This piece provides an opportunity to introduce the classical era without over-working the group. Non-majors find the notes to be moderately challenging. The members of the choir are honored by this work because of its sophistication. As a result, the choristers are motivated to master it.

This piece is predominantly homophonic and has a lot of repetition. The Quichua text may be challenging at first, but there are only a few lines to learn and they repeat.

Five-Part Upper Voice Round

Abbie Betinis Music Company

This piece is a gorgeous a cappella five-part round in a minor mode. It is excellent for teaching phrase shaping, prosody in singing, and dynamic contrast, along with legato line (particularly through larger leaps), balance within and among sections, vowel unification, and the differences between the melodic, harmonic, and natural minor scales, among many other things. Because it is in English and can be sung in unison first, it has an excellent framework for teaching a variety of skills, but is equally beautiful. It is also one of the few canons I've come across that is the right length and complexity for upper voice college-level choirs.

Straightforward, rhythmic and fun, this piece is a great opener or energizer for mid-concert. It comes together quickly and feels improvised. The parts layers one by one, with a simple bridge section in the middle for variation. Great for teaching flexibility of vocal approach, head-mix for SA, and rhythmic flair.

Santa Barbara Music Publishing

This piece has a lovely returning musical refrain that helps to ground students in the asymmetrical meter (7/8). It is in three parts, but spends a good bit of time in two (always with a comfortable tessitura), it is sung in English, and it is accompanied by piano throughout. Some of the melodic and harmonic intervals are a little unexpected, creating just the right amount of challenge. The “verse” melodies contain quite a few long notes which provides an opportunity to teach/practice breath support/control, phrasing, pure vowels, and dynamic contrast, as well as quicker moving notes to practice agility. The text, written by the composer, is expressive and engaging.

Ruthie Foster (transcribed and arranged by Paul Rardin

SATB, 3 equal voice soloists

The SATB sections are short, catchy, and mostly homophonic. The bass part is often written in octaves, but can be successfully performed by only singing the upper pitch.The challenge is having three soloists that can hold their part as the piece revolves around their part.

This is a really creative arrangement of the old hymn tune, Lobet Den Herren with the addition of a new, wonderful text by Tony Silvestri. Great way to mix the old and the new and introduce this important hymn tune to young singers and show them how those tunes continue to be the pillars for so many compositions. The addition of the clarinet is also special.

2-part (works SA, TB, SA/TB, ST/AB)

Memorable tunes with plenty of interpretive challenges and flexible voicing. (Depends on a skilled pianist.)

Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Inc.

This selection is bold and vibrant. To offers alternate text (Sacred or Secular). Can be sung with brass and percussion. Such a great opener or closer.

Gloria from Missa Pastoril CPM 108 by Jose Mauricio Nunes Garcia/ Matheus Cruz arr.

Traditional, Classical setting of the Gloria in excelsis text by an underrepresented Brazilian composer from the Colonial period. The work is in C major and accompanied by piano. Lots of repetition. It is a great piece to start teaching solfege and to introduce Latin and elements from the Classical period.

SATB or SAB or SA or TB with optional piano and percussion

Santa Barbara Music Publishing

Hand are Knockin" is an upbeat and accessible piece, which can be done with or without accompaniment. Pederson offers a variety of voicings so that it can be done with almost any ensemble. The difficulty level is medium but it stages as if it is difficult. This gives it an extra appeal to the singers and the audience.

Learning can be easily done via solfege; simple aleatoric sections provide room for students to experiment in improvisation and enhance listening skills

There is a lot of unison, the parts that split are repeated, the text is excellent, the piano part exciting, and my students absolutely loved performing this. B.E. Boykin writes so well both for piano and voice, and the ranges are very comfortable.

SATB (but most of the piece is unison or 2-part)

Lots of interval training opportunities and mixed meter. Lots of unison singing, but it presents as sophisticated and not simplistic. Lots of room for interpretation in this e.e. cummings poem.

