Favorite Songs for Elementary Choir

If you're looking for some song ideas to use with your elementary chorus, today I'm sharing some of my favorites! I've shared some of my favorite pop songs I've arranged for my elementary choirs in previous posts (look for that link below) so this post will focus on choral pieces.

I have taught elementary choir for many years in all different formats, age groups, schedules, and ability ranges, and I definitely have found some pieces that have been successful time and time again. Of course there are no magic songs that are perfect for every elementary choir, so you'll want to consider which ones of the list below are the best fit for the group you have from year to year, but these are all pieces I have done over the years and have worked well. 

I've split my list up into songs I've done for winter concerts and songs I've done for spring concerts, but keep in mind there are many songs on this list that would work any time of year and often, I have done them in multiple different times of year myself- in those cases I just added them to one or the other, so be sure to look through the whole list regardless of what time of year your program will be.

Winter Concert Songs

• "Winter Is Coming" from "Songs for the Winter" 
• "Here Comes the Snow" from "Songs for the Winter" 
• "Gong Xi" arr. Lily Lung Grant
• "A La Puerta del Cielo" arr. Ruth Elaine Schram (2-part)
• "Hot Chocolate" (from Polar Express) arr. Roger Emerson (2-part)
• "Sing" by Pinkzebra (2-part)
• "Catch a Falling Star" arr. Mac Huff
• "Hushabye, Nanita Nana" arr. Donnelly & Strid
• "Snow is Falling" by Ruth Elaine Schram (2-part)
• "Siyahamba" arr. Donald Moore (2-part)
• "Seasons of Love" (from Rent) arr. Mac Huff (2-part)
• "How Can I Keep from Singing?" by Greg Gilpin (2-part)
• "Artza Alinu" arr. Earlene Rentz (2-part)
• "Babethandaza" arr. Victor Johnson (SSA)
• "Whisper!" by Greg Gilpin (2-part)

Spring Concert Songs

• "I Bought Me a Cat" arr. Sally Albrecht (2-part)
• "Akatonbo" arr. Russell Robinson
• "Bonse Aba" arr. Victor Johnson (2-part)
• "I Love Chocolate!" by Mary Lynn Lightfoot
• "Get On Board" by Martin/ Williams
• "I Want to Rise" arr. Mark Weston (2-part)
• "J'entend le Moulin" arr. Dwyer/ Ellis (SA)
• "Salangadou" arr. Susan Brumfield
• "Cantar!" by Jay Althouse (2-part)
• "Sisi Ni Moja" by Jacob Narverud (SA)
• "Aya Ngena" arr. Ruth Morris Gray (SSA)
• "Kojo no Tsuki" arr. Audrey Snyder
• "Rhythm of Life" arr. John Leavitt (2-part)
• "Ukrainian River Song" by Roman Yakub

Keep in mind in many cases I make minor adjustments to the pieces to fit my needs, whether that's adjusting the lyrics, modifying the harmony parts, adjusting the arrangements, or making a section a solo. I've written more details about some specific ways I often modify songs in this post, and you're welcome to comment or email me if you have questions about any of the specific songs on this list.

I have been hesitant to share this list because I am not particularly thrilled with the identities represented in the list of arrangers and composers. I would love to hear suggestions from people who have found songs they love for elementary choirs by composers and arrangers that identify with underrepresented identities, particularly culture bearers from the global majority. I have, frankly, had an easier time finding representation in the modern songs I program for my elementary choirs and have admittedly put more energy into that effort than I have into the choral arrangements. To see my (ongoing) list of modern songs I've arranged for my elementary choirs, check out this post.

I also don't tend to program concerts with a specific theme most of the time, because I don't want to limit myself, but sometimes I stumble into a theme and when that happens it's pretty cool to see it come together! I've shared the songs I've programmed for 3 different themes (stars, rhythm, and self-identity) in this post.

Looking for more advice on teaching elementary chorus? You can search all of my posts on the topic, with everything from teaching strategies to warmups to rehearsal procedures, here.

Read more "Favorite Songs for Elementary Choir"

Indigenous American Resources for Music Teachers

As someone who did not grow up in North America and does not have any Native American heritage in my family, I have been on a constant learning journey for the last two decades since moving to the United States to learn more about Indigenous music, and appropriate ways for me, as an outsider, to share it with my students. I still have so very much to learn, but today I wanted to bring you along on my learning journey by sharing a few helpful resources I have found for non-Native people to find music and cultural information that is appropriate for us to share in our classrooms.

1. Culture Bearers

I know firsthand that this can feel like a frustrating answer when you hear people say to reach out to your local tribe/ nation for information and resources, but it's true: there is no substitute for connecting with local people and organizations that can directly advise you on songs and information from your local indigenous communities and what is permissible for you to share as an outsider, point you to people and resources you can use, and maybe even come in to share with your students themselves! It took me several years to even find connections myself but it is imperative that we make the effort to do so.

2. Pow Wow Information

One of the first thing I introduce my students to is pow wows and the dancing and music that happen in the pow wow traditions local to our area. The website www.powwows.com has a lot of helpful information and resources that are made for non-Native teachers and students, including a place to find a pow wow near you.

3. Songs and Lessons in Anishinaabemowin

Ojibwe.net is a website designed to preserve and spread the Algonquian language Anishinaabemowin. Songs and lessons designed to help people learn the language are available, including audio recordings, and these songs are appropriate for non-indigenous teachers to use in their classrooms.

4. Michelle McCauley

I have learned so much from all of Michelle McCauley's work over the years. You can find video lectures on how to use Native American music in elementary general music classrooms, how to handle Thanksgiving, and songs and dances on her YouTube channel, an ebook with accompanying music on F-flat books, and more resources online.

