How does one begin and decide the size of a 3rd and 4th grade chorus?

Question

I am a music teacher and we are just beginning to have a chorus of students who have good grades and good work habits in school. What songs to sing? How many parts to have, etc?
Thanks

Answer 1

You need a subscription to Music K-8 Magazine. http://www.musiceducationmadness.com/startingchoir.shtml
For around $95, you can get the bi-monthly magazine with a good variety of songs (often 2-part) and accompanying CD that has the full performance and accompaniment only (great if you had difficulty landing an accompanist!). Best of all, you have copying rights to the songs. If you have friends in neighboring districts who have established young choirs, they may be willing to loan or sell octavos to you. If you know you will establish fund-raisers, you can order the music yourself and have the booster club reimburse you.

An excellent site to help you: http://www.musiceducationmadness.com/startingchoir.shtml

Answer 2

Well, first off, let me say good luck! Having an elementary chorus is a fun and rewarding part of teaching music! As for determining the size, well that depends on how many students fall into your criteria of "good grades and good work habits." If you are at a smaller school, be less "picky," while at a larger school, you may have to cut a few out. Just make sure that you have as many as you can control and keep attention. You don't want them to gain control of the classroom and ensue chaos.

As for what songs to sing? I love to teach folk songs to elementary students. The good old songs that we have in our historical heritage that are lost nowadays. There are LOTS of seasonal songs, so you can go that route too. In the beginning sing lots of fun songs to build the energy of the choir.

Having "parts" is always a tricky subject in this age group. It can be done, but I wouldn't suggest more than two. Expect alot of wrong notes, bad intonation, confusion, singing of the wrong part, and other such mistakes at first. If you are "gung-ho" on singing in parts, then GO FOR IT, and don't look back. Drive those kids to sing the parts. Encourage, encourage, ENCOURAGE. If you push them, they will do it. They will think they can't, but when they successfully have done it, they will be amazingly proud of what they have accomplished and they will have you to thank for it. Whatever you decide, do it and don't stop until you attain your goal. Kids can do anything with the drive and motivation of someone who believes in them.

I wish you all the luck in this. But most of all, have fun and enjoy the time that you have with these kids. Don't get so caught up in the "technical" side of music that you forget the "heart." The heart of music is more important anyway.

Answer 3

The size most likely depends on the number of kids you have in your school. You should begin with try-outs, even if you're doing it to reward the "good" students. It will be a good experience for all the kids, even the ones who don't make the cut. In my opinion, you should have no more than 2 parts. As for what songs to sing, spend some time at the local music store and pick several that you like and then let them pick from those choices.

Answer 4

Choosing members on other than musical criteria throws an interesting curve into the mix. Obviously, you want this to feel like a reward, so make it fun! That doesn't mean you have to "sell out," but don't waste their time or make them feel in over their heads musically. Partner songs and rounds can give them a real sense of complexity and accomplishment. I don't think I'd try straight harmony for a while or beyond two parts. See what they respond to and have a great time!