Fifty Nifty States, a Singable Picture Book

Posted by: Sing Books with Emily on: August 19, 2011

In: Art of Singing a Song | Case for Singable Books | Heartfelt Musings | Sing Along Tracks | Sing Books with Emily Sing-Along Materials | Singable Book Title
Comment!

It is so much fun when an idea comes to life! I’m excited to share a project I’ve been thinking about and working on for a long time.

Fifty Nifty States
Words and Music by Ray Charles
Book Assembled by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus

This item is for classroom, home, or library use only.

Last summer, I was sitting at the pool talking to a fellow mom as we watched our kids swim and couldn’t help myself but to yammer on about Sing Books with Emily (what can a girl do?). She told me about a song she learned as a kid, “Fifty Nifty States,” and that the lyrics of the song rattle off the name of each state in the United States in alphabetical order.

I went home and looked it up and found that it was written by Ray Charles! This led me on a wild goose chase, because, turns out, this is not the Ray Charles who probably immediately springs to mind. The Ray Charles who wrote this song is the Ray Charles of the Ray Charles Singers and is a prominent composer, choir leader and arranger.

I made a book to go with the song and have acquired a terrific sing-along track and cannot wait to sing the song to kids so they, too, can learn the names of all of the FIFTY NIFTY STATES!

**********************
Fifty Nifty States
Words and Music by Ray Charles

Fifty Nifty United States from thirteen original colonies;
Fifty Nifty stars in the flag that billows so beautifully in the breeze.
Each individual state contributes a quality that is great.
Each individual state deserves a bow, We salute them now.

Fifty Nifty United States from thirteen original colonies.
Shout ‘em, scout ‘em, Tell all about ‘em,
One by one, til we’ve given a day to every state in the USA.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,
Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

North, South, East, West in our calm, objective opinion (Name of favorite State)
Is the Best of the Fifty Nifty United States from thirteen original colonies
Shout ‘em, scout ‘em, tell all about ‘em
One by One, till we’ve given a day to every state in the good old U.S.A.

**********************
An informative wiki article about “the other” Ray Charles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Charles_(composer)

A YouTube someone else made to go with the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_HeLofy7IE

**********************

*

Fifty (50) United States (One Page for Each State and a Few Interesting Facts
Book Assembled by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus

I do not have the publising rights to sell a book containing “Fifty Nifty States” lyrics (as written by Ray Charles). But I’ve created this book with a page for each state, in alphabetical order, which you can use to sing the song, after the intoduction.

If you are interested in a copy of this book, please email: SingBooksWithEmily.att.net, or lave a comment to this post.

**********************
Informative Websites

50 States.com:
http://www.50states.com/

**********************
PREAMBLE, BY MIKE WILKINS, SINGABLE ART AT SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM

Preamble
Art by Mike Wilkins (1987)
Smithsonian American Art Museum
http://americanart.si.edu
Sing this ART with “The Preamble Song” from “School House Rock” (andFifty Nifty States, too!)

I have really been enjoying singing the School House Rock Preamble Song with kids at schools, pointing to the words as spelled out in Mike Wilkin’s wonderful work of art called “Preamble.”

I wondered out loud the other day of there was a licence plate for each state in this picture. I just counted them up and found that, indeed, there are 51. 51? Sure enough, there’s a license plate for each state and the extra one is for the District of Columbia.

Closer inspection reveals that not only is there a plate for each state, but the plates are in alphabetical order! This means to me that not only can one look at “Preamble” to sing “The Preamble Song,” but you can sing it with “Fifty Nifty States, too!”

***********************

SCOUT THE FIFTY NIFTY STATES

I altered a PowerPoint map I purchased to better suit the purpose of singing the song Fifty Nifty States.

Just print the map and locate the states as you sing the song.

It’s a challenge, but lots of fun.

Plus, it’s a helpful skill to know the locations of the states especially in and election year like this one (2012)!

The Fifty Nifty United States Map (by ELEG for Sing Books with Emily)
Map Colorized by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus
Words and Music by Ray Charles
To view or print this map, click here:
usa map by eleg

**********************

FIFTY NIFTY STATES LYRIC SHEET

After we sang Fifty Nifty States not long ago, one of the children asked how they could sing it at home over winter break. I promised to provide lyric sheets for each child during next visit and to upload the sing-along to sound cloud.

