I believe music for children can be imaginative, high-quality, whimsical, and unpatronizing. Good children's music can draw young people into beautiful narratives of truth, and ignite imaginations towards things that are lovely. By day, I teach elementary music and choir at The Covenant School here in Greensboro, and many of the resources here were written for my students. I hope these resources are as beloved for the children you work with as they have been for mine!
St. Francis' humble prayer is made into song. The Prayer of St. Francis contains mostly unison, with a short passage of simple ostinato accompaniment. I wrote this for children who were learning to read patterns in triple-meter.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may
not seek consolation as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it's in forgiving that we're forgiven,
it is in dying that we awaken to eternal life.
This hopeful and upbeat song for 2-part children's choir includes texts from Emily Dickinson's beloved poems "If I Could Stop One Heart from Breaking" and "Will there Ever Be a Morning?" Students will sing elementary-appropriate 2-part harmonies, including music in a round and in descant, with optional divisi. Quirky rhythms and adventurous meters ensure your accompanist also has a small opportunity to shine.
“Our Father in Heaven” is from the original musical Two Fish, Five Loaves, written by Abigail Van Patter and Robin McLaughlin Conine.
This call-and-response setting of The Lord's Prayer gives your community several ways to embody how the community of God can pass these timeless truths to one another.
Your school or church can present this song one of several ways: