Friday, July 4, 2014

DAY 36 - COUNTING DOWN TO THE 50TH

Good Morning, Class of '64
 photo 1WaldmullerFerdinandGeorgChildrenSingingandPraying1858_zpsebbd4879.jpg
Children Singing and Praying - Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller
Words make you think.
Music makes you feel.
A song makes you feel a thought.
Yip Harburg

 photo NVintage1950sSingingEveryDayChildrensSongBook_zps17d0db75.jpg
1950's Songbook

In sixth grade we had an older, small of stature music teacher with short-cropped red hair. She might have come to our classroom once a week. We also had a hardback songbook. 

In that book we learned about Stephen Foster and the Camptown Races - even if we didn't know what a bob tailed nag was, or a bay. We enjoyed the music and got a sense of his time and place.

We learned many patriotic songs that instilled in us a pride of country. We might have wondered about those alabaster cities in America the Beautiful and calling a feather "macaroni" in Yankee Doodle, but the tunes we loved, and our singing was heartfelt.

We learned our history, too, with Erie Canal, Home on the Range and I've Been Working on the Railroad. But, why, oh, why, was that man working so hard on that railroad just to pass the time away?

We sang fun songs like Skip to My Lou and Polly-Wolly Doodle. Did you know that Skip to My Lou was a pioneer square dance? And all the while we thought it was a song for skipping down the street.

 photo 642742fa-da5e-4889-8461-5644eb13a6e3_zps359e7922.jpg
1949 Songbook

Some Songs We Sang

Erie Canal
Star Spangled Banner
America the Beautiful
My Country 'Tis of Thee
Battle Hymn of the Republic 
Yankee Doodle
Home on the Range
The Marines Hymn
Oh! Susannah
Polly-Wolly Doodle
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Camptown Races 
Clementine
Skip to My Lou

 photo b6e24dc1-3552-4ace-9666-1624b5d358b8_zps50b85a81.jpg
1959 Songbook

Songs Our Teachers Taught Us
A Nostalgic Look At The Music We Sang in School
Polly-Wolly Doodle
Skip to My Lou
Traditional Square Dance

Skip to My Lou
Meet Me In St.Louis

And oh I want so much to sing, 
I tell myself no. 
But it is so hard to keep from singing.
  Donna Jo Napoli
 
Those who wish to sing 
always find a song.
Swedish Proverb
 
The best advice is what the 
skylark gives by singing.
  Marty Rubin
 
 The woods would be quiet if no bird 
sang but the one that sang best.
  Henry van Dyke
 
 Some days there won't be a song in your heart. 
Sing anyway.
Emory Austin

 photo MichaelAncher-785493jpgChildrenSingingMichaelAnche_zpse3100b6b.jpg
Children Singing - Michael Ancher

1 comment:

  1. Oh my !! I remember all those songs!! Am I telling my age lol lol !!! jmc

    ReplyDelete