Very easy pieces for middle school boys' choir?
  • LauraKaz
    Posts: 87
    I currently work as the director of music at a Catholic school, and my classes in 4th grade and up rotate as the choir for the school Mass each Friday. One of my classes is all of the 7th and 8th grade boys combined, and I am a little hung up on picking out a choir piece for them to do. On their Friday in September I will have them sing the Jesu Dulcis Memoria chant, but I'm still stuck trying to figure out something for them to do on November 14th. Does anyone have any suggestions?
  • OMagnumMysterium
    Posts: 331
    Since it'll be November, something for the poor souls in purgatory might be fitting. See the (currently) last post here for my collection of ad libitum Requiem chants and motets. The motets are all for thee equal voices, so they should work if you wanted to try polyphony, otherwise there are a few chants, with optional drones if you have the time. Overall a lot of degrees of options, and the poor souls will thank you!
  • rvisser
    Posts: 81
    I am curious what suggestions others will have, because I am always looking for ideas for this age group.
    A few things I am using this year with my middle schoolers include:
    - St. Patrick's Breastplate (Stanford) - I am hoping the range isn't too much for the boys; I have not used this piece before but plan to sing selected verses (in unison) with my middle school choir; I tried to attach a pdf but it didn't work..just google it
    - De Profundis (Salieri) - thanks to @NihilNominis for the English translation of this piece; I usually sing it antiphonally with girls on part 1 and boys on part 2, but you could just split the boys into two groups and have them sing in the lower octave
    - Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (arr. Holst) - for a choir of middle school boys, I would have them sing the melody only (maybe adjust the organ part on the first verse down an octave?) and add parts for the "Alleluia. Amen" at the end; organ does the heavy lifting on this piece
    Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Gustav Holst).pdf
    93K
    Salieri De Profundis English (SMC).pdf
    287K
    Thanked by 2LauraKaz Abbysmum
  • davido
    Posts: 1,150
    I’ve had success with boys that age liking “Christ Enthroned in Highest Heaven”

    I always want to teach middle school boys “He who would valiant be”
    Thanked by 1LauraKaz
  • dannyboi0513
    Posts: 29
    An Army of Youth

    Jesu Rex Admirabilis

    I have a Adoro Te 3 parts

    Magnificat Grassi

    Jesu dulcis by Murphy

    Let me knwo if you need pdfs!
    Thanked by 1LauraKaz
  • LauraKaz
    Posts: 87
    Thank you all!! I am going to try going with Christ Enthroned in Highest Heaven for this time. I have already taught some of the pieces mentioned in the past, but I remember them going over very well. Just trying to broaden my horizons a bit.
    Thanked by 1rvisser
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,486
    Two come to mind -
    St Francis' 'Hymn to Creation':- 'Most High Omnipotent Good Lord', sung to Assisi.
    It may be found at no 307 in the The Hymnal 1940
    It is a melody lovely but simple, one note per syllable, and sounds best sung in a thoughtful tempo with three or four second silence between stanzas. It sounds like plainchant and is best sung moderately and a cappella

    Another, from the same hymnal is no 485, ' Jesus,Thou Joy of Loving Hearts' which is set to the plainchant melody, Christe Redemptor - Sarum mode1.
    Thanked by 2rvisser Roborgelmeister
  • CGM
    Posts: 780
    The LJ White Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester is lovely and would suit well, I think.
    Listen here.

    I discovered it in the original Oxford Easy Anthem Book, which contains a few other pieces that should also fit your choir.
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