | ti/ ri ti ti |
| ti (ti ti) ti |
Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Re
Intervals: advanced: Fa\Re, So\Mi, Ti\So, So/Do, Do\La, La/Re, Re\So, Do\Mi, Mi/So, So\Re, Re/So, So\Do
Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; rest: eighth; tempo: allegro moderato/moderately fast (97-110 BPM); fermata, pickup beat, repeat signs, 1st and 2nd endings, dynamics: mezzo forte/medium loud; syncopation
Key Words: farm animals, cat, kitten, chicken, quickly, obedient, cluck, mewed, character education

**“Minding Their Mother”**

		1.	When Mother Kitty mewed “Come here!” Her kitten quickly went. How very small that kitten was, But how obedient!

		2.	“Come here,” cluck-clucked the Mother Hen; At once her chickens went. What tiny little things they were! But how obedient!

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The Mill Song

Introducing the sixth (La) to the beginning Orff interval So\Mi.

Description

Grade: Kindergarten
Origin: USA – Singing School Song – Round
Key: D Major
Time: 2/4
Form: ABAB
Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta | ta (ta) |Pitches: beginners: Mi So La
Intervals: beginners: So\Mi, Mi/So
Musical Elements: quarter note, quarter rest, singing alone and with others, introducing the sixth (La), beginning Orff interval So\Mi, round
Key Words: how a mill works, corn, ground
Keyboard: beginners: three finger exercise for right, left, and two hands together; intermediate: ensemble round

**“The Mill Song”**
‘Round and ’round, the mill goes round. As it does the corn is ground.

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Milk for Supper

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

Singing up from Do to La.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
Key: E Flat Major
Time: 2/4
Form: rhythm: ABAB pitches: AaBC
Rhythm: beginners: | ti ti ti ti | ti ti ta |
Pitches: beginners: Do Re Mi Fa So La
Intervals: intermediate: So\Mi, Mi\Do, La\Fa, Do/Mi, Mi/So, Re\Ti
Musical Elements: notes: quarter, eighth; tempo: allegretto/moderately fast (98-109 BPM); dynamics: mezzo forte/ medium loud
Key Words: farm life, milking a cow, supper, spread, bowl, pictures, loaf, bread, sweet, cowbells, pasture

**“Milk for Supper”**

	1.	Where’s the milk for Baby’s supper? Here’s the little table spread; Here’s his bowl with pictures on it, Here’s a loaf of bread sweet bread,

	2.	Oh, the milk will soon be ready, Down the road the cowbells ring. Cows are coming from the pasture, Milk for Baby’s bowl they bring.

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Michael Row the Boat Ashore

Introducing syncopation with beginner level pitches and
intervals. What rhythm changes are needed to
match the syllables of the third verse?

Description

Grade: Third
Origin: USA – African American Spiritual cir. 1862
Key: C Major
Time: 4/4
Form: rhythm: ABAC – pitches: ABCD – song: AB
Rhythm: intermediate: | ta/ ti ti ta/ | syncopation,
| ta/a ta ta | ta/a/a/a | ta/a/a ta |
Pitches: beginners: Do Re Mi Fa So La
Intervals: beginners: Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio, So\Mi
Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; pickup beats, syncopation, arpeggio, ending a phrase on the dominate (So), changing rhythm to match verse syllables
Key Words: sacred, USA geography, St. Helena Island, Sea Islands of South Carolina, slave songs, African American history, Archangel Michael, sacred, work song, sea chanty, spiritual, ashore, trim the sails, River Jordan, chilly, body, soul

**“Michael Row the Boat Ashore”**

		1.	Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah! Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
		2.	Sister help to trim the sails, Hallelujah! Sister help to trim the sails, Hallelujah!
		3.	The river Jordan is chilly and cold, Hallelujah! Chills the body but not the soul, Hallelujah!

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Michael Finnigan

Practicing straight and syncopated eight and sixteenth rhythms.

