The words in red below are what I wrote in the program.
BALLADS are songs that tell stories. Over the centuries all around the world, music and storytelling have often gone hand in hand. We experienced many different stories – and even wrote our own.
DON GATO(Mister Cat) – folk song from Mexico
I love this song - and so do the kids! It lends itself to being über dramatic and adding great motions!
WALTZING MATILDA– Unofficial Australian national song
AWAY TO AMERICA by Linda Williams - This song is about the composer’s grandfather, who came to America. In music class, we discussed our own families’ stories of coming to this country.
I can't find the sheet music or any copyright information. This site has mp3's of the song. Here are the lyrics.
OLD JOE CLARK– folk song. The 3rd grade classes (with my help) wrote the refrain and the last 4 verses of this song.
Here is the version we wrote:
Here is the original version:
Dances:
These dances I figured out myself by watching youtube videos and adapting them. The art teacher had the students make props they could use while dancing. Below in red are the words I printed in the program. (Each 3rd grade class learned a different dance.)
Class 1 – NATIVE AMERICAN BASKET DANCE – This dance celebrates the harvest. In art class, students decorated the “baskets” with Native American symbols.
Class 2 – SICILIAN TARANTELLA – Many years ago, it was thought this fast dance would cure the bite of the tarantula. The tambourines were made in art class.
Class 3 – TAHITIAN DANCE– In art class, the students made “puili sticks,” normally made from bamboo and used in Hawaii, Tahiti, and other Polynesian islands.
Class 4 – CHINESE FAN DANCE “YANG GE” – Meaning “rice sprout song,” this dance originates in Northern China and expresses happiness. The Chinese fans often have very fluffy feathers, so the students attached scarves to the fans they made in art class.
