Experience the Musical History of California
Take a musical journey to the early days of California and the West with song books, audio CDs, choral arrangements and musical plays. We have researched and compiled a large collection of traditional songs, dances and singing games which make history come alive. These songs are expressed in the words of people who lived during those times and historians consider them to be primary source documents.
Our books, They Came Singing and Days of Gold, both have been recognized to be in legal compliance with the California State Department of Education’s guidelines for social content of instructional material. Both books can be found in the Library of Congress.
Teaching Across the Curriculum
Hand-picked by music educators with experience in classroom teaching, these authentic songs are chosen for their historical background and lyric variants suitable for all ages.
Featured Materials
DAYS OF GOLD! SONGS OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH
by Karen Arlen, Margaret Batt, Mary Ann Benson and Nancie Kester
The Calicanto Choral Series features over fifty choral arrangements in unison, two and three parts. All octavos are suitable for children's and women's voices. The songs are historically relevant with traditional American and multi-cultural origins. They provide a glimpse of life of earlier days in the United States and other countries.
Piano accompaniment and simple instrumental parts are included for some of the arrangements. The octavos address a range of abilities and performance levels for beginning, intermediate and advanced choruses.
by Mary Ann Benson
The rough and ready days of '49 come alive as old Tom Moore recounts his adventures and misfortunes in the gold fields "a-searchin' for gold". The booklet has both a narrative script by Mary Ann Benson and a play version of the same tale by Karen Arlen. Days of '49 continues to the time of the Transcontinental Railway, and features eight songs of the period. An audio CD is included.
by Margaret Batt
Take a thrilling journey around Cape Horn to the California gold fields. From the moment the clipper ship "Seagull" leaves Boston Harbor for San Francisco, you are involved in life and work on board ship during the golden age of sail. Share the hopes and dreams of courageous sailors as they experience. the turbulent voyage. The play features 10 captivating sea shanties. An audio CD is included.
by Margaret Batt
Travel back in time to 1836, the Mexican Rancho period in early California. Maria Gonzalez is celebrating her tenth birthday, along with her family and friends. This musical play captures the fun and festivities of Maria's special day. Play booklet includes both an expanded English script and a bilingual version with Spanish dialogue interspersed throughout the play. This format is ideal for Spanish-speaking students and for English speaking students learning Spanish. There are eleven songs, games and dances from the Mexican Rancho era. An audio CD is included.
by Magaret Batt
Travel west with two of folk song's best-loved characters, Betsy and Ike, as they set forth from Pike County, Missouri to the California gold fields. “Pike to Placerville” provides a wonderful opportunity to teach across the curriculum, combining history, geography, music, dance, drama, art and Social Studies. Both cast and audience will become involved in the long wagon train journey along the Overland Trail to California. Nine traditional songs are featured. An audio CD is included.
by Karen Woodward Arlen
Immerse yourself in the Yosemite Indian legend of the origin of El Capitan. This giant granite cliff was once known as Tutokanula in honor of a little measuring worm Tutokana, the hero of this tale. While the story is being told by an Ahwahneechee Indian family, it is acted out by animal people of long ago. The play includes five authentic California Indian songs and games plus original designs for animal masks. An audio CD is included.
Click below to hear a sample from Days of Gold!
Critical Acclaim
"Days of Gold is a companion to They Came Singing: Songs from California's History. Both books and CDs are important additions to the multicultural study of California History. These valuable resources for history buffs, teachers and singers should be included in all school and public libraries and museums throughout the West."
Marilyn Sousa, Crescendo, Publication of Kodaly Association of Southern California
"Coupled with the editors' obvious love of music, the thoroughness of both Days of Gold! and They Came Singing bears out the sentiment expressed in the epigraph of the latter title. The quote from Hendrik Van Loon asserts that 'It is more vital to feel history than to memorize its details'."
Roberto Landzari, Corporate Archivist at Dolby Laboratories, California History, The Magazine of the California Historical Society, Winter, 2000/2001
"... We (KASC) very much enjoyed your wonderful, informative, historically-correct, enjoyable and entertaining workshop, with so much good material for the teachers to take right back to their classrooms
Marilyn Sousa, re: Kodaly Association of Southern California/Los Angeles Unified School District workshop, North Hollywood, CA
I was inspired with California's colorful history through this music and I plan to use it more effectively with my students.
Alice Isaac, President, Central California Association of Kodaly Educators, Fresno
"Proving that general music teachers can also be wonderful performers, the group of teachers who presented "California History Through Folksong" used an incredible array of instruments . . . Playing on everything from banjo to really old washboards, they sang in unison and beautiful harmony as they led us through the pages of California history. Their book is a broad resource of both historical information, maps and music. I was delighted to find several selections in Spanish which I can use with my bilingual classes."
Tempo, CMEA Bay Section Newsletter
I am blown away by the excellence of your music and the depth of your research.
Mary Herzle, classroom music teacher, Los Angeles
"Thank you again for giving up your weekend to be with us. Monday morning 4th grade teachers at our school were already "delving in" - teaching from your materials. They were very excited to have those resources.”
Marilyn Shepherd, re: Carlsbad School District In-service, Hope School, Carlsbad, California
"Calicanto presents music with dignity and style. They are individually accomplished musicians, teachers and researchers. They give the various ethnic groups homage and importance for their individual contributions to California's diversity."
Karen Bellinger, President, Central California Association of Kodaly Educators, California State University, Fresno
"Throughout the day and the weekend, OCTA members came to me with their enthusiastic compliments and thanks for your marvelous program of recitation and music to tell the Anza Trail. I cannot remember in my 25 years with OCTA that I have ever seen a spontaneous standing ovation to speakers or musicians. It came from every member who was touched by their own family experience about the migration of men and women with their children to settle or move into a new region or state or city.You taught us with song and music to accept to mourn and to be joyous at any occasion. So many people commented that they enjoyed being educated about the Anza Trail. You have an outstanding program to share"
Mary Mueller, Oregon-California Trails Association, May 7, 2006
"Thanks again for your wonderful performance of the Calicanto Singers last week. It was truly a delight, and it gave our visitors an appreciation for the music and instruments of the Gold Rush. Your stories and songs were entertaining and educational - and the audience loved them. It was a great family program!. . . "
Margaret Kadoyama, Museum Consultant, Oakland museum of California, James Moore Theatre, re: "Days of '49! Songs from California's History with the Calicanto Singers, June 26, 1998
THEY CAME SINGING: SONGS FROM CALIFORNIA'S HISTORY
by Karen Arlen, Margaret Batt, Mary Ann Benson and Nancie Kester