Description

Grade: Fourth
Origin: USA – Folk Song
Key: G Major
Time: 2/4
Form: ABaC
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ri ti ti ti | syncopation,
| ti ti ti ri ti | syncopation, | ti ti ti ti |
| ti ti ti ri ti ri | ti ri ti ri ti ri ti ri |
Pitches: intermediate: So La Ti Do Re Mi So
Intervals: intermediate: So/Do, Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio, So\Mi, Re\Ti, Re\So, So/Ti
Musical Elements: notes: eighth, sixteenth, pickup beat
Key Words: USA history, St. Patrick’s Day, Irish holiday, Irish names, camp song, Scout song, whiskers, chin, grew, poor, again, growing a beard, growing whiskers, fishing, pin, caught, threw, begin, grew fat, grew thin, died; contractions: don’t (do not), chinigin (chin again)

Perpetual Song: Michael Finnegan is an example of an unboundedly long song, which can continue with numerous variations until the singer decides (or is forced) to stop. Students will enjoy creating their own verses.

**“Michael Finnigan”**

	1.	There was an old man named Michael Finnigan, He grew whiskers on his chinigin, But they grew out and they grew in again Poor old Michael Finnigan, begin again..
	2.	There was an old man named Michael Finnigan He went fishing with a pin-again Caught a fish and threw it in again Poor old Michael Finnigan! Begin again…
	3.	There was an old man named Michael Finnigan He grew fat and then grew thin-again Then he died and had to begin again Poor old Michael Finnigan! Don’t begin again!

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Michael Finnigan

Ascending tonic arpeggio, adding the leading tone
to a pentatonic scale.

Description

Grade: Second
Origin: USA – Traditional Folk Song
Key: F Major
Time: 4/4
Form: ABAC
Rhythm: beginners: | ti ti ta ta ta | ta ta ti ti ta |
| ta ta ta ta | ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti |
Pitches: beginners: So La Ti Do Re Mi So
Intervals: beginners: So/Do, Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio, So\Mi, Re\Ti/Re, Re\So
Musical Elements: notes: quarter, eighth; pickup beat, melodic rhythm patterns
Key Words: never ending song, scout song, camp song, St. Patrick’s Day song, nonsense song, whiskers, chin, blew, grew, awful, din, fishing, caught, dropped, climbed, barked (scrapped against the bark of a tree), shin, fat, thin, born; contraction: let’s (let us)

**“Michael Finnigan”**

	1.	There was an old man named Michael Finnigan. He had whiskers on his chin-i-gan. Wind blew them off but they grew in again. Poor old Michael Finnigan! Begin again!

	2.	There was an old man called Michael Finnigan, He kicked up an awful din again, Because they said he must not sing again. Poor old Michael Finnigan, Begin again!

	3.	There was an old man called Michael Finnigan, He went fishing with a pin again, Caught a fish but dropped it in again, Poor old Michael Finnigan! Begin again!

	4.	There was an old man called Michael Finnigan, Climbed a tree and barked his shin again, Tore off yards and yards of skin again, Poor old Michael Finnigan! Begin again!

	5.	There was an old man called Michael Finnigan, He grew fat and he grew thin again, Then he died and had to be born again, Poor old Michael Finnigan! Let’s end again!

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The Merry Wind

“Songs of a Little Child’s Day”
Fair Days and Stormy

Horizontal accents and syncopation for a stormy song.

Description

Grade: First
Origin: Emilie Poulsson, Eleanor Smith
Key: F Major
Time: 2/4
Form: ABCD
Rhythm: intermediate: | ti ti ti ti | ta ti ti | ta/ ti |
| ti/ ri ti ti | ta/ ti |
Pitches: beginners: Do Re Mi Fa So La
Intervals: intermediate: Do/Mi, Mi/La, Fa\Re, Re/So, So\Re, Mi\Do
Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth; horizontal accent (sing/play note louder), syncopation, repeat signs, dynamics: forte/loud, crescendo, decrescendo, stormily
Key Words: weather, earth science, wind, gusty, morning, weathervane, whirled, tugged, shook, tossed, windmills, kites, world, contractions: thro’ (through), ev’ry (every)

**“The Merry Wind”**

	1.	The wind, one gusty morning, Went blowing thro’ the world. The leaves, the dust, the weathervanes Right merrily he whirled.

