Popcorn And Cranberries

The hardest part about this seasonal 4-part layering song about popcorn and cranberries is keeping track of where you are. That's also the fun and the challenge. It's almost a game! Make sure everyone knows the basics – what part are they singing, when does it enter and exit, and which repeat they're on, or where are they in the song? You'll want to teach each vocal part separately first to be sure singers know their own part before combining them. And then uncombining them! A little tricky but worth the result.

Following along with the singers on the recording is a good way to learn, but we have also isolated the vocals into an a cappella version which might be helpful. At the very least, it lets them hear how cool they will sound with their own part singing.

And if that wasn't enough, we also added optional beginning guitar (playing only a G chord) and some simple percussion (hand drums and triangle). Though they play throughout, the only time these will be spotlighted is the intro and the interlude at measure 9. But since they are pretty much the same pattern throughout, they should be easy enough to add, showing off players' skills and progress for proud parents and families in the audience. Draping the performance area with strings of popcorn and cranberries is up to you.

The extras for this tune include the a cappella vocal version, guitar part PDF, and percussion part PDF. These can be found at our web site.