Ensemble song ideas?

[jcfranklin]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 8:05am

Hello Broadway World!

I'm about to start my first year teaching at a private academy (this school starts classes in June -- weird, I know). I'm teaching 8 musical theatre classes a day: 3 middle school classes, and 5 high school classes, separated by experience and auditions, etc.

Each class is required by the academy to give a "presentation" of a song once or twice per month. With eight separate classes, that can be almost 16 different songs per month -- that's a lot! Luckily, my assistant is a former Off-broadway choreographer, so I leave all the choreo to her, and I head up the music portion.

I'm looking for ensemble songs (or songs that can be transformed into ensemble songs), that are easy to learn, and not too difficult. I have a fair collection of things, but doing 16 songs a month is going to eliminate my resources pretty quickly!

PLEASE give me ideas of easy, and quality numbers that I could do. I'm looking for both high school and middle school material. (Preferably up-tempo songs!)

THANK YOU!

[trentsketch]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 10:36am

Coffee Break from How to Succeed is fast to teach and a whole lot of fun to perform.

Can't go wrong with Hard-Knock Life for middle school students.

[Queen of the Night]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 11:15am

Coffee break is a great one. I was with a kids theater group and we did "it's not where you start, it's where you finish" from Seesaw. That's a good one for kids.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 11:22am

Nicest Kids in Town and almost anything from Hairspray.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 1:56pm

If you have a group of older kids (near graduation) may I suggest When I Grow Up from Matilda. Takes on a different meaning and is beautiful -- no need for choreography at all.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 2:08pm

"On My Way" and "Bring Me to Light" from Violet can both be good when you want some exciting vocals and minimal staging. And out of context of the show you can divide both into a lot more solo lines to accommodate pretty much any size group if you so desire.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 2:58pm

I agree with everything already mentioned as well as:
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown from “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown:
Skid Row (Downtown) from “Little Shop of Horrors”
In from “Carrie”
Façade from “Jekyll & Hyde”
Be My Friend from “Edges”
Magic To Do from “Pippin”
Fixer Upper from “Frozen”
The Telephone Hour from “Bye Bye Birdie”
Put on a Happy Face from “Bye Bye Birdie”
Tradition from “Fiddler on the Roof”
Antevaka from “Fiddler on the Roof”
When You’re An Addams from “The Addams Family”
Island Through and Through from “Anne & Gilbert”
Hair from “Hair”
Aquarius from “Hair”
The Gods Love Nubia from “Aida”
Dance of the Robe from “Aida”
For Now from “Avenue Q”
No Voice from “bare”
Epiphany from “bare”
Join the Circus from “Barnum”
One Brick at a Time from “Barnum”
Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”
Be Our Guest from “Beauty and the Beast”
Made in American from “Bonnie & Clyde”
Hello from “The Book of Mormon”
You’re Never Alone from “The Bridges of Madison County”
I Hope I Get It from “A Chorus Line”
Footloose from “Footloose”
We Beseech Thee from “Godspell”
Born to Hand Jive from “Grease”
Children Will Listen from “Into the Woods”
Superstar from “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Getting to Know You from “The King and I”
Go Go Joseph from “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Everybody Say Yeah from “Kinky Boots”
Raise You Up/Just Be from “Kinky Boots”
At the End of the Day from “Les Mis”
Do You Hear the People Sing? from “Les Mis”
Master of the House from “Les Mis”
One Day More from “Les Mis”
Circle of Life from “The Lion King”
Under the Sea from “The Little Mermaid”
Money, Money, Money from “Mamma Mia!”
Mamma Mia from “Mamma Mia!”
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! from “Mamma Mia!”
Voulez-Vous from “Mamma Mia!”
When I Grow Up from “Matilda”
School Song from “Matilda”
Iowa Stubborn from “The Music Man”
Carrying the Banner from “Newsies”
The World Will Know from “Newsies”
Seize the Day from “Newsies”
King of New York from “Newsies”
Once and for All from “Newsies”
Light from “Next to Normal”
We Dance from “Once on this Island”
I Won’t Grow Up from “Peter Pan”
Seasons of Love from “Rent”
Time Warp from “The Rocky Horror Show”
Stand Up! From Scandalous
Oh the Things You Can Thing from “Seussical”
Biggest Blame Fool from “Seussical”
Story of My Life from “Shrek”
Freak Flag from “Shrek”
This is Our Story from “Shrek”
Come Look at the Freaks from “Side Show”
The Song of Purple Summer from “Spring Awakening”
The Ballad of Sweeney Todd from “Sweeney Todd”
Trashin’ the Camp from Tarzan
Gee Officer Kurpke from “West Side Story”
Raise Your Voice from “Sister Act”
Omigod You Guys from “Legally Blonde”
Legally Blonde Remix from “Legally Blonde”
What You Want from “Legally Blonde:
One Short Day from “Wicked”
Welcome to Wonderland from “Wonderland”
Join the Family Business from “Young Frankenstein”
13 from “13”
Brand New You from “13”
All Hail the Brain from “13”
A Little More Homework from “13”
It Can’t Be True from “13”
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee from “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
Pandemonium from “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 6:34pm

Some more:
Coffee in a Cardboard Cup from "And the World Goes Round"
Arabian Nights from "Aladdin"
Prince Ali from "Aladdin"
Friend Like Me from "Aladdin"
One Jump Ahead from "Aladdin"
Gilbert Loves Anne of Green Gables from "Anne & Gilbert"
Let the Sunshine In from "Hair"
You Can't Stop the Beat "Hairspray"
The Kid Inside from "Is There Life After High School?"
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from "Mary Poppins"
Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little/Goodnight Ladies from "The Music Man"
The Farmer and the Cowman from "Oklahoma"

[ethan231h]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 6:38pm

On My Way is very teachable!

some others!
the chorus of Magic to do
Seize the day
When i grow up
For Now
Hair
really any song from 13 with the whole cast!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 6:56pm

Hey Look Me Over from Wildcat

[Pasdechat]

Posted: 5/26/14 at 1:10pm

A lot of great ensemble numbers are in "Titanic"!