This piece is approachable for open enrollment choirs, and there are significant opportunities for the exploration of vocal timbre/color and improvisatory singing. The tessitura is comfortable, the piece uses a limited, repeated set of notes within the scale which can be especially helpful when teaching solfege/sight singing, and while the text is not in English, the words (and melody) are repeated throughout. There are brief moments of unaccompanied singing (always with a drone from choir members, which can facilitate sensitivity to intonation) as well as accompanied singing (by piano). The piece also encourages movement with optional improvised body percussion (the part is also written out). The piece is not too difficult to grasp, the content of the text is inspiring, and students will learn a lot through singing it!

Santa Barbara Music Publishing

This selection really spoke to the international students that were in the choir as well as those that could identify with the message of finding home. I love that this piece incorporates Spanish and English text.

SAB (also available SATB, SSA(A), 2 part treble, 2 part mixed

Lilting and lovely, this is a great selection for spring programs as singers look forward to summer. With a moving piano part that keeps forward momentum going and moments of text-painting, this piece is great for teaching style, phrasing and cross-ensemble listening.

Lights Upon Our Soul is an accessible ABA form piece. The piece introduces changing meter, staggered entrances, and dissonant singing.

This piece sets the well-known text of 1 Corinthians 13 in a modern way with a lively piano accompaniment. Unision sections pair well with divisi and there is much repetition for ease of learning. Effective body percsussion can be added and a video demonstration of it is available from the compser's website.

Many "major works" may be out of reach for the non-major choir, but this Magnificat is a terrific substitute. It is approximately 15 minutes in length and has short movements, many of which are homophonic. The SAB solo movement can be sung by the entire choir and the solos in the second movement are brief. There is a soprano duet that might be slighlty challenging. The work is accompanied by string orchestra, but can also be successfully performed with a string quartet.

This piece sets a beautiful poem that includes unique imagery in a manageable range for all voices in a non-auditioned choir. There are sections of unision and 2-part writing that are a good balance to the divisi and make the piece easy to teach, even to non-readers. The piano part is challenging which adds color and excitement to the overall effect.

Repetition, unison verse / homophonic chorus structure, English text, classic poetry, good secular winter text

Music of Life is an excellent piece to develop unison sing across the ensemble. A good portion of the piece involves each section singing a melody before all singing them together to create harmony.

Santa Barbara Music Publishing

Birnamwood Publications (MorningStar)

With a beautiful melody, opportunites for SA-only and TB-only unison singing, and moments of free rubato singing, this piece is a satisfying choir-builder for early in the year. It has both enough repetition to be easy to learn, and enough variation to be musically interesting.

Gorgeous original Christmas piece, accessible ranges, good for small groups

Lawson-Guild/Alfred Archive edition

Quick learn, with opportunities to develop full, robust sound and an awareness of sacred harp singing styles.

Beautiful melody - unison to four part mostly homophonic -- reasonable range -- lovely text

Oggun Belele is available in multiple voicings -- the SSAB edition worked best for my ensemble last fall. The melodies are catchy, and the challenge of locking the melodic units as they overlap in canon is one worthy of a collegiate ensemble, even if the members aren't highly experienced. This piece really builds rhythmic skills -- my group's collective sense of rhythm improved greatly through working on this piece!

This piece is written with a unique pairing of guitar and piano for the accompaniment which sets it apart from many choral works for collegiate choirs. Vocal ranges are moderate and there is a substantial solo for tenor that could be performed by a member of the choir or a guest soloist. A lively ostinato section that makes good use of text painting creates excitement but is not too challenging to manage vocally. The poetry speaks of making choices in life, which is a perfect topic to help engage students in conncecting to the text.

Self-published (available on J. W. Pepper)

The melody, tango style, and violin part are appealing to the singers, and it isn’t too difficult

SAATB (also SSAAA or TTBBB)

self published: https://moirasmiley.com/downloads/refugee/

Moira Smiley always writes great music, and my choirs always enjoy performing it. This has some body percussion, but far easier than some of her other works. It's divisi in treble voices only, and features the altos, which we don't have enough! The message is really important and poignant with all we have going on in our world, and Moira's personal experience volunteering in refugee camps is also meaningful to talk about with your ensemble. A lot of repetition with different text, so it's not extensive to learn. Also upbeat, which we're always looking for.

Beloved American folksong arranged by Victor Johnson who knows how to write for young singers. Great piece to practice English diction and teach about breath control and vowel unification. It is in D major with simple divisi and simple harmonic language, including the modulation. The addition of the oboe brings something extra to this simple arrangement.

