Sometimes directing a whole musical for Christmas just isn't practical, especially in an elementary school. Here are some ideas for Christmas concerts that are simple to put together, yet are interesting and original. Submit your Christmas concert ideas.
I am a strong believer in building each concert around a specific theme. Not only does this give you a focus for choosing material, decorating the hall and creating a program, it also keeps you on track and prevents you from using all your "good stuff" up in one year. Basing your Christmas concert around a theme can also create special learning opportunities in the elementary classroom during those last weeks in December when keeping students focused can be difficult.
Christmas on Broadway
- A review of Christmas songs from various Broadway musicals. This could be made up of solos or groups, or both. Here are some song suggestions (not all are elementary appropriate but I include them for the sake of being thorough - a quick look at the lyrics and you'll know):
White Christmas (Holiday Inn)
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Meet Me In St Louis)
A New Deal For Christmas (Annie)
We Need A Little Christmas (Mame)
Merry Almost Christmas (A Year With Frog and Toad)
Christmas Bells (Rent)
Baby It's Cold Outside (by Frank Loesser)
Our First Christmas (All That He Was)
Greenwillow Christmas (Greenwillow)
Lovers On Christmas Eve (I Love My Wife)
Christmas Child (Irma La Douce)
Twelve Days to Christmas (She Loves Me)
Christmas Carol (The Streets of New York)
Be A Santa (Subways Are for Sleeping)
Christmas Lullaby (Songs for a New World)
Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher (Billy Elliot)
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Tracking Santa
Put a new twist on the multicultural "Christmas Around The World" by turning it into a mock news broadcast as new NASA technology allows us to track Santa's progress around the world on Christmas Eve. If the whole school is to be involved, have each class present a different country. There are many web resources that list the origin of different carols. Here are some suggestions:
Six White Boomers (Australia)
Feliz Navidad (Mexico)
The 12 Days of Christmas or We Wish You A Merry Christmas (England)
Silent Night (Austria)
Good King Wenceslas (Czech Republic)
O Tannenbaum/O Christmas Tree (Germany)
Tenk You For De Chrisamus (Jamaica)
Three Christmas Carols from South America
John Jacob Niles: 10 Christmas Carols From The Southern Appalachian Mountains
Celebrations of Other Faiths
A Holiday to Remember - A Multi-Traditional Choral Celebration (Medley)
Christmas Through The Ages
- There are many very old Christmas Carols, but there are also some that are quite new or have been re-recorded in a modern way. Create a review of the history of Christmas Carols by performing a wide selection of carols in chronological order. You can add a commentary of historical anecdotes throughout if you wish.
5 English Medieval Carols
Thirty Old & New Christmas Carols
A Medieval Christmas Festival
Christmas In The Movies & TV Specials
- There are a number of wonderful Christmas songs that either originated in or were made famous by movies or TV specials. A few of these overlap with those listed in "Christmas on Broadway", above. Here are some song suggestions:
Where Are You Christmas? (from How The Grinch Stole Christmas)
You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch (from How The Grinch Stole Christmas)
White Christmas (Holiday Inn)
almost any song from A Muppets Christmas Carol
Frosty The Snowman (from Frosty The Snowman)
Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer (from Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer)
Christmas Time Is Here (from A Charlie Brown Christmas)
Christmas Cartoon Celebration (a Medley)
Making Christmas (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)
Somewhere In My Memory (from Home Alone)
Believe (from Polar Express)
Songs About Snow
- Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Winter Wonderland
Frosty The Snowman
Snowman (The Barenaked Ladies)
Footprints (The Barenaked Ladies)
Songs About Elves
- The Happy Elf (Harry Connick Jr)
Elf's Lament (The Barenaked Ladies)
Songs About Toys
- Toyland
Take Me Back To Toyland
March Of The Toys
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
The Marvelous Toy
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Songs About Reindeer & Other Animals
- Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer
Run Run Rudolph
A Pop Christmas
- Santa's Rockin' Christmas Countdown
