Posted by Christine on February 20, 2008 at 18:20:56:
In Reply to: Music literature for elementary posted by Amy on February 20, 2008 at 16:47:53:
Go to www.jwpepper.com - they have music for all age and ability levels categorized by genre. Look under "choral" and then choose "unison or 2 part" to find selections suitable for elementary chorus. You will probably have to search through individual titles to find examples from different time periods, but I have bought choral arrangements from Renaissance era through contemporary music through this company. I don't know of another company that has a more complete and varied selection. Unfortunately I don't know of a reference book or method book on teaching elementary chorus that includes a big selection of repertoire. I just learned by trial and error at first, going to conventions and browsing music, and also... check the Locations link on the Pepper website to see if there is a branch near you. I have been to the Valley Forge location a couple times and it's wonderful, they will just let you sit for as long as you'd like and browse through sample choral music (and they have pianos that you can play the music on if you need to).
My opinion on what is appropriate for this age level - for what that's worth :-) - students should be exposed to a variety of unison and two part music. For beginning experiences in singing harmony, echo or antiphonal songs as well as partner songs (sometimes called quodlibets), and rounds/canons are good places to start. Parallel or homophonic harmony, where both parts are singing the same words and same rhythms but on different pitches, is more difficult for kids to hear and is best saved for when they have had some experience with easier types of harmony. For selections for a concert program, I prefer to have the students learn about 50% folk music (including American, African-American, and world/multicultural folk music), with possibly a "classical" or "festival" type arrangement (something more challenging style-wise for the students) and something lighter such as a quality pop, show, or novelty arrangement (and, any pop music you choose, make sure that it is appropriate for young voices - range not too wide, rhythms not too complicated). Also, it is important to choose a variety of tempos, meters, and include both major and minor or other modes. I have had a lot of success with this combination with my 3rd and 4th graders - although the "pop" pieces are initially more appealing, they also really take to a lot of the folk music, especially rhythmic music like dance tunes, African folk songs, Hispanic folk songs, etc.... and if you choose classical pieces that are accessable with memorable, catchy melodies, they eventually get excited about singing those after they learn them better. Of course, others may have had different experiences, but this is what has worked for me and my students.
: I am a Music Ed major and writing a paper on Choral Music Literature for Elementary grades. I would appreciate some resources on where I can get this information. I need different genres and time periods.
: Thank-you