A number of years back, I was asked to write four chorales for the Manitoba Band Association and they work really well with kids. I have them available to download for free below!
For best results, print the PDF as two 8.5×11 inch pages, then copy them side by side onto an 11×17 inch page, like the graphic below. The students can then follow their line across the page while still seeing the lines of everyone else. Not only does this mean you aren’t copying and organizing a variety of different parts, but if you’re playing Chorales 2, 3 or the Suspension Study, you can get kids to visually notice the moving parts or parts that are different than theirs.
Chorale No. 1 (Bb Major)
Chorale No. 1 is designed as a first chorale for a beginning band. It has accessible ranges and simple rhythms to ensure students are focusing on lyrical playing, supporting their sound with air, and concentrating on balance and blend in the ensemble.
Chorale No. 2 (Eb Major)
Chorale No. 2 is in Eb and, while accessible, is a bit more challenging. It has a different key center and a the counterpoint is slightly more complex, with some voices in motion while others are at rest. That being said, and because students follow their line in the score, we can ask them to notice which voices are moving while others are resting. For example: “In measure two, which instruments have the eighth notes?” or “In measure four, which voices are still moving while the ensemble is holding that half note?”
This chorale also introduces suspensions, which are visible in the voices that have more motion while others are at rest.
Chorale No. 3 (D minor)
Chorale No. 3 introduces a minor tonality and one written chromatic for the alto voices. When we talk about bringing out notes that are different, we can visually draw our students’ ears to the instruments with those chromatically-altered notes. For example: “Take a look at measure 2, who has the notes with a sharp? If you have those, bring them out; if you don’t, make room for those voices.”
This chorale is also in 3/4 time, so this is a good opportunity to teach that meter with accessible notes and rhythms, but with some different harmony than they might be used to for a warm up.
Suspension Study No. 1
This one is my favourite. It teaches a more advanced concept with very accessible rhythm and range for your players. Also, because the students will have the score on their stands, they can see who has the moving part and when. For example: “If you have quarter notes, you are the moving notes, so let’s bring that out. If you have half notes, play with an energized and resonant sound and support that line.”
As you might guess, the Suspension Study is a great tool either introduce suspensions or to develop the concept from their use in previous chorales. If you’re practicing tension and resolution or leaning into that dissonance (or teaching that dissonance can be warm and lush, instead of always dark and scary), this is the tool! The students can hear it in the band, they can see it on the page, and they can play it on their instrument.
Thanks for checking this out and feel free to check out my Music and Shop pages!
-Kenley