Wanda Wasatch Music 3824

Music Repertoire Project

Title Composer/Style Length

1. Washington Post March, by John Philip Sousa 3:00

This piece by America's "March King" is a lively tune that gives anyone

listening the need to stand up and move. What a great example of rhythm and

beat. I've yet to see a child who doesn't respond to an energetic march. At

the least this could give a respite from a tough math assignment!

2. God Bless the USA, by Lee Greenwood 2:53

Patriotic music is a must in every school curriculum and this song is easy

to learn and easy to sing. I heard it sung by a children's chorus many

years ago and it has remained a favorite of mine. (I use the "child

friendly" version produced by Classroom Classics in Springville, UT.)

3. Hoe Down, by Aaron Copeland 3:00

This lively excerpt from the western ballet Rodeo is a surprising twist on a

child's idea of what a "ballet" is. I would use this piece to show that we

need to be careful of in our generalizations of music. The energetic tune is

reminiscent of the old time square dances that were an important part of our

early Utah culture.

4. Iron Wheels A Rolling, by Gaye Gibbs 2:00

An important part of Utah history is the "wedding of the rails" at

Promontory, Utah in 1869. This fun song is a great way for children to

learn about and remember that important event.

5. Cradle Song, by Franz Schubert 3:30

This lullaby creates a restful mood and is a great example of texture in a

piece. The song begins with a simple melody played by a solitary oboe, which

is then gradually joined by other instruments creating a harmonic blend of

different tunes and timbres. This would create lovely background music for

an art project.

6. Flight of the Bumblebee, by Rimsky-Korsakov 1:10

What a great contrast in tempo to the Cradle Song! This piece is short,

understandably, because it might drive both listener and musician a little

crazy if it went on forever but it creates a mood and an undeniable mental

picture of the busy bee flitting from flower to flower. This piece also

shows the ability of music to make a believable representation of things in

nature.

7. This Land Is Your Land, by Woody Guthrie 1:50

This is a great example of an America folk song with a patriotic theme. I

like the song because it's a song that children can learn easily and enjoy

singing. The tune is a good one for creating your own lyrics and/or story

line.

8. Cielito Lindo, a Mexican folk song 2:00

There are so many multicultural songs to choose from, but this one had a

fairly easy tune and I found both the Spanish and English versions so it

would be a good song to use in a classroom with Spanish speaking students.

It tells a simple story about a little boy who comes down out of the

mountains alone one day and he's encouraged to sing songs to make himself

happy. I'd like to know if there is more to the story.

9. Pick A Little, Talk A Little/ Goodnight Ladies, by Meredith Wilson 2:30

One great resource for songs is musical productions such as "The Music Man."

I noticed that this is mentioned in the fourth grade music core and I

thought it would be a fun song to teach and would include a chance to divide

into parts and teach about style, form and genre.

10. Rock Around The Clock, by Jimmy DeKnight-Max C. Freedman 2:05

Since Rock and Roll Music got its start here in America in the 50s and

Bill Haley and the Comets were the first rock and roll band, it seems

appropriate to make this song a part of my repertoire. I taught this in a

4th grade class a few weeks ago and we emphasized the element of rhythm/beat

and the students loved it. We learned how to "Swing"!

Reflections on this project

I was careful to choose music that was appropriate to the age and interests

of the students. Since I have been working with fourth graders I did find

myself considering their curriculum somewhat (Utah History), but I think all

ages would enjoy these pieces.

I also tried to select a variety of genres. I've included a march, a

lullaby, children's music, ballet, piano, band and ensemble pieces. The

styles that are represented in my selections are folk (from both Mexico as

well as the USA), "Art" music from a variety of master composers from

several different historical periods, and contemporary music, including

pop/rock, and musical comedy.

I would like to have had an example of a hymn or Negro spiritual, and other

pieces of art music from more of the great composers. I also felt that a

whole project could have been done on music from different cultures. I

found some great Indian music and songs reflecting other cultures that I

would have liked to include. The good news is that this has been a "journey

of discovery" for me, and I'm excited about what I've found and anxious to

incorporate it in my teaching. I can see music being a part of many more

lessons than just "music lessons"!