Christmas Cha Cha Cha
Price range: $7.50 through $20.00
When concert time rolls around, it is fun to have a zippy song to add to the program. The lively rhythms of Christmas Cha Cha Cha are combined with easy, repetitive lyrics to create a winning combination for young singers in kindergarten-grade 1, ages 5-7. Adding actions assists with retention of the lyrics, and it also looks great!
Christmas Cha Cha Cha stays within the C4-B5 range, making it accessible for developing voices. Young singers quickly learn the syncopated rhythms by rote because they fit naturally with the typical cadence of the language. The lyrics include repetition and simple directional concepts ideal for singers performing in their first school concert or vocal studio recital.
The piano accompaniment is written to support the stylistic flavour of this song. However, an accompaniment track played by the “Donna & Andy band” is also available adding pizzazz to the performance.
To add versatility, teachers may opt to replace the word “Christmas” with the word “concert” so this song can be used at any time of year!
Listen to the Donna & Andy band – instrumental track:
Listen to melody + piano accompaniment:
Download Includes:
- Vocal score
- Lead sheet
- Director/piano score
- Lyrics
- Accompaniment – with melody guide
- Accompaniment – piano
- Donna & Andy band – instrumental track
- Donna & Andy – performance track (with original lyrics)
- Teaching Tips
Share this page using these social links!
Christmas Cha Cha Cha
Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Christmas Cha Cha Cha.
piano accompaniment + melody guide (sample)
Donna & Andy band - instrumental track (sample)
Stream or Purchase the Donna-Andy Cha Cha Cha version of this song (on the Blue Skies and Pirates CD) from many streaming sites including:
Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora, Deezer.
The Blue Skies and Pirates CD (Donna & Andy performance and instrumental) tracks (24) are available for download or physical CD on this website.
Alternate lyrics
The lyrics for Christmas Cha Cha Cha can be easily adapted to fit within a variety of concert themes.
Replace “Christmas” with “concert” throughout the song for a generic concert presentation at any time of year.
Replace “Christmas” with “winter” for a seasonal concert without holiday references.
For a grade-specific option, replace lyrics in the following bars:
Bar 5 and bar 25
“Christmas time” becomes “concert time”
Bars 11-12, bar 19 and bars 31-32
“The Christmas Cha Cha Cha” becomes “the grade 1 Cha Cha Cha” or “the Kindergarten Cha Cha Cha” (Sing “kindergarten” as four eighth notes)
Alternatively, sing “Concert time” in bars 5 and 25 and change the lyrics in bars 11-12, bar 19 and bars 31-32 to a school name or the month of the concert.
Teachers have the permission of the composer to create lyric option choices that work for your school.
Add actions to this song to assist young singers with retention of the lyrics and to add visual interest to the performance.
If the students are standing on risers during their performance, it is recommended that they use only their hands for the actions. This allows them to keep their feet still and remain safely stationary during the performance.
Suggested actions are included in the PDF download.
More Performance Options
Include scarves as a colourful addition to the performance.
HINT: To keep scarves from being dropped, attach an elastic to the corner of the scarf and slip the elastic over the wrist of the student. Hands are then free to make fists and move with the actions, but the scarves stay where they are supposed to be.
If not attaching scarves to students, a great visual finish can be created by having students toss the scarves into the air after the final cha cha cha is sung.
HINT: Designate one or two students to be in charge of collecting the scarves at the end of the song to avoid the chaos of all students trying to retrieve their scarves. This is particularly problematic if students are standing on risers. With two students designated to collect the scarves, the rest of the class can carefully exit the risers.
Christmas Cha Cha Cha
This song has been used in a variety of settings with a variety of lyric adaptations. I originally wrote this song for my Kindergarten-grade 1 students for a Christmas concert. It was used for a combined group of English and French immersion students so we did a mix of actions using both languages. The lyrics were based on simple directions that students were learning in French. With the actions, both English and French immersion students were able to sing the song together.
Eventually, I wrote a version entirely in English and another one entirely in French and it was used several times in concerts during my elementary music teaching career. I also made adaptations to make the song accessible for a variety of performance settings by changing the lyrics from “Christmas Cha Cha Cha” to “Concert Cha Cha Cha” or “winter cha cha cha.” Depending on the specific needs of each school, there are many lyric options that will work with this simple little song. I like it when my music can be used to meet the needs in a variety of situations.
When Andy and I needed a movement song for our children’s performances, this song worked well. We added our name to the lyrics and voilà, we had a song for our show. The instructions were easy, we used hand motions for the actions so kids could stay seated but still be involved, and we could sing some of the lyrics in English and some in French.
It always amazes me when a seemingly simple song gets so much action!
When you have enjoyed singing this song with your students - please drop by again and leave a Review on this page. Thanks!
Send us your video of Christmas Cha Cha Cha and perhaps we can post it here.
| License | Single User License, Classroom / Studio License, Treble Choir License |
|---|---|
| Context | Action / Movement Songs, Action Songs, Choir – Elementary, Choir Repertoire, Classroom Songs, Movement Songs, Small Group Class, Vocal Solo, Choir – Unison |
| Topic | Celebrations, Christmas, Holidays, Action Songs, Celebratory, Movement Songs |
| Level | |
| Voicing | |
| Vocal Range | C4-B5 |
| Duration | |
| Composer | Donna Rhodenizer |
| Music | Donna Rhodenizer |
| Lyrics | Andy Duinker, Donna Rhodenizer |
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.