Selecting Music for Beginning Singers (of All Ages)

Put yourself in the shoes of a new singer. You may join your family in singing “Happy Birthday” from time to time, have learned a silly song or two at summer camp, or occasionally belt out a song in the shower, but rarely does someone hear your voice by itself. Most of the songs that you know were learned by ear, from a parent, elementary music teacher, or on Spotify. And you’re definitely not trained in any sense of the word.

That description fits the vast majority of people joining a choral ensemble for the first time. And while we typically envision this person as an energetic fourth grader, it could just as soon be an elderly woman joining the volunteer group at her neighborhood senior center. I am continuously surprised by the number of high school students and adults that I see joining choir for the first time. Whether elementary students just beginning their musical journey, high school freshmen signing up for choir because their friends take the class, or inexperienced adult singers joining a church group in need of more voices, all of these people are bravely walking into a rehearsal and trying something new for the very first time.

To sing is to be vulnerable. Singing is completely and utterly personal in a way that few other human activities are. And we owe it to new musicians to craft an experience that helps them find success. In her brilliant resource Growing Musicians, Dr. Bridget Sweet says: “Making music is not a competition … It is not race to the top … It is a unique chance to work together, feel together, emote together, create together, and more.” Setting up a successful and musical performance will do much more for the long-term growth and engagement of beginning singers than laboring through music that is too advanced.

Songs for Beginning Singers

This is where unison folk songs, echo songs, canons, and two-part partner songs are so valuable. And while there is a wealth of this kind of beginning music available for children, it is more difficult to find for young adult and adult singers. A treble choir of high school freshmen may have fun singing a silly round about tacos as a warm-up, but when it comes to performance music for a concert, those students are certainly deserving of more appropriate literature that reflects their developing emotional maturity and profound sense of self. They require music that is thematically appropriate for a young adult but developmentally appropriate for a beginning singer with a developing musical ear and limited vocal range who is still finding their independence and confidence.

A few personal favorites in my own choral library include:

• “Peaceful River” – “I’ve Got Peace Like a River” set as a partner song by Mary Donnelly and George L. O. Strid.
• “Wau Bulan” – Malaysian folk song incorporating echo patterns, arranged by Tracy Wong
• “ Alleluia! I Will Sing” – original partner song by David Waggoner
• “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” – Robert Frost’s classic text in a unison setting by Vera Kistler
• “Love Is Love Is Love” – canon by Abbie Betinis, from the Justice Choir Songbook

Aim to take developing singers from unison to harmony singing by selecting music that has been skillfully and purposely arranged for beginning singers. Seek out choral music based on canons, echo patterns, and partner songs. Look for accessible, mid-range vocal parts only. Be discriminating about choosing music in which the vocal parts have equivalent amounts of melody and harmony. Pay attention to the way it feels to sing each of the parts. And select music with universal themes that will resonate with singers of any age.

Every rehearsal should end with a positive musical experience. On the first day of the year, that may be as simple as singing a unison melody that is somewhat in tune. Later on, it may be the performance of a passage of two- or three-part harmony, beautifully shaped with phrasing and dynamics. You know your singers. Set achievable goals and work towards them, bit by bit, taking pride in each success along the way. As they walk out of your room after rehearsal, they should take with them a feeling of accomplishment and self-worth. And that feeling is what creates lifelong musicians.