There are so many great Patriotic songs that have been written. Incorporating Patriotic songs into the elementary music classroom is so important. Not only do students need to learn songs from other countries and cultures, they need to learn songs from America too. These are 10 of the best patriotic songs for elementary students that you’ll love teaching. You can find most of the songs on YouTube if they’re unfamiliar to you. You can find a lot of great Patriotic sheet music ideas at Virtual Sheet Music, Inc.
1. “The Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key
I wrote a blog post about how to teach “The Star Spangled Banner” that you can read here. Obviously, this is an excellent Patriotic song to teach because it’s America’s National anthem. I’m always amazed at how many kids don’t know the words to the song, about putting our hand over our heart, or the reason we stand.
2. “You’re a Grand Old Flag” by George M. Cohan
This is one of the first Patriotic songs I remember singing when I was in elementary school. If you’re doing this song in a program, students can wave flags (like these)
3. “50 Nifty United States” by Ray Charles
“50 Nifty United States” is probably my favorite songs to teach about the 50 states. If you’re not familiar with this song, you can listen to it here. I love how it not only teaches about the states, but also about the 13 colonies. I’ve always said that students learn best by singing and integrating music and social studies is so much fun!
4. “Do You Recall September” by Teresa Jennings
This Patriotic song is about 9/11. Sadly, this is a part of our nation’s history now and a lot of our student’s weren’t alive when it happened. This is a beautiful song (you can listen to a snippet of it here) to do with an honors choir or as part of a Patriotic assembly or program. You can find this and other amazing songs and programs in the Music K-8 subscription.
5. “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood
This is another oldie, but goodie. I love the lyrics “and I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, and gave that right to me.” Honestly, this song makes me think of my dad who is a Vietnam Vet. He has instilled a sense of Patriotism in me that I think is so important we continue to pass on to this generation.
6. “America the Beautiful” by Katharine Lee Bates
This one is awesome to teach, because the lyrics are about the different landscapes of our country. One of my favorite books to use in the music classroom is “America the Beautiful”. Teaching the song as you show pictures of different mountains, oceans, and plains from around America will really help students realize just how beautiful America is.
7. “When the Flag Goes By” by David Hudspeth
Another great song to use flags with is a short and sweet one called “When the Flag Goes By”. This is great to do with younger kids because it is simple. They will love doing the motions to the song while using their flags.
8. “Americans We” by Teresa Jennings
This Patriotic song is also included in the Music K-8 subscription. You can listen to a snippet of it here. I love this one, because it teaches kids about how all Americans may look different, but we are all still Americans.
9. “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie
“This Land is Your Land” is one of the best Patriotic songs for elementary students, because the lyrics mention America’s landscape and how this country “was made for you and me.” It’s a great song to start discussions about what your students think makes America great.
10. “My Country Tis of Thee” by Samuel Francis Smith
Although having conversations about soldiers dying is so very hard, this song can start a great conversation about soldiers fighting for our freedom. It also mentions “Pilgrims pride”, so can also be a great song to use around Thanksgiving also.
What Patriotic songs do you enjoy teaching to your students? Do you teach one a month or teach them as a unit? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below or share your thoughts on social media as you share this post.
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