One of my largest collections is my huge stash of vintage school books. They range from the 1920s to the late 1960s, but most of them fall in what I consider the golden age of education- the 40s and 50s. The sweet stories and adorable illustrations warm my heart! I have over 50 school
music books, and this is the collection I'm sharing with you today.
(click on any of the pictures for a closer view)
One of the ways that I collect school books, is to try to complete sets of books. Generally each publisher released one book per subject per grade, from kindergarten or first grade through sixth (and occasionally eighth) grades. The books have a numbering system- anything from an obvious "Grade One" on the cover, to a cluster of stars, triangles, dots on the spine, enumerating which book in the series it is.
Since it's Independence Day, and schools were unabashedly patriotic in those years, I thought it would be fun to showcase a couple of pages in the books that have patriotic songs. Have a great July 4th!
One of my largest collections is my huge stash of vintage school books. They range from the 1920s to the late 1960s, but most of them fall in what I consider the golden age of education- the 40s and 50s. The sweet stories and adorable illustrations warm my heart! I have over 50 school music books, and this is the collection I'm sharing with you today. (click on any of the pictures for a closer view)
One of the ways that I collect school books, is to try to complete sets of books. Generally each publisher released one book per subject per grade, from kindergarten or first grade through sixth (and occasionally eighth) grades. The books have a numbering system- anything from an obvious "Grade One" on the cover, to a cluster of stars, triangles, dots on the spine, enumerating which book in the series it is.
Since it's Independence Day, and schools were unabashedly patriotic in those years, I thought it would be fun to showcase a couple of pages in the books that have patriotic songs. Have a great July 4th!
28 comments:
I just love the covers of these adorable books!
OMG! You have brought back a flood of memories for me! I was born in 1962 and remember having those music books in music class from elementary through jr high school. Thanks for sharing!
I just discovered your blog. These books are marvelous! I LOVE old books. The patriotic pages are especially dear!
I was singing some of my little girl songs to my granddaughter and couldn't remember some words. Do you have the Pumpkin Man and We Gather Together?
Looking for a song in a 1960s school music book. I remember only fragmentary lyrics: "Come on along, we're going for a hayride...frost's on the pumpkin, autumn's on its way!" I'd be grateful if you could identify the song and provide the lyrics. Thanks.
I came here because Internet search coughed up the post from Oct 13, 2018 by Unknown. For some reason I thought of this song today and decided to find it. I've always sung it as "Come on along, we're going for a SLEIGHRIDE," not hayride, but it's pretty clear that I have it wrong, although I don't remember the other snippets that Unknown provided. After poking around online, as far as I can determine the song is called HAYRIDE, by Richard Berg. Here's a link to sheet music https://prairieviewpress.com/product/song-hayride/ and if you poke around you can find where it appeared, I believe I learned it from a book/record (at school) "Music for young americans." Here's a link for that: https://www.discogs.com/music-for-young-americans-book-six-recordings/release/10431073
No idea if Unknown will see it, but if you don't, hopefully somebody else will find this useful.
I'm looking for the song books that we sang from in the 1960's elementary school. I remember one of the lyrics to a song. There were so many wonderful songs in the set. I can't seem to find the song books.
Come out the sun is high the wind is fair
Come out and join us in the open air
Come out the sun is high the wind is fair
Come out and join us in the open air
Up hill and down hill our footsteps rise and fall
Through highways and byways, through forest deep and tall
Through forest deep and tall
Through forest deep and tall
Come out, come out, oh listen to our call
Replying to Anonymous about the song "Hayride" by Richard C. Berg located in the "Music for Young Americans - Book Six." Thank you so much for providing this information. Just like Unknown, I've been searching for the words to this song for many years, and also like this person, I remembered only the words and melody of "Come on along, we're going on a hayride...frost's on the pumpkin, autumn's on its way." I must have learned the song in our music class in third grade. The music book is indeed the one we used. Again, deepest thanks for posting these sites.
The song from grade school music class that I most remember is:
"We will rocket to the moon some day and catch a star as it passes while we're flashing by. When our rocket's ready and our course is steady we'll see a new world somewhere in the sky." Or something like that.
I would have learned it around 1967-9 in 2nd or 3rd grade. Does anyone know what book or recording this song comes from? I would love to see what else is in that particular collection!
We learned so many songs in elementary school, many of the more familiar traditional folksongs, but there are three from K to 3rd grade (1961-64) which I would very much like to find: Wake Up, Mr. Groundhog, The Merry-Go-Round, and The Bubblepipe Song. I recall most all of the last one, and a verse &/or refrain from each of the first two.
The Groundhog one, partial verse, plus the refrain:
And (also?) Mr. Groundhog, if your shadow should appear,
Then scurry back, get out of sight
For winter still is here.
Wake Up, Mr. Groundhog, wake up now, please do.
Will we have six more weeks of winter?
I'm asking you.
The Merry-Go-Round one, two partial verses:
Riding the merry-go-round is like flying.
Whirling around in a circle is fun.
Oompahpah oompah the organ is playing.
Catch the brass ring and you'll get a free ride.
The Bubblepipe one:
I have a bubblepipe at home and on a sunny day
I'll blow a bubble large enough to carry me away.
