About
Welcome to my website! Why did I decide to launch a site such as this? To recommend some great songs for you to use with your young singers.
I have been a passionate music educator for the past 46 years, teaching classroom music at the high school & middle school levels, and more recently, at the primary & elementary school levels in Australia, Hong Kong, and the USA.
Teaching general and elective music classes, as well as choral and various instrumental ensembles has given me a wide field of opportunity. Each of these areas has provided its own special reward, however, I find working with young people who are singing enthusiastically is the most thrilling experience of all.
For the purpose of this website, I have decided to target music for choirs where students are 8-11 years of age, as this is where I have the more recent experience. In my classroom, singing was a major vehicle for instruction, and this skill was extended in the establishment of choral opportunities at various levels.
Choosing Repertoire
When establishing a choir, I have found that a big key to engagement is finding the right repertoire, that is, songs that both I and the children feel comfortable working on. Often, I would ask the children in my choirs to make suggestions of songs they enjoyed singing, and I was sometimes very surprised by the content of these songs. Usually, it was something their parents or siblings listened to, or they would pick up on a good melody or beat, but the lyrics were not especially fitting for a school performance. Searching for age-appropriate songs for young girls and boys to sing together can be challenging. Movies have provided me with much current material, especially Disney, but you can often find a song on the charts that also fits the bill. Classic hits, folk tunes, and recent songs work equally well, while original songs composed specifically for choirs are increasing all the time.
Here you will find reviews of songs that I have found to be unanimously loved by students and are not too difficult for 8-11 year olds, however, many of them are also suited for 12-14 year olds who have little choral experience. Some, I have used as unison songs, (and don’t underestimate the power of this), and for others, accessible 2-part, or occasionally, easy 3-part arrangements where the 3rd part is usually a descant line. I have also added a few more recent songs that show great potential. With each song, I have posted a video to help you decide on a song. I searched for youtube videos where young children were singing but it was not always possible to find exactly that. Anyway, I hope this gives you somewhere to start when choosing a song for your young choir.
