As we turn the page to the 2025-2026 school year, you might be looking for interesting chorus songs to perform with your elementary choir this year. In this week’s post, I’ve highlighted lots of new choral repertoire, including fresh options for winter concert music, new music trends and genres for spring, and unique options for graduation songs.
Looking for a concert theme? Don’t forget to check out these posts:
And if you’re looking for fresh, new repertoire ideas for the upcoming school year, keep reading for my best picks for chorus songs!
❄️ Winter Concert Chorus Songs for 2025 ⛄
I’m really excited to share my winter concert top picks for the upcoming school year! I’ve included a whimsical chorus song that tells the story of a snowman coming to life, a new winter concert favorite by Greg Gilpin, a lively South African carol, and a finale option that will help you feature your strongest soloists.
1. Walking in the Air from “The Snowman” – arranged by John Leavitt
This arrangement was inspired by the 1986 book The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. I included this gentle selection because I think it offers plenty of moments for musicality, especially through storytelling. I think this is one of those pieces in which gestures and choreography can be thoughtfully incorporated to enhance the performance and storytelling elements. Try asking the students for their ideas! They may have some of the best ones!
- Recommended Grade Levels: 4-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, SSA, SAB and SATB
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
2. Winter Storm – Greg Gilpin
If you’ve read any of my past concert-themed blog posts, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Gilpin’s chorus songs, especially for elementary and middle school choral ensembles. His latest work is an artistic, driving piece that builds anticipation as the lyrics describe the arrival of a winter storm. This selection will surely shine with the expression and musical moments you can create with your singers!
- Recommended Grade Levels: 5-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part and Three Part (Mixed)
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
3. Sizalewe Indodana – arranged by Victor C. Johnson
Here’s a lively multicultural option that will let you feature your best singers as soloists and get everyone on their feet celebrating! This piece is a traditional South African carol that brings the joyful hand-clapping rhythms and lively call-and-response singing to your holiday concert. You’ll have everyone feeling the festivity!
- Recommended Grade Levels: 5-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, Three Part (Mixed), SSA, TTB, SATB
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
4. We Wish You a Merry Christmas/Christmas Is Here – arranged by Masa Fukuda
Finales are one way to ensure this year’s winter concert audience stays until the very end. If you’re looking for an option that will bring the house down, look no further than Fukuda’s arrangement of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Christmas Is Here.
This chorus song will work particularly well if you have a strong group of singers with several powerful voices that could be featured as soloists. The solo sections offer a lot of freedom and flexibility for student expression and moments to shine. Try this song with the whole school and watch every parent stay till the end!
- Recommended Grade Levels: 4-6
- Arrangement Details: Unison/Two Part Octavo
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
*Pro-Tip: Try putting the lyrics for “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” into the concert program so the audience can sing along during the finale!
🌷 Spring Concert Chorus Songs for 2026 🐣
My top picks for Spring of 2026 include a traditional Hawaiian chant set to melody, a swinging jazz song, a trendy song your older students will love, plus one of my favorite tunes by Irving Berlin.
1. I Ku Mau Mau – Ruth Morris Gray
My world pick for Spring of 2026 is a fun Hawaiian chorus song by Ruth Morris Gray. It’s a high-energy chorus song that teaches students about standing up and supporting one another through its lyrics, which are based on traditional Hawaiian chants. The high energy of the song lends itself well to movement, and officially suggested choreography can be purchased separately, if desired.
This is a great piece to teach if you want to work on rhythm and diction with your chorus while promoting cross-curricular learning.
- Recommended Grade Levels: 5-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, Three Part (Mixed), SSA, TBB
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
2. I Feel Alive from “A Minecraft Movie” – arranged by Roger Emerson
Here’s a chorus song that’s likely to get cheers from your students. Minecraft is still wildly popular, and now that the movie has been out for a while, this song will already be familiar to many of your students. The upbeat rock style makes it fun to sing, and the dramatic energy gives students a chance to really love and enjoy what they’re singing. It’s the type of song that will have your chorus students screaming, “Yes!” when they see it in their chorus folders.
- Recommended Grade Levels: 4-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, SAB, SATB
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
3. Puttin’ on the Ritz – Arranged by Kirby Shaw
I had to throw this Kirby Shaw arrangement of Puttin’ on the Ritz onto the list. It’s a wonderful way to teach students about American musical history while introducing syncopation and swing rhythms to your choir. The rhythm is a bit challenging for students at first, so I recommend teaching the rhythm under tempo first before speeding it up. It’s quite fun, once students get the hang of it!
- Recommended Grade Levels: 5-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, SSA, SAB, SATB
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
4. I Like to Sing (Scat) – Teresa Jennings arranged by Paul Jennings
Looking for something jazzy that’s not too difficult and flexible across a wide span of grade levels? While I Like to Sing (Scat) is arranged in two parts, it’s an adaptable partner song with an easy Part I (ideal for beginners in younger grade levels), and a more challenging Part II (ideal for more experienced singers). It’s a great song for teaching your students about swing and scat singing, and makes an excellent finale option!
- Recommended Grade Levels: 3-5
- Arrangement Details: Two Part
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
🎓 Top Picks for Moving Up + Graduation Songs for 2026 👩🏻🎓
I cringe whenever I think about the first graduation song I ever taught my students because it was the song I Believe I Can Fly by R Kelly. Back then, the song was viewed as controversial but nowadays no music teacher will teach that song for good reason. Fortunately, I’ve found lots of new chorus songs that will feel fresh, exciting and most importantly, free of controversy!
