The best Christmas songs for your children’s choir holiday concert!
I am in love with the tradition and massive scope of holiday music. There are so many fantastic songs out there, and yet, it can sometimes be difficult to find age-appropriate arrangements for elementary and middle school children’s choirs. If you’re looking for repertoire ideas for your upcoming winter concert, here are some of my students’ and my favorites over the years.
Fantastic Songs = Fun to Learn + Fun to teach
I will outline what I look for while researching and selecting Christmas music for each age group. I have two primary criteria for a song to be deemed “successful,” and therefore included in my Music Library. First, the song has to be engaging and appropriately challenging for the students to learn. Second, the song has to be enjoyable for me to teach for an extended period of time (you’ll find that I am drawn towards quality, joyful, beautiful music, and less inspired by overly simplistic “kid music”). All song recommendations are based on firsthand experience, so pieces are listed only when my choirs have rehearsed and performed them.
School Demographics:
Here are some factors that affect the types of music I select. You might need to make adjustments if you’re teaching at a public school or rehearse more than once a week, for example.
Private Catholic school consisting of grades TK-8 and located in Los Angeles, California.
One classroom per grade with class sizes ranging from 17-48 students.
Students rehearse in either general music class or during after-school choir once per week.
Every year, each class performs two songs plus an all-school finale. We usually prepare for about ten weeks (ten 50-minute rehearsals) in order to allow sufficient time for note learning, lyric memorization, dance choreography, announcer introductions, and performance logistics.
Resources Included in this post:
I usually make my own song arrangements where I adjust key signatures and song forms to better fit my choirs. Here’s what you’ll find included in this article and in the Music Library:
Lyric Sheets to print for students’ music folders and/or display on the board during rehearsals.
Sheet Music / Lead Sheets (melodies and chords) for my customized arrangements.
Accompaniment/Backing Tracks for certain songs.
Dance Move Videos for certain songs, should you be looking for age-appropriate choreography ideas.
Spotify Links to reference the appropriate versions/styles.
I’ve also sprinkled a few of my holiday originals/parodies that my students have enjoyed, and I hope you do too!
Pre-K, TK, & Kindergarten
What I’m looking for…
Main Goal: Catchy, repeating refrains!
Range: Students ages 4-6 have a comfortable singing range from D4-A4, with a max of B♭3-C4.
Preferred Form: I typically arrange the song to match this song form: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 1 again, Chorus x2.
Bonus if the lyrics match the movements (i.e. “Ring those bells and stomp your feet”).
Favorite Christmas Songs for Pre-K, Transitional Kindergarten, & Kindergarten
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Bells Are Ringing
All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)
All the Angels Celebrating by Lucy Stewart
Sounds of the Season
Go Tell It On The Mountain
Santa Claus Got Stuck
Caroling, Caroling
I Saw Three Ships
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Grades 1-3
What I’m looking for…
Main Goal: Songs that are uptempo and exciting.
Range: Students ages 6-9 have a comfortable singing range from B3-C5, with a max of A3-D5.
Preferred Form: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2 OR Bridge, Chorus x2.
Bonus if the verses aren’t too wordy to help with memorization.
Favorite Christmas Songs for Grades 1-3
Ring Those Christmas Bells
Don’t Forget To Feed The Reindeer
Angels We Have Heard On High
Jingle Bell Rock
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Mary’s Boy Child
The Friendly Beasts
Sleigh Ride
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Joy to the World
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
Grades 4-5
What I’m looking for…
Main Goal: Songs that are a bit more mature than early elementary, but still with plenty of fun and silliness.
Range: Students ages 9-11 have a comfortable singing range from B3-C5, with a max of A3-D5.
Preferred Form: I like to keep our concerts moving, so I usually arrange the song to this form: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2 OR Bridge, Chorus x2.
Bonus if there are some more complicated rhythms or melodic intervals to play with, since this age group is often eager to please and has a lot of maturity and vocal strength.
Favorite Christmas Songs for Grades 4-5
The Christmas Waltz
O Holy Night
In The Bleak Midwinter
What Christmas Means To Me
Thistlehair the Christmas Bear
Christmas Alphabet
Somewhere In My Memory
You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Mary’s Lullaby by Lucy Stewart
Green Christmas
Holiday Round by Lucy Stewart
Grades 6-8
What I’m looking for…
Main Goal: Songs that might have more grown-up themes, but aren’t too romantic or lovey-dovey!
Range: Hello middle school, and hello puberty! This gets tricky, especially since voice changes, self-consciousness, and singing-shyness increase especially in 7th grade. If your classes meet multiple times per week, this is where part-singing comes in handy. If you’re teaching general music once a week, here’s my experience with unison singing:
Keys of E and F work well for changing male voices, because students can opt to sing up or down the octave.
Female students ages 11-14 have a comfortable singing range from A3-C5, with a max of G3-E5.
I usually look for melodies that mostly sit in a comfortable midrange, B3-F4.
Preferred Form: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2 OR Bridge, Chorus x2.
Bonus if we can include hand drums or other rhythm instruments.
Favorite Christmas Songs for Grades 6-8
Birthday of a King
Winter Wonderland
The First Noel
Holiday Hallelujah
The Day That Love Began
We Need A Little Christmas
Christmas Time ??
This Christmas
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Shake Up Christmas
Finale Favorites for All Ages
Favorite songs for all-school finales that are fun to sing for all grades.
What I’m looking for…
Main Goal: Songs that are enthusiastic and merry.
Range: Looking for a comfortable middle ground, approximately B3-A5.
Preferred Form: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2 OR Bridge, Chorus x2.
Bonus if the song matches (or helps define) the concert’s overall theme.
Favorite Christmas Song Finales
Must Be Santa
Little Drummer Boy
Together At Christmas
All I Want For Christmas Is You
Pennies From Heaven
