I Wish

This song may be used any time of the year in any situation you like, but it is particularly poignant during the holiday season when the subjects of charity and peace are so prominent. The lyrics speak of kindness and child-like purity of heart, which should give anyone listening a reason to pause and think.

The accompaniment is hauntingly lovely, rising and falling in emotional waves. Though we feel that the rhythm section, strings and brass add a great deal to the recording, we also feel that a piano-only performance of this song could be very nice. The piano is the featured instrument this time.

We suggest that you use a soloist at the beginning of the song the first time. Whether you want maturity or innocence in the sound is up to you. The younger your singer, the more emotional the audience response may be. We chose to use an older singer (Melissa Kline) this time to demonstrate the potential for that type of performance. As you can hear, she did very well. With an older soloist, you can let her have a little more freedom with style, including using vibrato. She returns as soloist for the last few bars.

The chorus enters at measure 21 the first time. In the first ending, part 2 sings the syllable, "ooh." This part is optional. If you use it, you might want to have only certain singers perform it. It is slightly more sophisticated and your mature singers (particularly girls) will enjoy the challenge. The whole song is less than three minutes in length.

For this song, we have included a reproducible illustrated sign language page. You will find it on page 58. If you don't want to use it all, consider focusing on a few key words. Or even just the words, "I Wish," which every performer could do. Have a select group of students perform the sign language while others sing, if you like.

Note: When signing the word "wish," which is the same as the letter "w," rock hand slightly side to side as it moves down.