I don't remember much, but remember a few songs -- Ifca's Castle (had to look up the title based on the lyrics I remember), Lift Every Voice and Sing, and Send in the Clowns (weird, right?) -- these would have been learned in 4th or 5th grade for me, so somewhere between '81 and '83 I suppose.

I have the most VIVID memory of singing “it’s bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini”…in kindergarten.

And also crocodile rock, and great balls of Fire.

In between those lots of “this land is your land” and some patriotic California song about golden poppies in the sun and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Later we sang the Pocahontas song accompanied with our recorders.

I adore you wrote the lady cat
Who was fluffy white and nice and fat

My Country Tis of Thee
Don Gato cat song
Little Boxes on the Hillside
The Cat Came Back
Frere Jaques
If You’re Happy and You Know It

Public elementary - 1970s.

Many of the Americana songs already cited.

My Country Tis of Thee
This Land is Your Land
Oh Susannah
Darling Clementine
Star-Spangled Banner
Country Roads
Wells Fargo Wagon

One non-American song I remember was Waltzing Matilda.

We had blue ink ditto lyric sheets with no musical notes and learned to sing them by ear.

I grew up in Scotland and we sang the most wonderful Scottish folk songs, sometimes in Gaelic. I loved it, and I'm not Scottish or British. This was in a private boarding school, which had a Kirk of Scotland assembly every morning, with hymn singing. I loved that too, even though I am not Protestant.

Just because kids come from elsewhere, OP, it doesn't mean they cannot appreciate a nation's culture or music.

Grew up just outside Cleveland in the 80s and I definitely recall This Land, My Country Tis of Thee, 10 Gallon Hat, Old John Henry - I feel like there was a Western theme in 3rd grade. I remember Here Comes Santa Claus in pre-school or K (we sang at the mall) and just remembered we also had to sing Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire in maybe 5th grade? Kind of surprised that made it in.

Anonymous wrote:We sang a lot of patriotic songs and “Americana” songs

Oh beautiful for spacious skies
Yankee doodle
Old John Henry was a mighty man
Something about the Erie Canal
Darlin’ Clementine
Streets of Laredo (not USA but a tearjerker!)
The stars at night are big and bright
Oh Susannah
Cape cod girls
Something about a cat on a roof?

My school district was pretty poor and filled with immigrants but we had a decent music program. A lot of kids I grew up became professional or semi-pro musicians. I joined a jazz ensemble in fifth grade and composed songs with my little group. We won state competitions.

OMG the cat on the roof song!

Oh Senor Don Gatto was a cat,
On a high red roof Don Gato sat,
He was there to read a letter (meow meow meow),
Where the reading light was better (meow meow meow)
Twas a love note for Don Gato.

I miss those songs. Now my kids’ elementary school music class doesn’t even sing songs in English.

Oof, we not only sang all those songs but also "On Eagle's Wings" which is a religious song, and "Proud to be an American" which I looooved singing. So cringe!

We sang a lot of patriotic songs and “Americana” songs

Oh beautiful for spacious skies
Yankee doodle
Old John Henry was a mighty man
Something about the Erie Canal
Darlin’ Clementine
Streets of Laredo (not USA but a tearjerker!)
The stars at night are big and bright
Oh Susannah
Cape cod girls
Something about a cat on a roof?

My school district was pretty poor and filled with immigrants but we had a decent music program. A lot of kids I grew up became professional or semi-pro musicians. I joined a jazz ensemble in fifth grade and composed songs with my little group. We won state competitions.

Pretty sure we sang Dixieland, but the a bunch of songs from the 70s. Also frank Sinatra

Anonymous wrote:We sang Bob Denver’s Country Roads, among many other things. It was our collective favorite! And we were in Illinois.

It's John Denver, not Bob!

We sang Bob Denver’s Country Roads, among many other things. It was our collective favorite! And we were in Illinois.

what songs did you sing in class? I attended an immigrant heavy public school (relatively small in size grades 1-6 two classes per grade with one class dedicated to ESOL students) We would occasionally have music class where we sang songs. The majority of the songs we sang in music class were anthem songs for the US (America) military songs (Balled of the Green Beret) and occasionally “Somewhere over the rainbow,” “This Land” and “Country Roads” It’s comical thinking back to the heavily accented renditions and wondering if my fellow classmates even understood what they were singing about. Admittedly, at times I did not. What was your experience? What songs did you sing?