When selecting music for middle school choirs, some of the essential considerations include:
• appropriate vocal ranges and tessituras for the singers;
• vocal development objectives;
• musical learning objectives;
• appropriate texts;
• “quality” music.
“Quality” is an elusive term that means that it is worth learning. Aim for high quality music and the rewards will be so much greater than from music of little value. Quality music is available for all ages in all styles. Although the term is difficult to define, it is generally assumed that if something lasts, it has value. Trite music becomes boring with repeated rehearsal. Music that continues to uncover layers of meaning, musical or otherwise, is worth considering.
There are a variety of resources that can aid the choral director in finding literature that meets these criteria, the first being the state-approved list of music for contests. For example, the Indiana State School Music Association (www.issma.net) publishes a yearly list of required and recommended choral ensemble compositions, graded by difficulty level and voicing, ranging from junior level 3 (for the begin-ning choir in middle school) to senior level 1 (for the most advanced high school level). The junior and senior levels are broken down by the
following voicings: mixed choir, treble or women’s choir, and male or men’s choir. Here the choir director will find repertory that is approved and appropriate for the middle school choir.
The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) publications are a valuable resource for repertoire. One source provides a complete list of pieces that have been performed by middle school choirs at ACDA regional and national conventions between 1960 and 2000 (Schmidt, 2002). Those pieces that have been performed multiple times over the years obviously work, and are excellent indicators of
“quality” music for middle school choirs.
The Choral Journal is a useful aid in literature selection for any level, as well as state, regional and national MENC (http://menc.org/) and ACDA (http://acda.org/) conferences that feature reading sessions of
Middle School Choir Repertoire Resources
Buchanan, Heather J. & Mehaffey, Matthew W. (2005). Teaching Music through Performance in Choir; Volume I. Chicago: GIA. (See Levels 1 and 2, pages 89–180.)
Butler, Abby & Lind, Vicki (2005). Renaissance Repertoire for Middle School Choirs. Choral Journal, 46(1), 37–41.
Hower, Eileen (2006). Designing a New Paradigm for Selecting Music for the Middle School Choir. Choral Journal, 47(5), 62–74.
Indiana State School Music Association Required List Download for Organizational Events: http://www.issma.net/required.php. (See JH/MS/Elem Choir Required List for various voicings and levels of difficulty.)
Phillips, Kenneth H. (2004). Directing the Choral Music Program.
New York: Oxford University Press. (See Appendix C: List of Recommended Choral Repertory for Junior High Choirs, pages 392–402.)
Reames, Rebecca R. & Warren, Matthew (November, 2006).
Recommended Literature: Middle-Level Mixed Choirs. Choral Journal, 47(5), 76–88.
Schmidt, Sandefur (2002). Music Performed at Am e rican Choral Directors Association Conventions, 1960–2000. Lawton, OK: ACDA Monograph 12. (See Junior High or Middle School Choir, pages 203–209.)
middle school choral music and concerts by middle school ensembles.
In addition, choral music publishers send out promotional CDs with new choral music. You will no doubt find literature at these confer-ences, concerts, and on these CDs that you will want to purchase for your own choirs.
Because of the variety of unchanged, changing, and changed voices in a middle school choir, you will want to find effective literature in the following voicings:
• SA and SSA (for treble voices).
• Two-part and three-part (for treble and/or changing voices).
• SAB (often too low for the boys, but can work well for some groups).
• SACB (often an excellent choice; the “C” for Cambiata or Changing Voice).
• SATB (for a mature and advanced middle school choir).
It is best to sing music written for the range and tessitura of each voice part. Music designated as “three-part” can work well with any middle school chorus, as long as the music teacher carefully places the students on the part that they are able to sing as they negotiate the voice change.
It doesn’t matter who sings Part 1, 2 or 3, as long as the part fits the singer’s range and tessitura. A fine three-part arrangement is Yonder Come Day by Judith Cook Tucker, in which the vocal ranges are very small and fit the changing voice well. The piece is simple without being trite, and relies on an authentic Georgia Sea Island song as its theme with repetitive text. The theme is sung in unison once, then repeated with a simple upper harmony part with the range of a minor third, and then repeated again adding a lower ostinato part with the range of a fourth. The arranger suggests that the a cappella piece be transposed to any key for ease in singing. Claps, steps and chant add to its appeal.
Freedom is Coming by Henry Leck is similar in its number of parts, simplicity of range and musical demands, and is based on an attractive and authentic non-Western song. As in Yonder Come Day, it allows all singers to contribute vocally and musically, and thus have a quality choral music experience, despite limited musical knowledge and vocal ability. Many similarly effective pieces can be found on state-approved lists for beginning middle school choirs. It should be noted that sacred pieces with Latin texts may also be found among the simpler literature
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lists, and are important and accessible for this age group because they teach the five pure vowels that are essential to beautiful singing.
As middle school singers mature into stronger musicians, the level of difficulty of the music must increase. However, the teacher must continue to be attentive to the vocal range limitations that many boys may be experiencing even while their musicianship is expanding. It is essential to seek music with accessible ranges to enable the boys to experience success in the singing experience. The music studied can become increasingly complex, involving three to four parts, and more challenging melodies, rhythms, tempos, harmonies, forms, styles, lan-guages, and even tone quality for some world music.
A favorite example is South African Suite for three-part voices (also available for four-part and SAB), arranged by Henry Leck. The vocal ranges are perfect for the changing voice (see Example 4.1), and the African music is authentic and stimulating. The addition of the African language is a unique learning experience for the singers, and the pure vowels are the same as in Latin and are therefore easy to learn. The three pieces of the Suite, Tshotsholoza, Siyahamba, and Gabi Gabi, are sung by all ages, but fortunately fit the adolescent voice extremely well.
It has been recorded by the Indianapolis Children’s Choir.
Separate gender choirs in middle school can perform SSA and TTB pieces. For example, a beautiful treble arrangement of the famous Finnish folk song W ho Can Sail? (Vem kan segla förutan vind) by Carl-Bertil Agnestig provides moderate musical challenges, moderately large ranges (see Example 4.2), minor tonality, some chromaticism, and the option of singing in English or Swedish. W ho Can Sail? has been recorded by Anima (formerly the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus).
Example 4.1 Ranges for Siyahamba by Henry Leck
Likewise, André Thomas’s TTB arrangement of the Spiritual Good News! emphasizes careful tuning of three-part chords contrasting with independent unison tenor and bass lines, as well as great dynamic and breath control, and the gradually expanding ranges of the adolescent boys (see Example 4.3).
SATB music can be carefully chosen for the more advanced middle school mixed choir, and André Thomas created a model arrangement in Keep Your Lamps! The characteristics of this piece can be used as a guide in selecting repertoire for the middle school mixed choir: it is written in the comfortable tessitura of the four voice parts (see Example 4.4), is based on a spiritual that is rhythmically attractive for this age group, includes an interesting accompaniment of three conga drums, features syncopation which is accessible due to effective repetition,
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Example 4.2 Ranges for Who Can Sail?
Example 4.3 Ranges for Good News!
includes a vocal solo, requires good consonant diction and placement, and uses a large dynamic range.
GRADED CHORAL REPERTOIRE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL