A Little More Pizzazz: Bringing Student Creativity to Your Winter Concert

The songs have been chosen. Instrument and speaking parts have been assigned. Every grade level has been practicing and will continue to do so. Everything is set… but you still feel like the concert needs a little more pizzazz. Well, isn’t a little more pizzazz always a good thing?

The go-to additions are usually movements to accompany songs, different instruments to feature more students, or even costumes. Those are all great ideas; however, one thing I always loved to do was to incorporate what the kids had already been working on in their week-to-week music classes. I loved showcasing their hard work!

What short compositions or improvisations had they created during the semester? Where could we weave those into their concert pieces to make the music uniquely their own?

Enter: The “Opportunity to Create” Section!

This is my favorite part of any concert piece because the possibilities are endless! It can be anything from a full-blown, class-written composition to something as simple as eight beats of improvisation using instruments of your choice. You can make the decisions yourself or, even better, invite your students to contribute their ideas.

When students are included in the creative process, they begin to take ownership of the music. It becomes their music. No two concerts will ever be exactly alike! Even if you use the same songs year after year, the creative additions will keep things fresh and fun every year!

I also love this approach because the community begins to see music class as so much more than a sing-along class—or, worse yet, a teacher’s prep period.

Yes, I have actually been called that! During my first year of teaching in Boston, MA, a classroom teacher introduced me to her students by explaining that I was there so SHE could have her prep time. It was my first year in my first teaching position, so I didn’t say anything. But boy, have I never forgotten it! And here we are, all these years later, still working to ensure that music is recognized as an essential part of a child’s education.

When students have a voice in shaping their performances and deciding how they want to share what they’ve learned, they develop a much greater sense of ownership and investment in the process. They’re excited to showcase what they’ve worked on throughout the semester, proud of what they’ve accomplished, and eager to share it with an audience.

That excitement can make all the difference—not only in the quality of the performance but also in getting students to show up on time and enthusiastic about participating in the concert!

So, what exactly is an “Opportunity to Create” Section?

It’s simply looking at the music you’ve chosen (or are thinking about choosing) and identifying places where you can make room for students’ ideas.

Let’s start with the “WHERE” rather than the “WHAT”.

WHERE?

1. One of the easiest and most obvious ways to do this is to take a song’s existing A section, create a new B section, and then return to the original A section. In other words: A-B-A form.
   • This is probably my favorite approach! It’s simple to execute, fun for the students, and gives you endless opportunities to incorporate their creativity into an otherwise familiar piece of music.
   • You can also make the piece as long or as short as you would like.
   • Example: “Chatter With The Angels” With An Original B Section! – Note Knacks
2. You can also substitute a verse. Instead of singing the lyrics, insert a student-created section. This is a bit more limiting, as you’re locked into the existing number of measures, but it’s a great option!
   • Music K-8 pieces are FABULOUS for this! I have done this more than once and it works well.
   • If you are accompanying on the piano, you can always add a verse or two! It is completely up to you!
3. The third option is to add an introduction to a song or piece. This isn’t as easy, but certainly doable.

WHAT?

1. Create an ostinato or ostinati: one for the chorus and one for the verses.
2. 8-12 mm Introduction or B section
   1. A Rhythmic chant they create
      • Hot Chocolate Chant: One year the first graders were all excited about the movie “The Polar Express”. They especially enjoyed the “Hot Chocolate” song and wanted to create something similar. We created winter themed sentences and put them together so that they made sense and could be said rhythmically. We used this as the A section and added B, C and D sections to be played in rondo form.
   2. Add a soundscape
      • Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: We used the book as the centerpiece of our performance and created sounds to bring the story to life. We had sounds for the forest growing, the ocean tumbling by and for the monsters when they “roared their terrible roars, gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws”. We then wrote music for the section where they had their “wild rumpus”. It was so fun to create!!
      • Here is what I did, but you can certainly change it up! The Wild Rumpus – Note Knacks

• Composition using sounds of the season
  • In the same way we created sounds for the wild rumpus, kids can create sounds for the season. What sounds do we hear during this time of year? (bells, snow falling, wind blowing, wood crackling in a fireplace, etc….).
    1. Create a rhythm for each, choose a classroom instrument that sounds like that sound in real life, then play them either in sequence or all at the same time.

1. Rhythmic movement
   1. Create a rhythm with kids and then have them choreograph a movement either with or without instruments.
   2. Here is an example using Boomwhackers! https://noteknacks.com/boomwhacker-movement/
2. Audience participation
   • Give the audience a heads up and take 8 measures in the beginning, middle or end of a piece to have them echo rhythms the kids clap or play. This is a nice way for the audience to enjoy the parts of the concert that do not include their kids. 😊

One Last Thought…

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or add something elaborate to every song. Start small! Choose one piece, find a spot where students can contribute something of their own, and see where their ideas take you.

Remember, these concerts are an opportunity to share more than just the songs your students have learned. They’re a chance to show families and the community what happens in your music classroom every week—the creativity, the problem-solving, the collaboration, and the joy of making music together.

At the end of the day, isn’t this what we want them to see? So go ahead and add a little pizzazz. Let the kids take the lead, give them a chance to shine, and most importantly, let them show everyone what they can CREATE!