Five Successful Pieces for Middle School/High School Male Choir (January 2015)
Codfish Bay
Traditional Sea Shanty
Vijay Singh, arranger
TB
Brilee BL331
Moderately easy for Middle School
A general use piece in English that is up-tempo, folk-style and strophic. Nice piece to use with JH and combine with HS singers. The piece has comfortable ranges and is very adaptable to different ages.
Watching the Apples Grow
Stan Rogers
Ron Smail, arranger
TTBB
Cyprus Choral Music CP 1223
Moderate level for High School
Very tuneful and in comfortable for all voice parts. Text speaks of life in Canada (country vs. city). Part of the Diane Loomer series and written for Chor Leoni Men’s Choir. This is a good selection for the beginning of the year to develop unison singing and ensemble.
Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind
Sherri Porterfield
TBB or TTB
CPP Belwin SV9430
Moderate level for High School
A nice “seasonal” piece with its text from Shakespeare. The song has a solo or unison opening section followed by three –part harmony in the minor mode. This is a very tuneful piece and comfortable for all voice parts. This is a good piece for building part singing and intonation.
A Rovin’
Sea shantey
Ron Jeffers, arranger
TBB
earthsongs
Moderately easy for High School
A moderately-easy piece for HS singers and a fun text (sea shantey). A single key adds variety and added energy to the final verse.
Come All Ye Fair an’ Tender Ladies
American ballad
Gilbert Martin, arranger
TBB
Heritage H2901
Moderate for High School
A 19th century ballad well-crafted by Gil Martin. Unison singing moves to two-part singing and then expands to three-part culminating with two key changes. Comfortable and very tuneful with all parts enjoying the melodic ideas.
Thomas Blue is in his twenty-eighth year of teaching in the Rochester Community Schools. He is currently in his ninth year as the choral director at Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He is also in his fourth year as choir director at Van Hoosen Middle School. He is no stranger to the middle level, having taught at West Middle School in Rochester for nineteen years before coming to Rochester Adams. The choirs at schools where Mr. Blue has taught have consistently received excellent and superior ratings at both District and State wChoral Festivals.
Mr. Blue has a B.S. in Music Education from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York, a M.M. in Music Education with a choral cognate from Michigan State University and has completed coursework on a Ph.D. in Music Education with a cognate in choral conducting.
Mr. Blue is currently an adjudicator and clinician for Michigan School Vocal Music Association and is the Middle School/Junior High School Repertoire and Standards Representative for ACDA-Michigan. He has presented several times at various conferences including the ACDA-Michigan Fall Conference, Michigan Music (Midwestern) Conference, Michigan Association for Middle School Educators, Oakland Schools and the Summer Workshop for the Michigan School Vocal Music Association. He has also worked as a church music director, accompanist and handbell choir director. Mr. Blue is a recent assistant conductor for Measure for Measure: A Men’s Choral Society. He conducted a community chorus, the Symphonia Chorale, for 10 years. He has also sung with the Gilbert Jackson Chorale, and is the current music director of the Pontiac-Waterford Barbershop Chorus. Mr. Blue has conducted the Session III JH/MS SATB Choir/ Chamber Choir at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for the past 7 summers and has been invited to conduct again in the summer of 2015.
He currently resides in Lake Orion with his wife, Jana (an ELL teacher) and four children, Anna and Grace, Emma and Noah.