A Peaceful Round

by Teresa Jennings

In our estimation, every holiday performance ought to include a song of peace. That's why we are keen to provide you with options year after year. Of course, you don't have to limit your usage to just that season. Peace is always, always a good topic. Not just for kids. For all of us.

This sweet, beautiful song is meant to be sung as a round. Very simple and easy enough for most age levels. The first time through, the song is sung in unison so everyone can hear the words clearly and prepare for the division into parts. On our recording, we choose to have three times at measure 9, which means the round occurs the second and third times. The ending at measure 33 is sung together for a lovely effect.

While our orchestral recording is really nice, this is one piece you could perform using live piano instead. That way, you can change the tempo and number of repeats if you want. It's not very difficult. Be sure to use the pedal to connect it for the best results.

Ribbons and scarves - The 3/4 meter helps it float along in a, well, peaceful way. So much so that we have suggested you could also use it as a performance piece for scarves or ribbons. We recommend blue, white, and silver as the color palette, but you can use whatever you have or prefer. Another neat idea would be to use small lights, such as battery powered candles, to do "candleography" in addition to or instead of the ribbons and scarves. Use the motions we have written on the music or create your own. (If you're interested, you can find Kandle Lights™ at MusicK8.com) We have also provided an isolated ribbon/scarf part on our web site for ease of teaching.

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.