50 Invaluable Resources for Children's Choir Directors

Looking for new repertoire or teaching ideas for your elementary choir? Need a few game ideas for the next rainy Wednesday night? Looking for resources for starting and building a children's choir program?

Whether you're new to directing or you've been doing it all your life, we all need new ideas and fresh resources now and again.

Today, I'm sharing a rich and varied collection of my favorite children's choir resources—everything from devotions to gathering activities, warm-ups and games, repertoire and curriculum ideas, rehearsal-planning tools, resources for building a choir program, and more.

Enjoy!

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

---

Devotions

Devotions are an important part of church choir rehearsals, as they help center your hearts and minds on the true reason for your singing. Devotions also offer a wonderful way to connect to the stories young singers hear and learn about in children's time and Sunday School.

Here are a few to consider:

• Grace for the Moment: 365 Devotions for Kids (Max Lucado)

• Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids (Sarah Young)

• Children's Choir Prayers

• Five-Minute Bible Devotions for Children (Pamela Kennedy/Anne Kennedy Brady)

• The One-Year Devotions for Preschoolers

Gathering Activities

Perfect for the early birds who arrive early for rehearsal, or as a quick change of pace in the middle, these gathering activities are easy to prepare and facilitate and reinforce several important musical concepts:

• Fun, Easy Gathering Activities for Children's Choir

• 101 Music Games for Children

• Rhythm flashcards (free!)

• Tried-and-True Rhythm Games for Children's Choir: Part I and Part II

Warm-Ups

Both practical and useful, warm-ups help prepare the body, voice, and mind for singing. Here are a few exercises geared toward young singers with a focus on breath, posture, tone, vowel production, and diction.

• Warm-ups for Young Singers (SFFS Children's Chorus)

• The Ultimate Guide to Children's Choir Warm-Ups [Free eBook!]

• The Art of the Vocal Warm-up (Indianapolis Children's Choir)

• Vocal Exploration Cards (free!)

Games

Children love games, and when they're easy to plan and fun to play in rehearsal, and they help develop musical skills, directors love them, too! Here are some of my favorite (musical) games for choir rehearsal:

• 15 Singing Games for Children's Choir

• 38 Ways to Sing it Again

• Clap Your Hands: 16 Clapping Games for Children's Choir

• 7 Fun Games for Children's Choir

• Musical Crazy Ball: A Fun Singing Game to Teach Do-Re-Mi

Curriculum

If you have room in your budget, purchasing a comprehensive children's choir curriculum will save you tons of planning and preparation time and may help you teach more effectively. Most of the curricula below include songs and anthems, movement activities, audio recordings and accompaniment tracks, teaching plans, digital resources, devotions, and promotional materials.

• Growing in Grace (Preschool, Elementary)

• Voice for Life

• Singing Through the Church Year (Tamara Albrecht)

• First Steps in Music for Kindergarten and First Grade: In Action (Lindsay Jackson & Andrew Himelick)

• How to Write Your Own Children’s Choir Curriculum

Repertoire

If you don't use a pre-planned curriculum with your choir (or if you want to supplement the one you use), here are a few of my favorite music resources and collections:

• The Joy of Part-Singing (Mark Patterson)

• Can't Wait to Sing! (Younger Elementary) and Can't Wait to Sing! 2 (Middle and Upper Elementary)

• Top 50 Favorite Anthems for Children's Choir

• Sing Together, Children! (Madeline Bridges)

• Sacred Choral Anthems by Black Composers (2- and 3-Part)

• 36 Children’s Choir Anthems by Women Composers

• Viva la Musica round (free!) (Praetorius)

• Seven Songs for the Church Year (Choristers Guild)

• 150 Rounds (Edward Bolkovac/Judith Johnson)

• This Little Light of Mine (arr. Jenifer Cook - free!)

• Sing in Parts, Volume 1 (ed. John M. Feierabend)

Teaching

Whether you have an education background or not, teaching is an important part of directing a children's choir. From introducing children to rhythm and meter to shaping musical phrases to talking about dynamics and understanding melody and harmony, there are numerous opportunities for music teaching and learning in choir rehearsals.

Here are a few places to start:

• 5 Ways to Make Memorizing a Choir Anthem Fun

• How to Teach a Song or Anthem by Rote

• Teaching Hymns to Children: Part I and Part II

Inspiration

Staying inspired is a crucial part of everything we do as musicians: we bring our best selves to our work only when we are refreshed and inspired. Here are a few inspirational books and podcasts geared specifically toward church musicians and choir directors:

• Hearts & Hands & Voices: Growing in Faith Through Choral Music (Sue Ellen Page)

• Lifeline for Children's Choir Directors (Jean Ashworth Bartle)

• Eight Podcasts for Church Musicians

• Creating Artistry Through Excellence (Henry Leck)

• Books for Church Musicians

Program-Building

Looking to start or build a children's choir program at your church? Here are some useful tips, strategies, and ideas for getting started:

• Building a Children's Choir: Getting Started, Planning, and Choosing Music

• How to Plan a Children's Choir Rehearsal (+ a free rehearsal-planning template)

• Building a Successful Children's Choir Program

• How to Recruit & Sustain Your Church Music Program

---

I’d love to hear from you:

What are your favorite children's choir resources?