	2.	He rushed to meet the children And tugged at ev’ry hat. He shook their clothes, he tossed their hair, (He likes such tricks as that!)

	3.	He turned their paper windmills, Their kites on high he sent; But no one saw the merry wind, As thro’ the world he went.

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Merry Minstrels

Three part round: singing/playing the C major scale,
with an extended range, two octave skips,
and a compound interval (P8+M3=M10).

Description

Grade: Fifth
Origin: England – Traditional Scale Round
Key: C Major
Time: 3/4
Form: ABC
Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta ta | ta/a ta | ta/a/a |
| ta ti ti ti ti |
Pitches: advanced: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Re Mi – extended range
Intervals: advanced: Do/Mi8 (compound – P8+M3=M10th), Mi\Do (M3), Mi8\Mi descending mediant octave skip (P8), Do8\Do descending tonic octave skip (P8), Do/Fa (P4), Fa\Re (m3), Re/Ti(M6)
Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, quarter, eighth; three part round, singing/playing the C major scale (forwards and backwards), mediant and tonic octave skips, compound interval (M10), vocal slur, hearing and singing harmony
Key Words: world geography: England; minstrel (medieval/middle ages: bard/poet who traveled singing stories), hatred, malice, destroy, sweetly, drive, harmony, banish, despair, hail, heavenly, sound, pleasure, earth
Recorder: intermediate: practicing the C Major Scale, forwards and backwards with repeated pitches, two octave skips, and a compound interval P8+M3=M10

**“Merry Minstrels”**

	We are merry minstrels soft music we enjoy, For music does hatred and malice destroy.

	We sing so sweetly, we drive away care, And with our soft harmony banish despair.

	The, hail, sweet music, hail, hail! heavenly sound, No pleasure like music on earth can be found.

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Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis

Extended range skipping and stepping, sometimes
chromatically with a raised supertonic (2, Ri) and
dominate (5, Si), up and down the staff.

Description

Grade: Fifth
Origin: Chorus: words: Andrew B. Sterling; music: Kerry Mills (1904), celebrating the Louisiana Purchase Exposition – “St. Louis World’s Fair”
Key: C Major
Time: 3/4
Form: Chorus: AaBa
Rhythm: beginners: | ta/a ta | ta ta/a | ta/a/a |
| ta (ta) (ta) | ta ta ta |
Pitches: advanced: Do Re Mi Fa So Si La Ti Do Re Ri Mi – raised/sharp dominate (5, Si) and supertonic (2, Ri), extended range
Intervals: advanced: Si/Mi8 (M6), Mi8\Do8\Sodescending tonic arpeggio (I, C) La/Do8 (m3), La/Re (P4), Re8/Ri8 (m2), Ri8/Mi (m2), Mi/Mi8 (P4). Mi\La (P5), La\Si (m2), Si/La (m2), Re8\So (P5), So/Do8(P4)
Musical Elements: notes: dotted half, half, quarter; rest: quarter; tied notes, melodic rhythm patterns, moving chromatically (by half steps), raised/sharp supertonic and dominate, stepping and skipping up and down the staff
Key Words: USA history: Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson, Louis and Clark Expedition, Louisiana Purchase Exposition – “St. Louis World’s Fair,” USA geography: Louisiana, St. Louis, Missouri; Hoochee-Koochee (belly dance), tootsie-wootsie (loved one), lie-skee (slang for lie), die-skee (slang for die), dash (dance), congregation (church members)
Recorder: advanced: practicing G# and high D# and E, moving chromatically, improving finger dexterity stepping and skipping up and down the staff

“Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis”

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,
Don’t tell me the lights are shining any place but there.
We will dance the Hoochee-Koochee, I will be you tootsie wootsie;
Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair.

Additional Choruses:

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,
Take my tip and don’t stop running until you are there,
You’re a wonder that’s no lie-skee, if you don’t fall down and die-skee,
Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,
All the boys and all the girls are going to be there;
If they ask about the cashier, you can say he cuts a dash here,
Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,
Don’t tell me the lights are shining any place but there;
I’ll be waiting at the station, for the whole congregation,
Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair

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