free

Free Music for Church Choirs

Free Music for Church Choirs

Maybe you’ve been there, or maybe you’re there now - the choir director who’s trying to piece together a music library on a shoestring budget with anthems that are interesting and relevant to your choir and congregation.

As we all know, music is expensive ($2-4 per octavo for most choral pieces) and there isn’t always room in the budget for those kind of expenditures throughout the year, especially if you’re looking to build a music library and purchase more than 1-2 new anthems per year.

The struggle is real.

But, there’s good news. Some music is free! That’s right. Music published before 1923 is in the public domain (in the USA), which means it is free to obtain and use. 

It can be a bit overwhelming to sift through all the music that’s out there, so today, I’m sharing a few of my favorite go-to resources for music in the public domain along with some anthem suggestions that might work for your choir.

Spies, Shepherds, and Starry Nights: Christmas Musicals for Children's Choir

Spies, Shepherds, and Starry Nights: Christmas Musicals for Children's Choir

We've all seen it: Children dressed in sheets with rope belts and felt beards, carrying shepherds' crooks and reciting the oh-so-familiar lines of the nativity story. 

The Angel Gabriel, with a halo made of twinkly lights and holding a cardboard star wrapped in tin foil shares the good news. 

Mary and Joseph enter as everyone sings "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and let's not forget the darling 3-year-olds dressed like lambs with felt-ear headbands and cotton-ball-covered shirts.

There's no denying it - children's Christmas programs are pretty adorable.

There are dozens of children's Christmas musicals out there, with topics ranging from the Wild West to outer space to the 1950s, most with some sort of modern spin on the original Christmas story. 

Some include production notes with ideas for set design, staging, and costumes. Others can be put together in less time with just a small group of children. Many include familiar carols of the season along with original music.

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8 Valuable Resources for Music Teachers

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8 Valuable Resources for Music Teachers

You can never have too many teaching resources, right?

It seems I'm always looking for a piece of sheet music for this student or a fun concept-based game for that student. I'm also continuously searching for ways to streamline the business side of my teaching with helpful studio management tools, bookkeeping support, and email shortcuts.

Whether you're a studio teacher, K-12 music teacher, or children's choir director, I hope you find at least one thing on this list that's helpful to you!

Here are eight of my favorite resources for music teachers:

Wave Accounting

This all-in-one online accounting system that features free (unlimited) invoicing, ability to accept credit card payments, automatic billing and reminders, accounting support, and more. Wave is the perfect small business tool!

Adventures in Bell Ringing: Free Handbell Acclamation!

As you know, Steve and I have been directing a beginning handbell choir at church these past two months. 

We've been working on a few reading pieces but we've also enjoyed doing some improvising (read more here) and teaching a few things by rote.

Last week, Steve wrote this acclamation for our bell choir to play in worship. 

I thought it was too good not to share and he was gracious enough to let me share it with you as a free printable!

 

An easy-to-learn introit for ringers of all ages.

Free resource

A short, festive acclamation or introit for 16 bells. Perfect for your beginning bell choir (the piece is built on simple, repeated rhythmic patterns - no music required!). Works well as a processional (if your group can ring and walk at the same time!).

About Glorioso

The piece is designed for a smaller group (16 bells) and is simple enough to teach without notation.  Each player has a rhythm pattern that is repeated throughout.  The piece is gradually built from the bottom, with two parts entering at a time.

Since we had been practicing rhythmic reading in our rehearsals, I wrote out index cards for each player with their rhythmic pattern and bell position to help them keep track of their own part.

This piece works really well as an introit—something short but joyful to begin worship.  It was well-suited for the third Sunday in Advent but it really could be used any time of the year!

Get your free copy.

Download "Glorioso" for Handbell Choir (16 bells) and
print as many copies as you need for your choir.

See more music for small handbell choirs here. Enjoy, and happy ringing!

I'd love to hear from you:

If you end up using this with your bell choir, please leave a comment below or email me and let me know how it goes!

More in this blog series:
Starting a Bell Choir
Improvisation Activities

Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew

In honor of #smallbusinesssaturday2024, here are my ✨2025 predictions✨ for musicians and creative entrepreneurs: 1️⃣ Pivoting will still be essential: Flexibility and adaptability will define success—embrace change and be willing to evolve.
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