If you want a piece for treble choir that has both classic and modern elements, I have a Kyrie chant style piece in 4/4 which sports an energetic 12/8 percussion beat under it. The added percussion is inspired by the movie Avatar (the kids in my choir love this treatment), but the piece can stand alone for a more haunting chant feel.

Hi, Lisa.  I can see where you're coming from, but why move to after school and face all the problems that involves?  In many school systems (perhaps not yours) the bus schedules make after-school activities difficult.

 

BUT, have you considered changing from one mixed 6th grade choir to separate boys and girls choirs?  It's relatively easy to make the case for this, given the problems boys will have with their changing voices.  I know this has been discussed before, but I don't know whether there's a ChoralNet site for it.

 

And of course it occurrs to me that when you say you have an 8th grade "treble" choir, you're automatically excluding any boys with changed or changing voices, and therefore doing away with their value as role models for younger boys.

 

My mom taught junior high for a while (no middle schools, then), and one of her strategies was to have my high school barbershop quartet come and put on an assembly, which in fact did motivate more boys to get involved.  Today the equivalent would be a high school or college doo-wop group. 

 

I'm not as sure about your trying to get "popular" boys, but it depends on what you mean by "popular."  Athletes, sure.  They are often respected, whether or not they're "popular."  But the bottom line HAS to be making your choirs seen as exciting and worthwhile, and if they're almost all-girl that isn't necessarily a draw for the boys (unlike slightly older teenagers, for who it might be a STRONG draw!).

 

 

All the best,

 

John

 

 

Hi Lisa-

First of all, thanks for being willing to do what it takes to build your program.  Second, I've found that mixing songs that the girls in your program will enjoy hearing the men sing does a lot for recruitment.  I had my young men perform a simple, two-part arrangement of Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" last year as the 'guy feature.'  The response from the ladies after the ensemble finished did more for making choir a popular choice for the young men than I had accomplished all year. :)  

 

This year I'm spicing up Devo's "Working in a Coal Mine" for them.  They are also working on "Now is the Month of Maying," (arr. Robinson), "Blue Skies," (arr. Zegree), and "Little Innocent Lamb." (arr. Johnson). 

 

Best of luck!

--Craig

I used to invite college and high school a cappella groups (with vocal percussion, which middle school boys love) to come and perform for the middle school in an all-school assembly. The benefits of this are 1) the boys see older guys singing and having FUN,  2) they get the idea that singing as an all-guys ensemble is really cool, and 3) they get to hear men singing in all vocal ranges. It's especially good for your unchanged voices to hear the first tenors and realize that "high" voices are not just girls' voices! These performances are also great because the middle school girls always LOVE to hear older boys singing - and their enthusiasm will really motivate your middle school boys! I would usually try to have the older guys do a question-and-answer period for JUST THE BOYS after the performance - it provides a safe environment for the boys to ask questions that they won't ask with girls around.

 

Another idea is food - I started an after-school group, and invited boys to come in for a slice of pizza - all were welcome as long as they'd sing a little bit. I drew a LOT of interest, and although not all the boys stayed, it was a great way to get the boys into the room. Once they're there, many of them will stay if you make the environment safe and fun. Then once they start singing together, the experience becomes the reason they return (although it never hurts to bring pizza again once in a while!)

 

Then of course you have to pick fun music that they can sing successfully - I agree with Craig that the response from the girls they sing for is tremendous motivation for the boys!. Also, never let them perform until they can sing a piece well - keep them proud of their performance, even if you have to choose simpler music than you'd like.