Our school does a cross divisional choral concert each year and I'm looking
for suggestions for an appropriate closer that's not too challenging
(limited rehearsal time), and they might all enjoy. Thanks for your
suggestions!
Peter Coulianos
peter_coulianos(a)ryecountryday.org

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Here are the responses from my request for a 4-12 choral closer:

give us hope by jim populis worked really well for us this year..
jh and hs did parts and elementary sang melody - sometimes split the
alto/soprano

We do the same thing here! I've used in the following and been successful
in the past:

Give us Hope - Paupolis (kids loved it, just did it this fall)
My Maker's World - Curry
I Hear America Singing - Thomas
Shine On Me - Dillworth
Why We Sing – Gilpin

May I suggest:
Ode to a Fruitcake:
http://choirworks.com/index.php/home/2008/10/31/ode-to-a-fruitcake
Wondrous Love:
http://choirworks.com/index.php/home/2008/10/31/wondrous-love
or
We're Back!:
HYPERLINK
"http://choirworks.com/index.php/home/2008/10/31/were-back"http://choirworks.com/index.php/home/2008/10/31/were-back

Check out "Come to Me" published by Sound Music Publications: www.smpjazz.com
This is a very effective piece and one that the students will relate to
very quickly.

In a similar situation last season we sang Rutter's "Look at the world."

Are you familiar with OH, Freedomchallenging rhythm for adults, children can sing melody or one of the
ostinatos. HYPERLINK mailto:Carol.Longsworth(a)oberlin.edu

I do a festival with grades 5-12 and we end with God Bless America arr.
Cristopher/Moss The younger kids sing the melody and the older ones do the
harmony. We get a standing ovation every time.There is a CD to go with it
if you are inclined.

At our recent Grade 3-6 Christmas Concert we performed your song
"Raise Up Your Voices" as our closing number with all 200 students
singing. I was inspired to do this after attending your session at the
NSMEA conference.
All 200 students were in the Gym. The grade 6 and Grade 4
classes[around 100 students] were up on the stage which is raised and
the grade 5 and grade 3 classes[again around 100] on the
floor,visually below the other classes. The call and response went
from the group on the floor to the group on the stage.
As soon as the choreography started you could feel the audience
really getting into it. As the last note sounded and everyone's hand
shot up into the air the audience spontaneously rose as one into an
extended standing ovation.What an amazing feeling that was for the kids.
I just wanted to share this with you and wish you the best of the season.

I recently did a middle school festival and we used John Leavitt's "River
in Judea" as our closer, with all schools singing. It does get to a high
"F" near the end, but you can certainly work with it. It's a great piece,
very accesible melody- and there are arrangements available for 2 part,
SSA, SAB, SATB, and TTBB. I haven't compared them, but you should be able
to use different arrangements with different ages and have it work.


My middle school kids enjoyed Roger Emerson's SAB arrangement of
Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." The text used in this arrangement is secular-
"Sing to joy and gladness now and evermore to freedom's song..." Great,
appropriate message about how music can bring us together but not cheesy
either.

As I also had limited rehearsal time, I let my younger students sing the
familiar melody while the older students sang the harmony parts. Musical
elements which can be taught through the piece are dynamics (subito piano,
crescendo, forte), accents, anacruses, etc. That's what I remember without
looking at it.

Sahayta!


We do the same thing at our school and in the past two years we've used:
• Harriet Tubman by Dan Coates
• I'm Goin' Up a Yonderby Walter Hawkins
• Why we Sing by Greg Gilpin
• Exultate Justi by John Williams

I like "River in Judea." Do the SATB version but have the younger kids sing
unison on a verse. The older kids can do the third verse a cappella in
4-parts.






peter coulianos
peter_coulianos(a)ryecountryday.org