ideas for songs

Hello everyone, I have just registered on this site. I am looking for ideas for nice songs to sing because I am going to start a choir in my school. It is for children from 5 to 12 years old. I am a professional musician but I don't know nothing about choir. Does anyone have any ideas to share?

10 comments

 

Hi Camille. We're really happy to have you with us.

I don't have direct experience of running children's choirs, but I know from other members that You Gotta Sing goes down well and is very easy to learn.

Generally, I'd recommend keeping the songs very simple and adding actions and moves wherever you can.

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@Victoria Hopkins   Thank you so much for your reply!!! I love the song You Gotta Sing!

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@Camille Babut du Mares That's great. Glad you like it.


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Hello,

Sing up! is designed just for this sort of thing. They have a selection appropriate songs with backing tracks for kids choirs. The Big Sing also has lots of stuff but some of it may be too tricky. I reckon once you get them going, and depending on their age, most of the stuff in the TCR music resources would be useable too. Have fun! 

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@Sian Winstanley  

Thank you for your reply. It is very kind of you to give me your advice. Indeed, they have good music on Sing up but the subscription is very expensive and I haven't seen any sheet music for the songs and that makes everything more compliqued for me. I like to have the music score! Maybe because it was a free trial? I will check on TCR music resources.  I did not know about that.  Thank you!

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@Sian Winstanley   Sorry I just realized that TCR is Total Choir Resources :))

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Hiya. Sing up is great. Also look at pop songs and songs from musicals and films, anything where there’s an echo or call and response is brilliant for getting them used to singing in parts. Warm ups like the junk food song go down well and they get excited when they sing they’re favourite song. With a wide age range it can be difficult but once you get a feel for their experience and skill you can give the youngsters the tune and start to add a harmony on certain lines “choruses or bridge type bits with a na Nan a or something work well) to give just a handful of the older kids to start to bring that element in. Good luck! 

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@Kerri Hardy Hi Kerry, thank you so much for your advice!!!!


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Hi Camille,  Welcome to the best place!
That's awesome that you're going to be running a kids choir.
This is something very close to my heart....young people NEED to sing and it's so important that they understand their voice (the one they currently have) is AWESOME first and foremost.

I have lots of ideas as I run Choirs4Kids and have been running kids choirs for the past 25 years....so my first ideas would be:

  • Fun body warm ups - dance songs (take care with lyrics!) - but some disney ones are ok - just something to get them moving and shake their sillies out without getting silly.
  • FUN vocal warm ups to get them hooked (my dog is a good dog, my dog can do the can-can, Alfred the Aligator,  Hey Mr Miller, Black Socks, The Warm up song  - Debbie Warren)
  • Catchy but easy pop songs (count on me, reach out your hand, fight song, I'm still standing, eye of the tiger) I tend to choose 80s/90s songs as they are safer in terms of lyrics and pitch too
  • I'd be adding in some musicals like Mary Poppins (one or two), Shrek, Lion King, Little Mermaid
  • I'd also add breathing focus - lying on the floor with a teddy or a book on their tummies and breathing, pitch -  following from images on the whiteboard if you have one and putting them into their bodies (high, low etc), tone - we'd work on twang and cry to give them permission to experiment with their voices and remove the fear of making strange/silly sounds.

Gosh, so much!  
Some great resources: 

  • Sing up I have used in the past but it's too expensive for me now.  (I'm in Australia and run my own singing business so they pretty much penalize me for that unfortunately)
  • Total Choir Resources - we love Lula
  • Youtube - I do have my own warm up playlist if you wanted that but you can search it 'Choirs4Kids' too and it might give you ideas.  They are not mine, but videos of me doing them.
  • There are SO many singing books too. I'm not home currently to add titles here but the Voiceworks ones work well and then I use popular tracks and create or get the kids to!

Hope this helps. Any questions then I am more than happy to suggest/advise/support.
Good luck.....I love new choirs!
Sue



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@Sue Ross  Hello Sue :) Wow! Thank you for this amazing reply. It gives me lots of ideas. Thank you!!!! I have subscribed to your youtube channel! Unfortunately Sing up is also too expensive for me.  If I have any question, I will maybe write you again ;-) All the best!

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