1. Kaleidoscope – Pinkzebra
This is one of my top picks because this piece stood out to me immediately when I first heard it. It’s high energy, the lyric themes are perfect, and the tune is immediately catchy and memorable. It’s the kind of chorus song that will be an instant hit with students because it’s such an earworm. Listen to it and you’ll understand why!
- Recommended Grade Levels: 5-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, SSA, SAB, SATB
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
2. Truly Brave – Arranged by Mac Huff
This is one of the most unique chorus songs in this category. Truly Brave is a mash-up of Brave by Sara Bareilles and True Colors by Cyndi Lauper. The inspiring lyrics encourage students to be themselves and face the future with courage, making it a perfect choice for graduation and moving up ceremonies.
- Recommended Grade Levels: 5-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, SSA, SAB, SATB
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
3. Die with a Smile – arranged by Mark Brymer
This one is a bit ambitious for an elementary chorus, but I also feel like this chorus song is currently so popular with students that they’d be likely to rise to the occasion, especially if you have strong singers in your chorus.
- Recommended Grade Levels: 5-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, SSA, SAB, SATB
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
4. For Good from “Wicked” – Stephen Schwartz arranged by. Roger Emerson
Let’s be honest. We all knew something from Wicked would have to appear on this blog post, and with all the hype surrounding the upcoming release of Wicked: For Good. This song is certainly going to see a huge resurgence in the 2025-2026 school year.
Many students will already know and recognize this song and will be more motivated than ever to learn it. The arrangement has two very distinct parts but it’s definitely doable! I’ve taught and conducted this song at least twice for moving-up ceremonies, and it’s always a tear-jerker! Just make sure you give yourself enough rehearsal time for it (I suggest practicing and rehearsing it at least 2 months in advance).
- Recommended Grade Levels: 5-6
- Arrangement Details: Two Part, Three Part (Mixed)
- Where to Purchase: JW Pepper
Choosing the Right Chorus Songs for Your Students
You may be wrapping up this blog post or one of my other chorus blog posts and be wondering, “Yeah, but how do I know if this piece is right for my students?”
That is a really difficult question, because at the end of the day, I don’t know your students, and I’m never going to pretend I know your students better than you.
My advice is going to be different to you depending on where you are on your teaching journey.
If this is a new teaching job:
If you’re just starting your music teaching journey or you’re starting a new job in a new school, my advice is always to play it safe during the first year. Give yourself time to get to know the students and their abilities. Generally, I would try not to change too much in the first year, especially when you are getting adjusted. It’s okay to be ambitious, but I would not choose something super challenging to use with children you haven’t worked with before. You might see if there’s an old concert program or video floating around from the previous music teacher. This will give you a better idea of what the students are used to doing. You can also ask your colleagues about their observations of past concerts to get an idea of what students enjoy and the general reception of past concert programming.
If you’re returning to the same school and students:
I believe you have more freedom and flexibility for choosing rigorous chorus songs when you have some awareness of your students’ personalities and capabilities. I think these are things you should always take into consideration when you’re choosing chorus songs for your students. Every situation and school year is going to be different; you have to look at each incoming group uniquely. I’ve experienced school years where I’ve been fortunate to have really strong singers and high enrollment, which allowed me to divide my choir into three parts. There have been other years where I’ve had to plan for smaller ensembles or lower skill levels.
I always try to aim for realistic rigor in my approach. I do want my chorus songs to be challenging, but I also don’t want students feeling like my choices are too hard or out of reach.
Likewise, I also feel it’s important to balance the musical interests of your students with new music you’ll expose and introduce them to. I feel like every school concert needs to include at least one fun song that students instantly connect with and are excited to rehearse. If you don’t have that, in my experience, students will be less receptive to the new music they haven’t heard before. Think about it, would you want to learn new music from someone who wasn’t interested in teaching music that mattered to you?
Final Advice for Choosing Chorus Songs:
Before making a decision on chorus songs for this year, take a moment to sit down and list your incoming chorus students’ strengths and weaknesses. These can include things like:
- Harmonizing
- Intonation
- Balance & blend
- Dynamic contrast
- Watching and following a conductor
- Use of vocal resonances (i.e. head voice and chest voice)
- Confidence when performing
- Memorization skills
- General behavior during concerts and/or rehearsals
I’m sure you could come up with more! This may seem silly, but assessing your students’ strengths and weaknesses can make the choice of a concert song really clear. Sixth graders who don’t care about anything? Maybe I Feel Alive from “A Minecraft Movie” might inspire them to finally start singing in chorus rehearsal. A chorus with really strong singers? Try We Wish You a Merry Christmas/Christmas Is Here as a winter concert finale!
I hope this post provided you with new, fresh ideas for chorus songs to use for the upcoming school year. If you’re looking for more resources and strategies for the upcoming school year, make sure you join the Chamber of Freebies! It’s my growing library of free music education resources to help your teaching year feel magical! It’s free to join and you’ll gain instant access to many helpful resources and more teaching articles like these!
This post contains affiliate links which may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you decide to make a purchase. For more information, please see my full disclosure statement.