I'll float up through the atmosphere
Among the clouds to ride (?),
And visit planets far and near with stars on every side.
I'll greet the the Dippers, Big & Small, and skirt the Pleiades,
On Jupiter and Saturn call, politely as you please.
I'll touch Orion's belt & sword, go sailing by the moon,
But when I'm hungry, I'll be sure to float on home at noon!
If anyone can find & share these, or refer me to the book(s) in which they're contained, esp. both lyrics and music, with names of those who wrote them, I would be very grateful!
I am looking for a music book used in early 60s in 3rd grade. There was a song that involved a simple dance in groups of three using scarfs. Help appreciated finding this.
Me too. I just adored elementary school and Jr. High as well. What a delight remembering those classroom text music songs ♥️🌹
A tisket a tasket a green and yellow basket. I wrote a letter to my mom,/mother and on the way I lost it. ??
And in the circle of children over pupils one.would circle around and drop the handkerchief behind a child etc....
I remember it as " ... a letter to my love, and on the way I lost it, I lost it, and on the way I lost it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-Tisket,_A-Tasket
Traditional lyrics
The rhyme was first noted in the United States in 1879[3] as a children's rhyming game. It was sung while children danced in a circle. One of the number ran on the outside of the circle and dropped a handkerchief. The nearest child would then pick it up and chase the dropper. If caught, the dropper either was kissed, joined the circle, or had to tell the name of their sweetheart.[2] An early noted version had the lyrics:
A-tisket a-tasket
A green and yellow basket
I wrote a letter to my friend
And on the way I dropped it,
I dropped it, I dropped it,
And on the way I dropped it.
A little boy he picked it up
And put it in his pocket.
In some variants, the second line is "I lost my yellow basket." In other variants, the last line is "A little girl she picked it up and put it in her pocket."
In 19th century England, the rhyme used in the same game had somewhat different but evidently related words:
I lost my supper, last night,
And the night before,
And if I do this night,
I never will no more.
I sent a letter to my love,
I carried water in my glove,
And by the way I dropped it, I did so, I did so:
I had a little dog that said bow-wow!
I had a little cat that said meow-meow!
Shan't bite you, shan't bite you,
Shall bite you.
I dropt it, I dropt it,
And by the way I lost it.[4]
I'm looking for a song I learned in second grade, about 1967. I think it was about a rabbit. It was in a minor key. All I remember:
. . . but he only came to leave me.
Yes, needle in a haystack!
Yeah! I was singing that this morning! Had to be from the 60s right?
I went to grammar school from 1959-1967 and we had a thick blue covered song book, about 1” thick, that had a great variety of songs. It included sheet music and lyrics. I have looked high and low for it but can’t find it anywhere. The variety of songs was staggering, everything from Stephen Foster (my Old Kentucky Hime and even Old Black Joe which we never sung even back then. Hymns such as This is My Father’s World, Let Us Break Bread Together, and miscellaneous songs like The Three Fishermen, January and February and others. It is amazing that a public school would have books with religion and racially sensitive songs in their library. I would love to find a copy of that book if anyone knows anything about it anywhere it can be found.
If you come across that songbook, its name, where to obtain a copy, or anything, please let me know. I'll do the same. These treasures must still exist somewhere! They shouldn't disappear! I wonder about checking with the Library of Congress or has that been done? Maybe we need the book title to search there. I feel as though a part of my past is missing without these songs I used to know. Those who wrote them should have some credit, too, where possible.
I checked with Google's Gemini AI and learned that's it's probably "The Blue Book of Favorite Songs" published by Hall & McCreary. (Apparently The Blue Book contains the songs from both The Yellow Book and The Gray Book :-). There are several available on etsy.com right now for $10-$30.
Bonnie, I hope you're still out there and will get this message. Your songs are apparently in the same book as the one I was looking for ("We will rocket to the moon some day...")! AI suggests the book is published in the Silver Burdett Making Music Your Own textbook series (specifically the Grade 2 and Grade 3 editions published between 1964 and 1968).
Yes, very much here! I signed for notifications from this, so I've seen your posts. I answered one earlier today, but it registered as anonymous. This time I have entered my name (not sure if quite right). Thank you for this info! I'm going to keep it on hand as I search.
One lead people here might try is at used book sales. We've had a huge 3-day one for years in the Lancaster, PA area. I can't get there anymore, but I've seen some of these school music books the last time I was there. I didn't find ones with the songs I sought, but I wish I had bought a few of what they had. They had them in the music section where they grouped sheet music, records, and other .music books. It used to be held around May 1 and if I see it advertised, I will post here in case others can get there. Thanks, again!
Could it have been "The White Hare" in Music for Young Americans, book 3, published by The American Book Company?
The Pumpkin man is in Book 2 of the Making Music Your Own series by Silver Burdett, and We Gather Together is in Book 3 (apparently :-).
Hi Bonnie! Definitely try ebay or etsy or alibris if you really want the book, though hunting in book sales and used book stores is a lot of fun and lets you stumble onto other treasures.
Hi Bonnie and Ruth! Thanks for stopping by my blog! Unfortunately, most of my music books are packed away. I do have the Silver Burdett series Music for Living in my office, but not the one you referenced. I checked to see if the songs you were looking for were in this series , and sadly, they are not. I don't have the Making Music your Own series.
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