Harvest festival and Christmas songs

[JennyWren]

I know that I'm thinking about it very early, but I've been asked to take over my DC's primary school choir next year as the current leader is retiring. I have some ideas, but I suspect that most of his resources are personal rather than school property, so I need to broach that with the Head and ask about music and CDs, and I would like to have it all in place before the end of this term so I can get started straight away in September.

I'm thinking of a list of 3-4 songs for the harvest festival, 3-4 for the Christmas concert, and a few warm-ups/rounds just for fun. I'd like to do fairly familiar things but not a repeat of last year. Could anyone help me out with a brain dump of nice primary songs? For harvest I'd like to avoid Paintbox (Cauliflower's fluffy...) as I remember they did that last year - I've got 'Seeds of friendship' and 'For the fruits of His creation' so far... I know there is another I loved as a child but I'm having a total blank on how it goes...

We Plough The Fields And Scatter springs to mind.

Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Jingle Bells for Christmas? Might be a bit too obvious!

Also remember doing When Santa Got Stuck In The Chimney when I was at school.

Starshine, Out of the Ark and Music Line all have good song books. Just also seen Grumpy Sheep while googling this.

Cauliflours fluffy Cabbages green

Autumn Days When The Grass Is Jewelled

There is a series of books called songs for all seasons, they have one for Harvest, Spring, Christmas etc. really good choice and come with a CD

Or it might be called a song for every occasion, sorry can't check as not working this week (supply teacher, not a skiving teacher!)

As already said, Out of the Ark books are fab

What about some proper actual Christmas carols? I read some survey this last year about how many primary school children couldn't recognise or remember a single one, only the popular, secular Christmas songs that were being done instead.

I know that non-religious schools might not want to do them much, but as they are such a big part of the culture at Christmas, it seems a shame that children aren't being exposed to them at all these days. They are also a good way of introducing children to basic traditional harmony, and there are loads of lovely arrangements for one or two parts. I learned a lot about part-singing and harmony etc from hymns, and Christmas carols are a relatively easy way to incorporate that even for a choir that doesn't normally do religious music.

Hi, Sheila Wilson has a couple of books devoted to harvest songs, which I've used and the kids enjoyed. Also, there is a great series called voiceworks where you can find wonderful songs for throughout the year. If you type these into musicroom.com you should be able to find them.

Out of the Ark music is great though not old traditional stuff. V child friendly. Carol, Gault Carol is good for traditional Christmas stuff.

Michaelmas Daisies for harvest ? When my dsis was at school she sang a song called Harvest Samba which was great, but I've never been able to find any lyrics or music online.
For Christmas, how about some of the songs from 'Hosanna Rock!' ?

on this link.

These are fun for Christmas - a bit different. My daughter's school did them in the concert last year.

This is a poem not a song

www.poetry4kids.com/m/?pid=584#.VVUCLPlVhBc

Would any of the Benjamin Britten Songs for Friday Afternoons be good?

Old Abram Brown is really good for singing in canon.

Personally I find Out of the Ark proselytising old shite - a few good ones on each track then loads with rather dodgy theological ideas. Haven't found anything better yet though apart from traditional stuff.

Any MFL at your school?

If so, try an easy French carol like Sainte nuit (Silent Night)

And yy to a handful of tradition carols: the nice jolly ones like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, or the Zither Carol, or ones that seem totally dissociated from Christmas like the Holly and the Ivy, or I Saw Three Ships.

And teaching the proper descant to O Come or Hark the Herald would be good for musical development.

Plus spoof words to Hark the Herald and We Three Kings are fun.

Out of the arc is really out of the arc.

The mothers day song is dire

Paintbox song , I still remember it from singing it in school

It is mentioned up above, cauliflowers fluffy cabbages green

Ooh yes, the Mothers' Day song - classic! At least it opened up a discussion on sexism.

Check out the singup website - it's just what you are looking for!

At our school they sing a lovely one called 'conkers'

Also love harvest samba as mentioned above

Big Red Combine Harvester with all the actions.
(DD2 used to sing 'tutting the torn' when she couldn't say her Cs).

Personally I used to really like it when they repeated songs from year to year because, as I got more familiar with them, I enjoyed them more.

The favourite carols of children at my school are the angel Gabriel from heaven came, infant holy, see him lying and once in royal....go with some traditional ones!
They also like the sharing bread for harvest. It is in one of the come and praise books.
I use singing Sherlock and the little sing for pleasure books quite a lot too.

Thank you everyone! The Sing up! resource is great, and I've also found some pieces for treble voices on www.prestoclassical.co.uk. I'm not going to tell you which I've chosen as that could out me totally, but several of the songs mentioned have made the list :)