Am I the only music teacher who thinks about themes for the next school concert when the first one finishes? If you read my blog post about concert planning, you’ll know I typically like to plan my programs in advance. This year, however, COVID-19 and all of the uncertainty this school year has shifted my concert planning timelines. Although it’s currently winter break, I am eager to start planning an exciting spring concert. Themes are a really fun consideration when planning school concerts. It’s a way to tie musical ideas together in a creative and comprehensive way. There are MANY ideas for themes for school concerts. Today, I wanted to share 10 different suggestions for concert themes. Each suggested theme includes suggested repertoire which you may use (or adjust) based on the needs of your students.
The Beatles
If you don’t care for the Beatles then I don’t care for you. Okay, just kidding but in all seriousness the Beatles make a fantastic school concert theme. Your audience will (likely) be familiar with the songs and the music is amazing. Win-win!
Suggested Repertoire:
- Come Together – The Beatles
- Yesterday – The Beatles
- Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
- Help! – The Beatles
- Hey Jude – The Beatles
- Octopus’s Garden – The Beatles
- Let It Be – The Beatles
- All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
Colors
Here’s a visually-appealing school concert theme! Depending on your circumstances you could assign a color to each grade/ensemble and ask students to wear their color (or accessorize in their color) for the concert!
Suggested Repertoire:
- Yellow Submarine – The Beatles
- Red – Taylor Swift
- Blue Skies – Irving Berlin
- Purple Rain – Prince
- Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
- Paint It Black – The Rolling Stones
- Black or White? – Michael Jackson
- True Colors – Cyndi Lauper
Decades School Concert Theme
Here’s a chance to time travel with your students through music’s rich history! The suggested concert repertoire covers the 1920’s through 1990’s!
Suggested Repertoire:
- Ain’t Misbehavin’ – Fats Waller
- Smile – Charlie Chaplin
- Take the A Train – Duke Ellington
- Hound Dog – Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
- I’m A Believer – The Monkees
- Dancing Queen – ABBA
- Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper
- Wonderwall – Oasis
Disney
Okay, so this one is done semi-frequently but I can’t help it! There are so many wonderful kid-friendly Disney songs that are musical masterpieces! Of the Disney-themed school concerts I’ve attended, I’ve noticed that many are either extremely old-school or very recent Disney works. The suggested repertoire I’ve chosen is a happy mix of both.
Suggested Repertoire:
- How Far I’ll Go – from Moana
- When You Wish Upon A Star – from Pinocchio
- You’ve Got A Friend In Me – from Toy Story
- Part Of Your World – from The Little Mermaid
- I See The Light – from Tangled
- Hakuna Matata – from The Lion King
- You’ll Be In My Heart – from Tarzan
- A Whole New World – from Aladdin
Motown
Confession – I am planning a Motown themed concert for my school this spring! My students are obsessed with Michael Jackson and I love the idea of introducing them to other Black American artists through a concert program inspired by Motown! I am hoping my students will love this concert theme as much as I do!
Suggested Repertoire:
- ABC – The Jackson 5
- Dancing In The Street – Marvin Gaye, William “Mickey” Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter
- All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
- Stop! In The Name of Love – Diana Ross and The Supremes
- My Girl – The Temptations
- Isn’t She Lovely? – Stevie Wonder
- Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson
Rock ‘N Roll School Concert Theme
I am also using this concert theme with my other school! I have some musically inclined colleagues who are excited to play along with us for the show. If you like to rock out, this next theme might be for you!
Suggested Repertoire:
- Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi
- Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
- Should I Stay Or Should I Go? – The Clash
- Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
- What About Us? – Pink
- Dream On – Aerosmith
- Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
- Rock and Roll All Night – Kiss
Rodgers and Hammerstein
This school concert theme is a spin on the classic Broadway/Musical/Movie theme featuring songs by theatre songwriting duo Rodgers and Hammerstein. This concert theme features songs from The Sound of Music, The King and I, Cinderella and Oklahoma.
Suggested Repertoire:
- Oh What A Beautiful Mornin‘ – from Oklahoma!
- Do-Re-Mi – from The Sound of Music
- Getting To Know You – from The King and I
- In My Own Little Corner – from Cinderella
- I Whistle A Happy Tune – from The King and I
- A Lovely Night – from Cinderella
- So Long Farewell – from The Sound of Music
- Climb Every Mountain – from The Sound of Music
Spirituals
Whether you have a concert scheduled for February or you appreciate the musicality these selections offer, you may value educating your students (and their families) on the rich musical history of these African spirituals.
Suggested Repertoire:
- Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen – Harry Thacker Burleigh
- Follow the Drinking Gourd – Richie Havens
- The Gospel Train – Traditional/Unknown
- This Train Is Bound For Glory – Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – Wallis Willis
- Go Down Moses – Henry Burleigh
- Wade In The Water – Traditional/Unknown
- Peace Like A River – Marvin V. Frey
Weather School Concert Theme
This was my school concert theme from several years ago. It worked out really well and my students wound up loving many of the songs.
Suggested Repertoire:
- Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
- You Are My Sunshine – Charles Mitchell and Jimmie Davis
- Walking on Sunshine – Katrina And The Waves
- Singing In The Rain – Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
- Stormy Weather – Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler
- I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash
- Colors of the Wind – Alan Menken
- Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Harold Arlen
Women Composers
A few years ago a fifth grader asked me, “Do women ever write music?” While I assured her that the answer was YES, I also was saddened by a recent study which revealed only 5% of repertoire performed by today’s top orchestras is written by female composers. Obviously, this statistic has not escaped the observation of my students (and probably not yours). This concert theme is not a solution, but merely a nod to the creative voices of these talented female composers.
Suggested Repertoire:
- The Busiest Composers – Amy Bernon
- O Come Together, Let Us Sing – Becki Slagle Mayo
- How Beautiful Is The Rain! – Mary Lynn Lightfoot
- Ni̱o Precioso РRosephanye Powell
- Lamma Badaa Yatathanna – Joy Ondra Hirokawa
- Music in the Water – Ruth Morris Gray
- Changes – Audrey Snyder
- Echoes of Kindness – Ruth Elaine Schram
Final Thoughts
Planning themes for school concerts is one of the most exciting parts of being a music teacher. An engaging concert theme combined with carefully selected repertoire transforms you concert into a memorable experience for the community and a highlight of the school year.
Looking for extra support? The Chamber of Freebies is a growing library of elementary music resources designed to make lesson planning easier! You’ll find printables, digital resources, and engaging music activities that save will time and help you feel prepared. Membership is completely free. Click here to join and access free tools for your elementary music classroom.
