Getting your choirs ready for Spring Concert season? Me too! Here are some things that I consider when selecting repertoire for my middle school choirs!
Difficulty level of ALL elements in the repertoire.
It goes without saying that as choir directors, we are trying to choose music that fits our choir’s ability level just right. However, there are SO MANY elements to consider when identifying the difficulty level of a piece. Before selecting each piece, ask yourself if your choir has (or has the ability to LEARN) what is needed to perform this piece in terms of:
- Vocal Technique
- Tone Quality
- Aural Skills
- Reading (or Rote-Learning) Skills
- Experience Singing in Harmony
- Foreign Language Exposure
- Understanding of Poetic Elements and Meaning of Text
When I don’t seriously consider EACH of these elements, I tend to hit a road block somewhere in the rehearsal process. For example, I recently choose a piece that I felt was suitable for my chorus in terms of the music, but when it came time to learn the words I found that their lack of foreign language experience made the learning of the piece nearly impossible.
Mixing songs students know with songs that they don’t.
My students love singing pop music that they hear on the radio, and I think this is FANTASTIC. What an excellent way to integrate existing musical understanding with new skills that students are learning in the rehearsal process!
But choir is about discovering new music too! I’ve seen students realize that they are interested in classical, jazz, musical theater, rock, and so many other genres from just one piece that won their hearts in chorus. For this reason, I encourage other choir directors to strive for a balance between songs students already know and songs they do not.
Creating a program with variety.
Creating a good program should feel like putting together a puzzle. How can you include as much variety as possible while keeping within the boundaries of your choir’s ability level? You want the audience to experience a variety of so many things, including (but not limited to):
- Musical Styles
- Tempos
- Dynamic Levels
- Tonalities
- Meters
- Languages
- Textures
In a short middle school program, it can be challenging to incorporate a “perfect” variety, but I always check to make sure there is enough variety to keep the audience engaged. It’s easier than you would think to accidentally program songs that are all in major tonality or have a medium tempo – but this quickly gets boring for the listener.
Incorporating a Message
I have never been good at creating a program with a “theme.” I find that this gets me stuck with only a few good selections that are not necessarily appropriate for the group I have. However, I like to program at least one piece (usually a finale) that has a strong message for my students to focus on for the semester. I think that it really gets them thinking about who they are and who they want to be. It is also a great opportunity to integrate SEL lessons into the rehearsal.
To achieve this message in the program, look for repertoire that emphasizes:
- Friendship
- Courage
- Overcoming Adversity
- Being Yourself
- Kindness
- Bravery
Thanks for reading! Hopefully these tips can help you select repertoire for your middle school chorus. If you feel like I left something out or would like to add another tip, feel free to share in the comments!
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