This Is Who We Are – for Middle School Choir Friday, August 27, 2021
recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral Music Specialist
As you return to live music-making with your choirs, remember that Stanton’s is your partner in music education! Start off the year with one of our recommended Five Star Features for Middle School Choir.
for MIXED CHOIRS
This Is Who We Are by Mark Burrows, 3-part mixed with piano and djembe
“When we reach out to shine and share our light, we show the world that, together, we can do beautiful things. This is who we are!” This positive text would make a great theme song for choirs of all ages. The powerful setting features soloists, compelling harmonies that build in drama, and a djembe part to give it the modern world music feel. Effective and important!
Caritas Canon by Andy Beck, SAB with piano and optional flute
The traditional Ubi Caritas text is uniquely set as an uptempo jazz waltz. Just one sentence in Latin plus a few English lyrics make it clear that this song is all about “charity and love.” As you’ve come to expect from this composer, the canon is a true skill-builder – with a modal melody that moves from unison to two and eventually three independent layers (using descant singers for 2-part choirs). Don’t miss the jazzy flute obbligato available free online.
The Hurricane by Paul David Thomas, 3-part mixed with piano
Have you ever been in a heavy storm or near a real hurricane? This unique piece makes use of a variety of special effects using the voice and hands resulting in sounds that resemble heavy wind and rain, like those one might hear in a hurricane. Singers of all ages will never tire of this work.
I Have Loved the Stars Too Fondly by Heather Sorenson, 3-part mixed with piano and optional cello
Inspired by Sarah Williams’ poem “The Old Astronomer,” this best-selling concert work is now available for 3-Part Mixed and tells of the irony of life’s moments of joy sadness longing endurance love and many other lessons rolled into a vessel of musical inspiration.
Twilight by Andy Beck, SAB with piano
The setting sun serves as the inspiration for this introspective and serene choral work. An elegantly simple melody is harmonized beautifully with block chords in chorale style. Expert choral writing makes it smoothly singable, allowing three-part choirs to concentrate on finer points of artistry and expression.
Refuge by Audrey Snyder, 3-part mixed with piano
American poet Sara Teasdale’s “Refuge” provided the perfect opportunity for arranger Audrey Snyder to explore the value of consonance and dissonance in a choir for young singers. Suspensions and Anticipations are pervasive throughout, with a simply beautiful piano accompaniment!
for TREBLE CHOIRS
O Wind by Michael John Trotta, 2-part with piano
You can hear the gentle breezes passing by in this charming setting of the playful Robert Louis Stevenson poem, in which a child talks with the wind. Independent melodic writing in both voice parts sets your singers up for success. An expressive treble feature for choirs of any age.
Isn’t It Amazing? by Amy F. Bernon, 2-part with piano
Celebrating the act of singing and being together, and packed with great educational singing concepts, this piece will help your young singers learn and grow while also having high performance value. Simple melismatic singing, echoing counterpoint, rhythmic variation, a short a cappella section, and exciting handclaps provide accessible musicality for developing two-part choirs. And it’s fun!
Rise Up, My Love by Tom Merrill, SA with piano
The approach to this wedding text is joyful rather than romantic, the vocal parts approachable but interesting thanks to rhythmic interplay and a variety of textures. The piano part adds to the dance-like mood.
The Rivers Are Running Again by Amy F. Bernon, SSA with piano
Celebrate spring with this delightful Amy Bernon offering that is almost folk-like in nature. The colorful refrain brings to life the joy and rebirth of springtime: “Oh, spring has returned with a bursting of blossoms, with dancing and singing and days full of sun!
for TENOR/BASS CHANGING VOICES
Dover Beach (Tales from the North) by Meredith Tompkins & Ashley Dame, TT unchanged voices with piano
For unchanged tenor voices, “Dover Beach” contains rolling and weaving melodies within the framework of an undulating piano accompaniment. Energetic and musically charged, the driving melodic passages will challenge the young tenor performers to be their very best!
The Mermaid arr. Jack Zaino, TB with piano
Clamoring to join the sea song craze? Here’s an exceptionally well-prepared traditional sea ballad that is equal parts authentic and enjoyable. Dating back to the mid 1700s, this rollicking nautical adventure (probably from England or Scotland) tells the story of a ship’s captain who spots a mermaid in the distance. Since mermaids were thought to bring bad luck, the whole crew panics! A chorus of sailors, a captain, the chef, and a parrot take turns expressing their woe – often in a comedic way. Singers will quickly be hooked, so directors can sink into the educational merits to uncover many hidden treasures. View the arranger’s intro video for even more history and teaching ideas.
Find all of our Middle School Choir recommendations for Fall 2021 on our website, and shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!
About the Author:
Jen Sper is a Choral Music Specialist here at Stanton’s Sheet Music. A native of Cincinnati, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College (now University) Conservatory of Music, and taught 7-12 choir, music theory, class piano, and drama in Southern Ohio before joining the Stanton’s team in 2006. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, Jen can also often be found exploring the exciting restaurant, brewery, and theater scenes in Columbus, wandering through the local metro parks, visiting family around the Great Lakes, or at home with her very friendly cat.