10 Fun Ideas for the Final Week of Choir with High School Seniors 🎓🎶
As we say good-bye to our Choir Seniors, it's a time filled with mixed emotions. Not only have we been their music teacher, but for many, we've also been a guiding presence in their lives. Teachers often wear multiple hats, serving as mentors, counselors, motivators, and advocates.
Today was the official last day of school for Seniors at my school. Having taught many of them since middle school, it's surreal to realize it's been over six years. Sometimes it feels like a blink of an eye and sometimes it feels like decades. (Am I right?)
The last week of school with Seniors is always a bittersweet. There are usually some tears, a few sad smiles and a couple of kids who cannot get out of there fast enough! I strive to make this week feel special, acknowledging the significance of this transition and making sure each student feels valued and remembered
Our Graduation is this Saturday. Since the late 1960’s, our high school Varsity Choir has had a long-standing tradition of singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic at Graduation. Our Senior Choir members are featured by singing the National Anthem and our Senior Choir President conducts the choir in our school’s Alma Mater. I know that many choral programs like to choose new graduation songs each year. However, I like that I don’t have to worry about programming new Graduation music each year and our older members can help lead the younger members in rehearsals. It’s a win-win for us all!
The end of the school year can be exhausting, especially with the added emotional weight of farewells. The pressure of providing fun lessons for my Seniors makes me want to cry. Luckily, I’ve been doing this long enough that I have several ideas ready to go and I want to share them with you.
🎶Here are 10 Ideas for the Last Week of Choir with High School Seniors🎶
🌟Flashback Fun- Allow seniors to vote on some of their favorite choir songs of all time. Choose a few of their top picks and pull music for the choir. They love to reminisce and sing together. Pro Tip: A copy of their favorite choir song makes a great Senior gift!
🎶Something Nice- I give each student a blank piece of paper and piece of tape. I instruct students to write their name at the top and tape the paper on their back. Then, students walk around the room and write kind messages on each other’s paper. For the students who like their personal space, I allow them to tape the paper to the board. At the end of class, we take a few minutes to read the comments. My students love this low-prep activity.
🎼First and Last Song-On the first day of school, I always have our choir sing our school’s Alma Mater because I remind them that it will be the first and last song this particular group of students will sing together. (It is the last song on the Graduation program.) But if this didn’t work for you, you could find a song they sang together during their very first year in choir and make it the last song they sing together.
🎉Senior Superlatives- You could create fun awards like “Most likely to perform on Broadway” or “The Harmony Master” and let each senior nominate/vote for their peers. Want to save time? Check out my Editable Choir Superlative Awards.
🎹Memory Lane Playlist- Compile a playlist of choir songs from years past. Play in the background while doing other activities or watch prior choir concert recordings.
🎤Choir Karaoke- Let the Seniors take the lead and perform their favorite choir songs in small groups for the class.
🎊Senior Advice- Ask Seniors to provide advice for underclassmen choir members. You could even provide stationary/paper for students to write letters of encouragement and well-wishes to their younger classmates.
🎵Music Olympics- Organize a series of fun and silly choir- themed games and challenges like vocal range competitions, name that tune, etc. You could team seniors together to face off against their younger choir members. Looking for ideas? Check out my Music Olympics.
🍎Choir Potluck- Everyone loves good potluck, right? Encourage students to bring in their favorite dish or snack to share with the class. It’s a great way to bring everyone together.
📷Senior Choir Photo- Don’t forget to capture the last choir class with a group photo of the seniors and/or the entire choir. Share the photos with your students and parents. Trust me, as a parent of a graduated senior, I loved getting pictures of my son at school.
As we conclude this chapter with our Senior Choir members, let's celebrate their achievements, cherish the memories, and wish them well on their future endeavors.
Happy singing! 🎤
