Hello, Mr. Wacek--

 

You don't mention how many girls you have or how big your group is overall. If you think the guys could be heard over the girls you may want to look at some pieces from BriLee Publishing. They have a "3-part mixed" voicing where the boys are in bass clef with a range of a 6th, F below middle C up to the D above. 

Hi Mark,

I recommend partner songs that are easy to teach but sound more complex when put together... examples that I can think of off the top of my head that work with my Jr. High'ers would be:

"Play for me a simple melody" by Kirby Shaw or "The Journey" arr. Martin (parter song between 'simple gifts' and 'goin home' from Dvorak's New World Symphony)

Another song I was recently turned onto is "Jabberwocky" by Carolyn Jennings, which I just ordered and haven't tried yet, but heard good things about (and enjoyed on Youtube).

I haven't met a choir that hasn't enjoyed Roger Emerson's arrangement of "Seize the Day" from Newsies.... AND if you show them the clip from the movie, the 'music teacher' from Glee (Will Schuster) and the latest Batman actor (Christian Bale) are both teenagers in that movie... 

Good luck!  Often times for this age group, it's the way you 'sell it to them' that helps you begin teaching it to them... use Youtube (be sure to find a good quality performance) or let them listen to it like in that Newsies movie clip...

-Mike

 

Mark:  Just a couple of thoughts.  "Don't like" is a relative term, and if the music is quality don't give up on it.  In my late wife's youth choir the kids often didn't care for a piece when it was first introduced, but once they learned it it became one of their favorites and they ASKED to do it again.  Carlisle Floyd's "Wind Through the Olive Trees" (the Juilliard Repertory Library) was one of those.  That same youth choir refused to participate any more in an all-city choir after some of the other choir directors dumbed down the music chosen to pure junk, and THEY KNEW THE DIFFERENCE!

 

And regarding changing voices, again, you do for those boys what my wife did:  you write new parts for them that are tailored to their present needs and present capabilities.  After our Music Department's latest evaluation by NASM, we now require all music education students--BOTH instrumenal and vocal majors--to take both orchestration and vocal/choral arranging, and this is a great example of why it's important.

 

My approach in teaching the Vocal/Choral Arranging class is that if you're a musician, you're already an arranger; you just don't know it yet!  And after getting some hands-on  experience doing it, you aren't afraid to jump in when you need to.

 

All the best,

 

John

 

 

I just recently started something in my class..I will not let the students say ANYTHING negative about a piece (even that "ugh" sound when I ask them to take it out of the folder).  I make sure to squash it right away because that negative attitude spreads like crazy.  I tell them they cannot say anything negative about a piece until they learn the whole thing.  Usually after they know the whole piece with the accompaniment they like it.  I have 1 piece that a group has hinted at not liking, and I asked them to look at the piece and find at least 1 thing they like about it and share with a partner.  They all found something..so I have to hold onto that something to keep them interested!

Hi Mark-

 

My Middle school chorus (6th-8th grade) did a great two part arrangement of California dreamin' last year for our winter concert.  It's an oldie, but a lot of my kids were familiar with the song, and those who weren't really loved it.  Not difficult, but very effective for my group.  The arrangement is by Roger emerson, and I ordered it from J.W. Pepper.  At the time, my group had 3 guys with cambiata voices and 46 girls.  Most of the time, the bottom part fit nicely into their range, but I let them sing down an octave as they needed to.  

 

Hope this helps!

Jen Raphaelson

Be careful of the "they".  

 

In my experience, if you have a group of people where two or three of them express something negative, then it seems to you as if all of them must feel the same way.   

 

But they don't.     In any group there is nearly always at least the same number probably thinking "I actually like that"  but they are too reticent to speak out, especially if the dynamics of the group means that the bolder kids are the self appointed leaders.  

 

I totally agree with Jane.  One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.  I don't let them complain or dislike a song until we have completely learned it and have sung it several times.  I find most kids learn to really like the music.  I provide a variety of styles and songs the students.  I just tell them that we follow local,  state,  and national standards and they are required to try.  Here are a few examples of types of songs I use:  unison, a foreign language piece,  folk songs, a pop song, a partner songs, and spirituals.  You have to really be careful because some music does not fit the boy's changing voice.

 

The orchestra teacher at the last school I worked with was somewhat sassy.  When a child (usually middle schooler) told her they didn't like a piece of music she told them they would if they played it correctly.  A lot of times kids will start a piece and not understand that they have to have the patience to learn the piece of music before it sounds good. 

 

 

I used to have this problem with my younger groups.  One of the problems was their lack of exposure to choral music.  If I presented them a choral arangement with a melody and a harmony, the kids who had to sing harmony hated it because they didn't really understand the concept and they just knew they didn't have the melody.  So I started doing two things with my 6th grades.  First, we did TONS of rounds.  Everything from fun silly stuff to traditional Latin ones.  The kids love them because they're all singing the melody AND they begin to hear correct harmonies and understand that they're sounding good.  The next thing I did was learn to arange pieces of music myself.  Simple art songs all sung in unison and popular singer/songwriter songs (things like the beatles) make fantastic 6th grade songs.  It's April and I'm only now doing "real" music with any kind of homophonic harmonies, and they're actually doing it, where as in the beginning of the year it would have been impossible even if they were capable of it. 

 

 

Check this Website: www. smpjazz.com Sound Music Publications publishes several wonderful choral selections for 6th grade choirs.

Frank

 

 I have done both the Pie Jesu and Charlotte Town with my sixth grade chorus and they loved both pieces. Both are quality literature and will "sell" themselves but they must learn and perform them first as others have said. Make a deal with them that, if they really, honestly hate any of those pieces they can help choose the next one. My sixth grade is now working on "John Henry" ( Rollo Dilworth) and we have all really enjoyed it. Have you tested to make sure they are cambiata and not just un-changed? Most of my guys want to sing "like men" and not "like girls" (they get a long lecture about the changing voice when I hear that phrase) and I always tell my men to not be wimps and to sing where their voice belongs. Definately rewrite parts if you have to. Use as much humor as you can and don't overlook bribery (candy, pizza party, etc.).

Mark,

 

I have many rep suggestions, if you'd like, please email me... but on a seperate note, I just wanted to recommend the book Sing! 6-7-8 by Roger Emerson. I think it is a great little book on how to motivate and present singing to young modern school choirs. It addresses this question exactly in many ways.

 

-Katie