The Greenfield Family Folk Song Project
In music class, we are learning about the cultures of our school community through folk songs that we can sing with our families.
Please teach your child how to sing a song from your family that they can share with the school. The song could be one you learned as a child, including a lullaby, hand clapping game, or finger play. We would love to hear songs in any of the world's languages, including English.
Students will have the opportunity to share their songs in music class using the letter template that was sent home the first week of school. Scroll down to see the map of our Greenfield family folk songs along with individual student and staff submissions!
"Music is a manifestation of the human spirit, similar to language. Its greatest practitioners have conveyed to mankind things not possible to say in any other language. If we do not want these things to remain dead treasures, we must do our utmost to make the greatest possible number of people understand their idiom." -Zoltan Kodály
Student submissions:
Origin: American Traditional
Origin: African American - Southern United States
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because it's fun."
Origin: American - Boston, Massachusetts
"I learned this song from the TV. It is all I would listen to."
Origin: African American - Southern United States
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because it's fun."
El Becerrito (La Vaca Mariposa)
Origin: Venezuela
"Mi mama la canta para dormirme. Recuerda a Venezuela sus campos toda la fauna y la flora y es cantada por los abuelos."
Origin: American - Georgia
"I learned this song from my mom. She sang it to me since I was a baby."
Origin: American - Virginia
"I learned this song from my mom and dad. This song is important to my family because we like it."
Origin: Canadian
"I learned this song from my family. This song is important to my family because I have sung it my entire life."
Origin: American - Texas
"I learned this song from my school and at home. This song is important to my family because it's a Texas tradition that every kid learns this song."
Origin: Puerto Rico
"Siempre hay que tener buena actitud. Se la enseño mi abuela a mi madre."
Origin: Scotland
"I learned this song from my daddy. He sang me to sleep as a baby and it was the only thing that worked!"
Origin: American - Georgia
Origin: Polish
"I learned this song from my family. This song is important to my family because we always sang it at our Italian weddings back in Southwestern Pennsylvania."
Origin: American - Oklahoma
"I learned this song from my mom - she sang it to me every night. This song is important to my family because my great grandpa learned this song in a war. He sang it to my grandma who sang it to my mom who sang it to me."
Origin: Swedish
"I learned this song from my grandfather. This song is important to my family because we sing it every birthday."
Origin: Ilocano/Iloko (Filipino)
"I learned this song from my Lola (grandma). We sing it to all the babies and play with them."
Origin: Honduras
"I learned this song from my people in Honduras. This song is important because it is a part of our cultural identity that has been passed down through generations."
Origin: American - Texas
"I learned this song from my dad. This song is important to my family because my dad learned this song while he was in the boy scouts."
Origin: American - Missouri
"We learned this song from St. Mary's School - 1979. This song is important to my family because my best friend and I learned it back in the 4th grade in 1979 and it's stuck with us! We still sing it!"
Origin: American - Georgia
"I learned this song from my mom. My my sings it to me every night."
Origin: Polish
"I learned this song from my family. This song is important to my family because we always sang it at our Italian weddings back in Southwestern Pennsylvania."
Origin: Maori
"I learned this song from my grandpa. This song is important to my family because we sing it on family trips."
Origin: British
"I learned this song from my mom. I loved this as a lullaby when I was little."
Origin: African American - Southern United States
"I learned this song from my family. It's fun to sing & do together.
Origin: Russian
"I learned this song from a Russian cartoon. This song is important to my family because it teaches me to be kind."
Origin: American - Georgia
"I learned this song from my dad. He sings it to me every night."
Hoocha
Origin: Croatian
"I learned this song from my great great grandmother. This song is important to my family because it traveled with my great great grandmother when she left her village in Croatia. It's always sung when you're playing with a baby or toddler."
Origin: Tagalog/Igorot
"I learned this song from my dad. This song is important to my family because it has many meanings but is an expression of Igorot heritage and gratitude."
Emmy Bean (original song)
Origin: United States - Virginia
"I learned this song from my dada. This song is important to my family because we made it up when I was a baby and have sung it all my life and try to make up more lyrics."
Origin: American - Tennessee
"I learned this song from my grandma. This song is important to my family because we always sing it to babies."
Origin: American - California
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because it was one of my early lullabies."
We Are Proud of You!
Origin: United States
"I learned this song from my mom & Uncle Jerry. It is important to cheer each other on!"
Origin: Irish
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because it is the song from my mom and dad's wedding. My mom has sung it to me as a baby and now we sing it together."
Origin: American - Georgia
"I learned this song from my mom. She sang it to me when I was sad. It is important because it makes us happy and gives us confidence."
Origin: American - New York
"I learned this song from my grandmother. She learned it from her mom, my Grammy, because she sang it to all her children and grandchildren."
Origin: American - New York
"I learned this song from my dad. My dad learned it from his sister when she was in elementary school."
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
Origin: Canadian
"I learned this song from my dad. This song is important to my family because it makes us laugh and we have fun together."
Origin: American - California
"I learned this song from my great great grandmother. This song is important to my family because we used it as a lullaby for every child in our family and they sang it to their children. It became a tradition."
Origin: American - Arizona
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because my nanna used to sing it while holding the babies."
Origin: Thai
"I learned this song from my mom and Thai grandmom. This song is important to my family because we sang it as babies as a nursery rhyme and it helps us learn Thai."
My Family is Silly (original song)
Origin: United States - Virginia
"I learned this song from my dad. This song is important to my family because we like to play and be silly."
Origin: American - Georgia
"I learned this song from my mom. My mom calls me sunshine."
Origin: British
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because it has been sung to lots of kids in our family."
