Sing a Song of Peace
Price range: $8.00 through $37.00
Sing a Song of Peace is a simple and thoughtful song about having peace in our hearts, honouring all lives and singing a song of peace together.
With a focus on peace, this song is an ideal repertoire choice for Remembrance Day or Veterans Day. November 11th performance commitments arrive early in the school year or vocal studio semester. With this time constraint in mind, Donna has written a simple yet effective song that can be learned and performed with a few weeks of preparation.
The simple melody line is written with a range of B3 – D5 with most of the tune falling in the middle section of this tone set. The ABA form keeps the lyric load light for young singers. The B section includes an optional descending vocal harmony line for a few brief bars before the song returns to the unison A section. The song works equally well with or without the addition of the harmony lines and/or optional handbells. If handbells are used, they provide a harmony line without placing that demand on the singers.
Sing a Song of Peace is an effective unison piece with options to include brief 2-part sections either vocally or incorporating handbells.
Listen to melody + accompaniment:
Download Includes:
- Vocal score
- Lead sheet
- Handbell score
- Director/piano score
- Lyrics
- Accompaniment – with melody guide – part 1
- Accompaniment – with melody guide – part 2
- Accompaniment – with melody guide – combined parts
- Accompaniment – piano
- Teaching Tips
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Sing a Song of Peace
Follow along with the lyrics as you listen to the accompaniment with melody guide for Sing a Song of Peace.
Expressive singing
Sing expressively to present the theme of peace and the reflective mood of the song.
Discuss dynamics, facial expression, legato phrases and treatment of interval jumps that must be sung accurately without sticking out.
Score Study
- Sing a Song of Peace is written in ABA form. Explore the score to determine where each section begins and ends.
- Sing the melody line and/or the descant harmony line using solfege syllables and/or hand signs.
- Discuss where the phrases begin and end. While singing, move one hand in an arc to represent the shape of the phrase that is being sung.
Adding harmony
There are two opportunities to add harmony, using instruments (handbells, hand chimes or Orff instruments such as metallophones) or by singing.
After the students are comfortable with the melody of the B Section, introduce the descant line by playing the line on the piano while all singers are singing the melody in unison.
Choose a few students to play or to sing the descant line. Keep it light and complimentary to the melody without being overpowering.
Sing a Song of Peace
I got an email from Joanna, my former job-share partner. In her current school she was starting a Grade 4-5 choir. The first rehearsal was approaching, and she wanted something fun and exciting to pique the interest of the students and get them enthused to join the choir. She also needed something for them to sing for Remembrance Day with a short window to prepare something. I was inspired to sit at the piano and write her a simple song with a focus on peace. I knew she had handchimes at her school and I also know that kids love to play them. What better way to inspire kids to join the choir than to give them a chance to get their hands on the handchimes. I also Included a short section with a simple descending harmony line for a nice taste of harmony that the students would easily be able to sing and it would come together and sound good quickly.
By the time I met with Joanna the next day, I had a song written with separate vocal parts and handbell scores ready for copying and distribution to her choir singers. It was fun to be writing for young elementary choir singers. Having a specific theme also helps narrow the creative process from endless possibilities to something far more manageable. After the initial writing for the elementary singers, I couldn’t resist creating an arrangement for choirs who are able to manage more two-part singing (and eliminating the niche of having handbells or handchimes). Once again, a simple song will end up with several arrangement variations so that music teachers and choir directors have options. It makes their musical lives less complicated and my composing life more complicated, but creating music is still a terrific way to pass the time!
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| License | Single User License, Classroom / Studio License, Treble Choir License, Small Ensemble License, Small Choir License, Large Choir License |
|---|---|
| Context | Choir – Elementary, Choir Repertoire, Classroom Songs, Expressive Storytelling Songs, Small Group Class, Vocal Study, Vocal Solo, Choir – 2-part Treble, Choir – Unison |
| Topic | |
| Level | Adult, Age 10 and up, Age 12 and up, Grades 3-4, Grades 4-6, Middle School, High School |
| Voicing | |
| Vocal Range | B3 – D5 |
| Duration | |
| Composer | Donna Rhodenizer |
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