Just to facilitate the fun and make the materials more easily available,

Click here for printable lyric sheet for Fifty Nifty States:
fifty nifty states portrait lyric sheet only

As promised, the sing-along melody track is on my Sing Books with Emily SoundCloud Page. You’ll find other songs I’ve written and/or recorded (with the help wonderfully talented friends who arranged, played, mixed sound and directed) from the Sing Books repertoire. But for just the “50 Nifty” melody track, click here:
http://soundcloud.com/singbookswithemily/melody-for-50-states-song

I’m so excited that the kids wanted to sing this over the holiday!

**********************
January 2012

ELECTRONIC SUPERHIGHWAY, BY NAM JUNE PAIK, SINGABLE ART AT SMITHSONIAN’S AMERICAN ART MUSEUM

Electronic Superhighway (1995)
Artist: Nam June Paik
Smithsonian American Art Museum

Tuckahoe Elementary School’s second grade took a trip to Chinatown DC in observance of the Chinese New Year. I went to chaperone my daughter and a friend. When the Chinatown activities were over, including a delicious lunch, we had time to visit the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery and American Art museum, both museums are housed in one building (formerly the Patent Office Building) which just happens to be steps away from the Chinatown arch.

We first visited Mike Wilkin’s license plate art called, Preamble. We stood there to enjoy the art and then sang “The Preamble Song” and “Fifty Nifty States.”

Then we went to visit another work of singable art:

Electronic Superhighway (1995)
Artist: Nam June Paik
Smithsonian American Art Museum

“Alaska and Hawaii,” detail from
Electronic Superhighway (1995)
Artist: Nam June Paik
Smithsonian American Art Museum

Electronic Superhighway (1995)
Artist: Nam June Paik
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Electronic Superhighway (1995)
Artist: Nam June Paik
Smithsonian American Art Museum

Sing “Fifty Nifty States” with this art! But it’ll be a challenge, you have to recognize the states by their location and shape alone.

Click here for the Smithsonian’s webpage about this mammoth work of art:
http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=71478

More information on a separate Smithsonian webpage, here:
http://americanart.si.edu/education/rs/artwork/
This link allows you to explore the work of art up-close, with the ability to click on the picture and zoom in and out to view every aspect of the piece.

Information about the artist, here:
http://americanart.si.edu/education/rs/artwork/artist.cfm

**********************
January 2012
FIFTY KNIFTY STATES

Though not a sophisticated knitter, I love to knit, so this wonderful knitted map of the Fifty Knifty States caught my imagination by the tail:

From Lion Brand yard website:
Lion Country Afghan

Lion Brand yarn company offers a free pattern (you’ve got to sign up with the website to get the free pattern, though). To get the pattern, just click here:
Lion Country Afghan

**********************
SINGABLE PLACEMATS

Fifty Nifty States
Words and Music by Ray Charles
Illustrated by PAINLESS LEARNING PLACEMATS

**********************
Related Articles

FOURTH OF JULY AND OTHER HOLIDAYS CELEBRATING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND HER CITIZENS AND HISTORY
A list of Singable Picture Books celebrating the Fourth of July
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/a-patriotic-list-of-singable-books-for-july-4th/

EDUCATIONAL CONTENT
A list of SPBs with fun and sneakily educational content. The kids won’t even know they’re learning!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/singable-picture-books-with-sneaky-educational-content/

SINGALBE PICTURE BOOK LISTS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS AND INSTERESTS
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/song-book-lists-for-all-occasions/

SING ALONG RESOURCES AND PRINTABLE MATERIALS:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/sing-along-resources-2/

RHODE ISLAND IS FAMOUS FOR YOU, A SINGABLE PICTURE BOOK
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/rhode-island-is-famous-for-you-a-singable-picture-book/

Preamble (1987) by Mike Wilkins, Singable Art…and We The Kids, a Singable Picture Book
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/preamble-1987-by-mike-wilkins-singable-art/

Fifty Nifty States, a Singable Picture Book
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/fifty-nifty-states-a-singable-picture-book/

Schoolhouse Rock Singable Picture Books
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/school-house-rock-singable-picture-books-but-just-a-few/

Favorite States
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/favorite-states/

Electronic Superhighway, Singable Art at Smithsonian’s American Art Museum

http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/electronic-superhighway-singable-art-at-smithsonians-american-art-museum/

Fifty Knifty States
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/fifty-knifty-knitted-states/

SINGABLE PLACEMATS
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/singable-placemats/

**********************
I owe a huge debt of thanks to Susan for telling me about this song and to Paul (www.myrehearsalpianist.com) for making the music possible.

**********************
FAVORITE STATES

I live in Virginia, so the book comes stocked with that state as the “favorite.” But if VA isn’t YOUR favorite state, look below. As I have the occasion to make them, “other” states will be added:

*
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FAVE