Winter is a special time for music. Holiday music is inescapable on both radio and television, schools and churches put on special holiday performances and services, and orchestras perform POPS concerts with crowd favorites.
For many younger students and their parents, Christmas might be the first time they learn a song they actually recognize. But for teachers, we are tasked with some difficult decisions. What do you give students that aren’t religious? How do you hold a winter recital just before Christmas, in a church, without being associated with that church and the religion?
It has been my goal this year to be more culturally inclusive, as well as to arrange songs that are festive but not necessarily religious.
Music for Large Ensembles
One of my favorite arrangements that I have ever done is Once Upon a December from Disney’s Anastasia. This piece works as a string quintet/orchestra with a vocalist, but there is also a piano part that enriches the overall sound and helps keep the strings together which is extremely helpful for younger, less experienced groups. This piece isn’t specifically Christmas related; in fact, the only thing wintery about it is the word “December.” Still, it evokes memories of family, warmth, comfort, and nostalgia, making it an excellent option for your holiday program.
New this year is my Jewish Festival arrangement, which is a medley of three Jewish folk songs: Shalom Chaverim, Hava Nagila, and The Dreidl Song. This piece has a lot to offer, with a solo for both the viola and the double bass! The first violin part has some challenging third position melodic content, and my students are absolutely loving the exciting accelerandos as we prepare it for our winter concert this year. One thing I think is really important is to teach my students traditional songs, whether they are Christian, folk songs, or from other cultures. I was surprised to know that not many knew Shalom Chaverim or Hava Nagila, so now they do! This piece is for string quintet/orchestra and does not have a piano part.
Kids and parents alike will love Feliz Navidad! Everyone knows the first two words of the song, but growing up being bilingual, I have had a lot of fun teaching my students the next few lyrics: prospero año y felicidad. I think we’ll have our audience singing along when we perform this as our finale in December ‘22! This piece is for string quintet/ensemble and offers a rockin’ bass line and some easy cello double stops. The melody is passed around, as well as brass and guitar harmonies, so everyone gets something fun and engaging to play.
Music for Duos
Many younger students are drawn to music they know through movies. Do You Want To Build A Snowman is perfect for that exact student! This duet is arranged for the following combos: 1 Piano, 4 Hands; Violin and Piano; Viola and Piano; Cello and Piano. Rhythms are a little challenging, but the learning process is made 10x easier when a student already knows the words.
Continuing with the movie theme, one of my all-time favorites is The Nightmare Before Christmas. As a holiday movie, is this Halloween? Is this Christmas? What is the moral of the story? Who knows exactly! But what I do know is that the music is absolutely fantastic. My arrangement of What’s This? for 1 Piano, 4 Hands comes in two different difficulties: Advanced and Late Beginner/Early Intermediate
A Holly Jolly Christmas and Jingle Bell Rock are perfect for students who are into pop rock. These arrangements are for a variety of instrumentations:
This is just the tip of the iceberg! Check out my arrangements page and my YouTube channel for a full list of holiday ensemble music. Happy music hunting!