Winter concert advice

[Lavabravacava]

I'm a music teacher who has been given the job of doing the winter concert for our primary.

I'm looking for recommendations for KS2 - they have a high level so part singing / harmony is a must. I hope someone will recommend a book that contains fabulous 2 part arrangements of all the Christmas hits e.g. jingle bells, silent night, Rudolph, away in a manger. I would also love some beautiful songs from non Christian faiths and some secular winter songs.

I'm a competent pianist and I must accompany live - school rule, so no discs please.

The primary staff are lovely but they don't like to get involved at all so I'm not looking for any kind of play. It's music music music.

Thanks in advance!

Carols for choirs is a good place to start-that's got all the descants for the carols-really good for choirs to sing over the top of the congregational ones. Have a look on musicnotes.com and musicroom. Musicnotes has arrangements to download and musicroom has sheet music with next day delivery and they will have millions of recommendations. Carol of the bells is lovely (and in home alone), Michael buble Christmas album is good, the John Rutters are lovely - shepherd's pipe carol, angels carol, star Carol etc etc cowboy Carol is good. I need to start thinking about my carol service now! I've never met a child who didn't like singing gaudete either!

Out of the Ark and places do Christmas song books if you wanted to mix up traditional carols and songs with something new. They normally send a CD and the score. CD can be useful for teachers to practise when you’re not around for piano playing!

Out of the Ark is good but mostly unison- not much harmony.
If you're on fb there's an excellent primary music teachers group with loads of ideas. I'm a secondary teacher but I do half a day primary so joined this group for ideas and it's been excellent.

If you can find Sarah Brightman's A Winter Symphony album

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Winter_Symphony#Track_listing

There is a mix of Christmas songs and wintry songs. My favourites are Arrival and Colder than Winter. I am not sure whether you could source sheet music