New for Elementary Choirs for Spring Monday, January 09, 2012
Welcome your elementary choir back to school with one of these great choral octavos, as featured on our Elementary General Music Clinic with clinician Cheryl Lavender:
Celebrate goodness and the joy of being happy with the accessible and infectiously energetic Happiness Runs. Use of canon and independent melodies fuel the exuberance, and hand claps help build to the ending. Young voices will also love experiencing the jazzy style of the syncopated melody.
In Peaceful River, a graceful new melody is paired with traditional “I’ve Got Peace Like a River” for a straightforward partner-song arrangement for singers with a limited range. Each voice part need only learn sixteen bars to realize this peace-themed ballad. Perfect for young groups who are building part-singing skills.
“No matter what the melody…high or low, in harmony, sing your song.” Though each of us is different, Sing Your Song encourages unity, especially through music. An important lesson simply stated for younger choirs, and a terrific choice for music advocacy.
For some extra fun, try If I Only Had a Brain. This easy swing favorite from “The Wizard of Oz” has been arranged as a novelty hit especially for 2-part choirs. Features some simple staging suggestions and easy scat syllables.
If you’re new to leading elementary choirs (or interested in starting one in your school), Inside the Elementary School Chorus is an invaluable resource! Designed specifically for the music educator working with non-auditioned children’s choruses, it addresses everything from recruiting to getting kids excited about singing, from warm ups to programming, and from working with parents to budgets. In addition to helpful how-tos, this outstanding resource illustrates how children’s choirs can become environments where participants learn a strong sense of community alongside high levels of musicianship.
For more exciting elementary choral resources, please contact us!