Christmas Card

This is a sweet tune for your students to sing at Christmastime. "Christmas Card" allows the listener to see through a child's eyes the creation of a homemade Christmas card, sending it to a loved one, and their hopes for the Christmas season. And John is using a word in this song that might be new to some — Christmastide, which are the days surrounding and including Christmas Day itself.

Uniquely, this song doesn't have our often used road map complexities (repeat, D.S., etc.). It's throughcomposed. However, there is a key change at measure 41, with a ritard the following bar and a new, slower tempo at measure 43. There is another ritard in bar 67. All this to say, you may want to conduct your students in a live performance, and prepare them for the key change, which may be a new concept to younger singers. When using our tracks, a nylon guitar and piano keep the melody, and the drums keep tempo through the ritard sections to help your singers.

Of course, winter attire would be our pick for performing this song, including winter coats, hats, scarves, mittens, etc. It would also be a prime tune to sing when visiting family might be in the audience, or indeed at any holiday performance. To make it extra special, consider having students create their own Christmas cards to exchange with each other, their families, even members of the audience during the concert. Ask your art teacher for help and make it a multi-class project.