What Did Delaware?

This old favorite is here this year as a result of the good folks on the Music K-8 Mailing List. Like "Shenandoah" in the first issue, it was much discussed and requested. How could we say "no"? And like many kid favorites and old campfire songs, this tune seems to have more potential melodies and verses than one can imagine. As we often do in such cases, we rely heavily on the way we learned it at Scout Camp or in school a century ago, and adapt it with our current state of mind.

For the version we recorded, it goes through the tune 5 times, using four verses, with one verse in the center for optional recorder playing the melody. There are many other possible verses, so we encourage you to add or substitute as you like. And this is a great chance to let your students dream up new verses of their own. That can be one of the most enjoyable activities.