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Stretching the Skills of Your Community Choir
Stretching the Skills of Y our Communit y Choir

Repertoire for Musical Growth:

A Selection of Choral

Music Reviews for the

Middle School Classroom

by Matthew Hill

Matthew Hill teaches at J. R. Fugett Middle School in ranges that are accessible, and 3) easy to memorize due
the West Chester Area School District. Mhill@wcasd.net to the use of repetition.

As choral music teachers, it can be overwhelming to Two-Part Music
narrow down the vast offerings of repertoire. I wanted
to share octavos I have used often in my classroom that I Gloria
feel supports students’ musical growth and success. The by Rae Moses
suggestions in this article are two-part, three-part mixed, BriLee Music
and SAB/SATB voices, but many of these arrangements Duration 1:30
are available in multiple voicings. The exemplars of cho- Available in SATB/SSA
ral octavos included here are accessible, exciting to sing,
pedagogically sound, and useful particularly for winter I have always found that my students respond well to
concerts. pieces that utilize mixed meter, and this setting of Glo-
For teachers who are new to working with middle ria by Rae Moses is no exception. A short but impactful
school changing voices, I recommend selecting two-part work, this piece alternates between E-flat and G-flat in
music for your fifth and sixth graders and maybe even a way that is well supported by the accompaniment and
your seventh graders in the first semester, three-part uses some bits of dissonance that will make for a great
mixed for your seventh graders (if you have young men teachable moment. Furthermore, Moses uses repetition
whose voices have begun to mutate [see John Cooksey’s quite a bit, which will help your students and your ac-
Midvoice-II or New Baritone stages]), mostly three- companist to be successful. The biggest challenge may
part mixed for eighth graders, and potentially SATB or be teaching the Latin pronunciation, but I’ve found that
SAB music for larger eight-grade or ninth-grade choirs. Latin is a great first foreign language to try with young
I’ve chosen pieces that are: 1) polyphonic and/or make singers due to its consistent vowel and consonant pro-
clever use of ostinati, 2) have singable lines with limited nunciations.

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 2 27 Winter 2023