Of course there are so many more resources that I have learned from and have used in my teaching, but those are some highlights that, if you are a non-Native teacher seeking to incorporate music and lessons in your music classroom appropriately, are good places to start. As I said before I am very much a beginning learner in this area inviting you to join me on this important journey- please share ideas, thoughts, and resources in the comments so we can all continue to grow!

Read more "Indigenous American Resources for Music Teachers"

Hispanic Heritage Month Elementary Playlist

This year for Latine / Hispanic Heritage Month I've been playing music by Latine / Hispanic musicians in the morning as students are entering school, and I ended up discovering a lot of new kid-friendly songs and artists in the process of my research to find songs to add to my playlist that are clean enough to play around the preschoolers but cool enough to avoid the 6th graders rolling their eyes when they come into school. All of these songs have fit the bill!

Whether you use this playlist as a whole or look through to find a new song or artist to feature in your lessons, I hope you find this playlist useful! I made sure the lyrics were appropriate for kids, but also tried to include broad representation of a variety of genres and artist's nationalities, a mix of traditional and modern, children's music and pop. Click below to access the playlist on Spotify or YouTube:

To learn more about how I recognize Latine / Hispanic Heritage Month in my classroom, and find links to culture bearers and resources I recommend, here is my blog post on how I recognize Latine / Hispanic Heritage Month in the music room.

I hope to continue adding more songs to this playlist as I discover more songs and artists and continue to expand my representation! Please share your recommendations in the comments so we can expand the list together.

Read more "Hispanic Heritage Month Elementary Playlist"

SEL Music Lesson "I Got a Letter This Morning"

I used a new lesson with my 3rd graders at the beginning of the year this year to help build and re-establish their relationships with each other, and it was a huge success! I highly recommend this for any time of year as a great way to introduce and practice whole notes, the "syncopa" rhythm pattern, and same and different phrases, but most importantly to build community in your classroom. This is a great lesson to tie in with social-emotional learning on spreading kindness and positivity, friendship, and giving compliments.

I dug up the song "I Got a Letter This Morning" from the recesses of my mind this summer when I was looking for a new song to use to introduce whole notes to my students at the beginning of the year. I used to use this song years ago but had not taught it in many years, and coming back to it I suddenly saw so much potential for ways to use this song in fun, community-building ways that would be perfect to kick off the year on the right foot!

If you aren't familiar, this video demonstrates the version that I learned and used in this lesson. Because it is a US American folk song there are many variations on the tune, but the basic idea is the same. If you watch the full video they show an example of how you can analyze and identify the rhythms with students in this song as well:

Here's the notation of the version I used:

I start off by having students sing the "oh yes" phrases as a response, while I sing the "I got a letter" phrases as the call, and sing it in call and response form (this is a great opportunity to review call and response!). Then we talked about how exciting it is when you get something in the mail. I typed the names of each student in the class on a sheet of paper, spread out with 6 names on each sheet, and cut the paper into 6 individual sheets before class and put them all in an envelope. Then I told them we are going to send happy mail to our friends! We talked through some examples of what would make someone smile to read, including thinking about things that person likes, or telling them something you like about them. We also discussed that even if you don't know the person that well (like the new students), it's easy to come up with something that will make them smile, whether that's a happy message like "I hope you have a great day", or even drawing them a fun picture. 

I wasn't sure how well the 3rd graders would get it, but they definitely did. I randomly handed a paper to each student and had them secretly draw or write something on the side without the name, then fold it up and put it in the envelope when they finished. I kept them in the envelope for the next lesson, which also gave me time to take a quick look and make sure they were all good. The notes were all so sweet! The ones who got a close friend drew pictures of their friend's favorite things like basketballs or computers, some of them wrote incredibly detailed notes listing all the great things about the person, and some drew lots of smiley faces and kitty cats and stars. 

The next lesson, I announced that it was time for everyone to get their mail, but they would have to sing for their card! We practiced singing the song as a call and response again, and then I told them to switch parts: the students sang "I got a letter", and I sang "oh yes". Then I explained the game: while they are all singing "oh yes", I pull a card out of the envelope, look at the name, and hand it to the person. The person that gets their letter is the only one who sings "oh yes". Then we continue singing until everyone has their letter. Everyone was thrilled with the card they got, and it gave me a chance to make sure everyone was actually singing the full 4-beat whole notes on "oh yes" as they each sang by themselves. The students took the notes home with them.

The other great thing about this game is it gets the students to sing the song over and over. By the time we finished the game they had sung it several times and had it in their ears, so it was easy to have them then think about the rhythm and discover that the notes at the end have 4 beats, and introduce the whole note! You could use the same process to introduce the "syncopa" pattern in the first part of the song as well if you want to use it to teach that rhythm, and you could also have students think about each phrase of the song and identify the same and different phrases.

This lesson was a huge hit and it was the perfect way to start the year. The homeroom teachers were so excited when I explained why they were all leaving class with a piece of paper, and the students were all excitedly showing each other their notes. I even had one student who was so concerned that I did not receive a note myself that she spent her entire recess the next day making me a beautiful note and proudly brought it to class the next lesson and announced that we all needed to sing the song one more time, then handed me the note.

If you're looking for more ways to get students practicing giving sincere and thoughtful compliments, I highly recommend using classroom jobs and including compliments as one of them- you can read more about how I do that in this post. And if you'd like to see my full year of lesson plans with 3rd grade, you can find those in this 3rd grade curriculum set. Have you ever used this song in your classroom? I'd love to hear how you used the song in the comments below. 

Read more "SEL Music Lesson "I Got a Letter This Morning""