"Sign Me Up" is a spirited and lively piece that predominantly uses a homophonic texture. Dr. Boyd has written a fantastic piano part that greatly supports the vocal lines, making it easy to memorize over the course of a semester.

flowing rhythm and text is strong - mostly homophonic -- repeated sections but also contrast - timely message

no divisi, but interesting and challenging harmonic shifts and chromaticism; wonderful opportunities for shaping and nuance

Sweet Day, from Three Elizabethan Part-Songs

Repetition, good voice leading, English text, classic poetry, intro to modal mixture/folk music

Mark Foster Music/Hal Leonard

A compelling text reminding us to learn from history. The music is well-paced with a contrasting rhythmic middle section and an effective return of opening material to conclude. Largely homophonic textures, harmonically appealing. Well written for TTBB voices, often stepwise movement, limited divisi.

self published: https://lisayoungmusic.com/music/sheet-music/

Upbeat piece! This is a unique piece that utilizes Konnakol, a South Indian rhythmic vocal language. It features every section at different points, it's super catchy and fun to sing, and pretty quick to pick up since each part often has their own melody. While it's divisi, it only divides with the treble voices; traditionally there are more sopranos and altos in these choirs, so it's easier to have them divide, and not so much tenors and basses.

The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard

A vivid setting of an old English ballad that tells a story of a love triangle that does not end well. A rare opportunity to sing a riveting story with lots of word-painting and variety in tempo, texture and articulation. Requires a very good pianist.

Text and context of civil rights era resonates; dissoannce approached by step and diatonic; good pop style solo opportunity.

This folk song arrangement is catchy and easy to learn. The soprano and tenor parts are mostly identical, as are the alto and bass parts. Being SA(T)B makes it flexible for ensembles that don't have enough TBs to divide (like my choir last spring). The accompaniment is beautiful, interesting, and enhances the voices rather than simply supporting them.

Santa Barbara Music Publishing

Beautiful! A great piece for teaching legato line, unification of vowel sounds, and agogic stress.

Accessible AND interesting, with a rich text by Langston Hughes, interesting rhythm, moments of tight harmony, & enough divisi to keep singers challenged.

Village Harmony (from collection: Georgian Folk Songs I, available on Bandcamp)

Tskhenosnuri is upbeat, catchy, and isn't too challenging, while still feeling collegiate, since it's part of a rich cultural tradition and has interesting harmonies. It is conducive to teaching by ear. Like most Georgian music, it is in three parts, and since it is unaccompanied, it can easily be transposed to fit the voices in your ensemble. I led it to a mixed choir and transposed it up a step to E major, which worked well for our SAB voicing.

Both of these pieces are sophisticated and worthy of the collegiate level stage. 1. "Beauty is in the Garden of Love" tells a wonderful but sad story which is accessible to any ensemble or audience. 2. "Oliver Cromwell" also contains a whimsical story line, but it varies in style and mood from the first piece. The rhythmic aspect of the piece makes it a programmable gem. Both works are at a medium level, but they stage with a collegiate sound.

Repetition, good voice-leading, English text, classic poetry, intro to mixed meters, fiery

E.C. Schirmer Music Co. or CPDL

For those interested in singing music from the Romantic era, this piece by Mendelssohn is an excellent choice. The composition features a blend of two vocal parts (SB) for the first half, transitioning to SATB voicing for the second half. Its accessibility in both range and vocal dexterity makes it suitable for a wide range of singers.

"Where the Light Begins" is a beautiful piece that utilizes recurring thematic material, easing the teaching and learning process. The piece is skillfully voiced, allowing each part to contribute to the overall sound without requiring singers to perform at the extremes of their ranges.

Lush harmony well supported (not doubled) by the piano; melodic writing for all voice parts

Impressive harmony that isn't too hard even with divisi; repetition facilitates easier learning; stylistically appealing to singers

A beautiful, lyrical work which students love singing. Largely homophonic, begins in unison, then a 4-part harmonization. Limited independent parts, idiomatic piano accompaniment that supports and enhances the vocal texture. Limited but effective use of dissonance and a wide dynamic range to heighten the text.