Programming for the “Why” in Middle School Choral Music

I have taught students at the middle school level for over twenty years, and I have yet to discover a quick and easy method for choosing great repertoire. In fact, the process is intense, sometimes stressful, and takes a lot of time. But I have never regretted the hours of searching, listening, analyzing, and planning that have become an August tradition in my home, and the process fires me up for another year of teaching middle school students!

Choosing repertoire that will essentially become the “choral textbook” is arguably the most important job of a middle school choral director. It is imperative that middle school musicians be exposed to high quality works of art at every level of their development. In an article titled “Swimming Upstream, Part II: Hooking Singers on Great Music,” Randal Swiggum pinpointed the main problem when choosing repertoire for the choral classroom:

Choral music education has become obsessed with technical skills—as if making music were like solving a math problem or learning a better tennis serve—that we often choose music and teach it as if technique were the point of the music. Good intonation, meaningful diction, flexible and expressive tone quality, rhythmic integrity, and musical literacy—these are all vital. But they are a means, not an end.

The “end” should be the students performing with comprehensive musical understanding. This means that students learn more than just the notes; they will learn to think deeply and imaginatively as they sing the music. They will question not only the how of music, but the why. Choosing repertoire of the highest quality gives the teacher the richest possible palate for choosing meaningful and measurable outcomes. A great work of art can educate and inspire many people in many different ways.

So, my fellow music educators: Ask not what makes a song great for middle school choir. Ask what makes the song a great work of art. (Apologies, John F. Kennedy.)

For many of us who teach in the middle, we often look for a song that has a great hook, one that the singers will instantly like. We may also choose a song because it will teach to the skills and knowledge that we know our students should have. But what if we set those reasons aside, and choose music because it is well crafted, historically important, and/or aesthetically pleasing? In other words, a great work of art. Such music will continue to inspire curiosity and thought, even when the students “know it.” Such music will stand the test of time and hold up to many repetitions of study and performance.

A list of characteristics of a great work of art can be found in the Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) framework for teaching music. (If you want to learn more about CMP, please visit www.wmea.com/cmp.) I have included my method for choosing repertoire below, as well the key questions I ask myself when I am choosing music for my choirs.

I begin my repertoire search by looking in several different places:

1. trusted publisher catalogs

2. public domain websites

3. convention performances and All-State Choirs (live and via YouTube)

4. favorite composers/arrangers

5. colleague recommendations

I next order (or print) a single copy and get to work analyzing the song. I consider the musical elements as well as the historical significance of the work. Most importantly, I ask myself, “What makes the song unique, different, or unexpected?” In some cases, this can be the hook, but more often than not, this “something different” comes from looking beyond the surface and discovering the layers of meaning in the piece. Is the piece a cliché, or is it an original? Does the piece have any surprises? If there is something unexpected, is it well-crafted and consistent with quality musical construction? Is the setting of the text imaginative and fitting of the poetic idea? Will this piece maintain the interest and intrigue of my students (and myself) for the next seven to ten weeks? If this is the only choral experience my students will ever have, is this piece worthy of that mantel?

I would like to suggest a few pieces that I consider to be works of art suitable for a middle school setting. For many of these songs, I have done extensive analysis and research, and even though none of them are obvious in the traditional “let them have fun” middle school choices, they were very successful for my students.

“Das Veilchen,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (unison), public domain

“Orpheus and His Lute,” Ralph Vaughan Williams (unison), Oxford University Press

“The Ride By Nights,” Benjamin Britten (two part), Oxford University Press

“The Swallow,” Bob Chilcott (two part), Oxford University Press

“Chester,” William Billings (SATB), public domain

“Il Est Bel et Bon,” Pierre Passereau (SATB), public domain

“Iraqi Peace Song,” arr. Lori Tennenhouse (SSA), Santa Barbara Music Press

When choosing repertoire, I make certain that I have put in the time analyzing the music before I give it to my students. I never apologize for teaching middle school students to sing music that may not be immediately appealing to them. I never apologize to parents for programming a song that is in a foreign language. And I never believe the statement “tried and true.” Instead, I educate my students and their parents about the difference between singing and “performing with understanding.” And I continue to challenge myself to find middle school repertoire that can be described as a work of art.