Origin: South Korean
"I learned this song from YouTube kids. It is important to my family because we are the same."
Origin: American - Georgia
"I learned this song from my memaw and mom. This song is important to my family because I have been their sunshine since I was born."
Origin: African American - South Carolina
"I learned this song from my mother. It is important to my family because it's from slavery and civil rights movements."
A Formiguinha Corta Folha E Carrega
Origin: Brazil
"This song is important to my family because my grandmother that passed away used to sing it to me while she would tickle me."
Origin: British
"My mommy and daddy used to sing this song when I was a baby."
Origin: British
"I learned this song from my mom during Christmas and when she sang in the choir. This song is important to my family because it's the first song I learned that I love."
Yes, Jesus Loves Me
Origin: United States
"I learned this song from my Nanna Kim. Its a song that my great grandmother taught my Nanna and then my mom and they sang the song to me as a baby."
Origin: American - California
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because it inspires and motivates me to never give up."
Origin: Irish
"I learned this song from my parents. This song is important to my family because my parents met in a group that performed this song and they have sung it for many years. My mom performed this song while pregnant with me and I liked to kick along :)"
الي الرب في ضيقي في ضيقي قد صرخت
Origin: Egyptian
Origin: South Korean
"I learned this song from YouTube kids. It is the first song I ever learned in English."
Origin: American Traditional
"I learned this song from my mom, who learned it from her mom and grandma! This song is important to my family because we've been singing it for generations."
Origin: Swedish
"This song is important to my family because I am Swedish and I love my culture."
Kira Kira - Boshi (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Origin: Japan
"I learned this song from my mom and dad. It is fun to sing it together :)"
Lilly Song (original song)
Origin: United States - Virginia
"I learned this song from my parents - they made it up! They sang it to me when I was a baby."
Origin: Chile
"I learned this from my mother and father. It's a lullaby song to help us fall asleep."
Origin: Mexico
"I learned this song from my mom and dad. It is a family tradition used to comfort us."
Origin: India
"I learned this from my dad's parents. He originally learned it from my great-great-great grandparents who were in India."
الي الرب في ضيقي في ضيقي قد صرخت
Origin: Egyptian
Origin: Peru
"I learned this from mi familia peruviana. Es un cantante y autor que representa la identidad de mi pais Peru."
Origin: Filipino
"I learned this song from my Aunt Jodi. This song is important to my family because this has traveled through generations on my mom's side."
Origin: Brazil
Origin: American - New York
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because both my mom and dad sang this song with their elementary school music teacher and sang it to my sister and I at night as a lullaby."
Origin: Venezuelan
Origin: American - Georgia
Origin: British
"My brother used to sing it to me as a baby and then I sang it to my little brother."
Origin: American Traditional
"I learned this song from a children's show. This song is important to my family because when I was little, I would pretend to be the bunny sleeping and would wake up and hop/stop. The song had movement and stop/go - we loved singing and acting this out."
Origin: Lithuanian
"I learned this song from my dad. This song is important to my family because we are Jewish and it is a part of our tradition."
Origin: African American - Southern United States
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to our family because my mom and my three aunties grew up singing/playing it together as little girls."
Origin: Mexico
"I learned this song from my dad. He learned this song when he was a little boy growing up in Colombia, so he taught it to me."
Origin: American - Texas
"I learned this song from my dad. This song is important to my family because my dad sang it to me when I was little."
Origin: American - California
Origin: American - Louisiana
"We can't remember who we learned this song from! My dad and mom sing it together and they sing it to me as a lullaby."
Origin: British
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because we sing it to the babies when they are crying."
Origin: British
"I learned this song from my mommy. It reminds me of when I was little and we sang songs together. We still do!"
Origin: British
"I learned this song from my mommy. This song is important to my family because my baby sister knows the song and loves this song!"
Origin: Barcelona
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because it's a childhood game."
Origin: Venezuelan
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because we sing it to the babies when they are crying."
Origin: African American - Southern United States
"I learned this song from my Bubbie. We have fun singing it together."
Origin: Czech
"I learned this song from my grandmother. My 87 year old grandmother sang to her children in Czech. She was sad she had to flee her homeland."
Origin: Polish
"I learned this song from my grandma. This is is important to my family because we sing it at birthdays and celebrations."
Origin: Colombian
"I learned this song from my mum. This song is important to my family because my mother thinks about her hometown when she listens or sings this song. It is a very nostalgic song with references to the southern part of Colombia."
Origin: Sanskrit
"I learned this song from my parents. This song is important to my family because this was passed down from generations of scholars. It is from the Vedas, the oldest Hindu scriptures and it is a prayer for peace."
Origin: French
"I learned this song from my grandma. This song is important to my family because it has been sung for a lot of children over generations."
Origin: Chinese
"I learned this song from my mom and grandma. This song is important to my family because it passed through my whole family and it teaches me generosity."
Teacher & Staff submissions:
Jesus Loves Me
Origin: United States
Amazing Grace
Origin: British
Origin: Toronto
"Growing up my mother used to play us all kinds of music. One song that always stood out was this song by the Irish Rovers, The Unicorn Song. We spent many weekends cleaning and singing to this song!"
Origin: French
"I learned this song from my mom. This song is important to my family because my mom used to sing it to me and my brother and sisters when we were teeny tiny."
Origin: American Traditional
"I learned this song from my mom, who learned it from her mom and grandma! This song is important to my family because we've been singing it for generations."
Origin: United States - Oklahoma
"I learned this song from my mom, who used to play it on her accordion. We believe it is important to take care of our natural environment and being in nature can bring us joy."