Holiday & Winter · Elementary Music · Grades K–6
The holiday season is one of the most motivated times of the music year — students actually want to learn these songs. Here are the Christmas and winter pieces in the Singing Classroom library that teach real musical concepts while the season does the motivating.
Why holiday music works so well
The weeks leading up to winter break are both the most motivated and the most disrupted weeks of the music year. Students want to be doing music. But they're also distracted, schedules are irregular, and concerts loom. The best Christmas and winter music for music class works in that context: songs that students are eager to learn, that teach substantial musical concepts, and that hold up under the compressed, interrupted schedule of December.
The songs below are the Singing Classroom's holiday and winter repertoire — every one demonstrated by Deborah on video, with a full teaching guide and the musical concepts each one addresses.
The holiday & winter song library
The best song in the holiday repertoire for teaching ta-m-ti (dotted quarter-eighth) — the pattern recurs in almost every phrase, and the only other rhythms are simple quarter and eighth notes. The song also contains every note of the major scale, making it ideal for major scale review and for locating low ti in its natural melodic context.
For grades 5–6: a full three-part barred instrument arrangement (Glock 1, Glock 2, Bass) with mnemonic lyrics that make complex parts easy to learn. The picture-only poster is a genuine challenge activity for grades 3–4 — students learn all three verses without printed lyrics.
Full teaching guide, all three verses, barred instrument arrangement →A short, driving four-part round that works especially well for a holiday concert — it's dramatically satisfying when all four parts lock in, and it's manageable to teach in the compressed December schedule. Scotland's Burning introduces fa in a completely natural melodic context and reviews the major scale. The urgency of the text keeps students engaged even in repetitive practice.
Full teaching guide and round arrangement →A mitten circle game that's perfectly suited to the winter weeks. Students sit in a circle and pass a mitten; the child who ends up with it must sing a solo phrase. The game is simple enough for young grades but genuinely suspenseful — the randomness of the mitten keeps everyone alert. A natural December activity that doesn't feel forced as a seasonal choice.
Full teaching guide and mitten game instructions →A skipping game with a swing feel — one of the few songs in the library that introduces compound meter for younger grades through movement rather than notation. The snowman imagery makes it a perfect December song for grades K–3, and the skipping activity burns off the pre-holiday energy in a musically productive way.
Full teaching guide and skipping game →A Hebrew round meaning "farewell, friends" — a beautiful winter song that brings cultural breadth to the December music class and contrasts the major-key Christmas repertoire with something in a minor key. As a round, it works from 3rd grade up and is concert-ready quickly. The seasonal translation ("farewell until spring") makes it genuinely appropriate as a December goodbye song.
Full teaching guide, Hebrew text, and round arrangement →Not strictly a holiday song — but Black Socks is a hilarious round about socks that "never get dirty" and students beg to sing in December because it's so absurd. It teaches 3/4 meter, low ti as a leading tone, and first/second endings in a completely memorable context. The sock-swinging activity keeps it physical. A reliable December crowd-pleaser for every grade.
Full teaching guide and round instructions →What teachers say
"Deck the Halls is my ta-m-ti anchor song. Every year, December is when that rhythm finally clicks for 3rd graders — they've been listening to it their whole lives and suddenly they can name the pattern. The motivation the holiday gives you is real teaching time if you use the right songs."
"Scotland's Burning as a four-part round for the holiday concert — it's short enough to teach in three classes and dramatic enough to impress parents. Shalom Chaverim alongside it gives the program breadth. This combination has been my December concert for four years running."
"Sister Phoebe in December is perfect. My K–2 kids love the mitten game, the winter theme fits naturally, and the solo singing moment is less scary in December because everyone's in a festive mood. It's one of those songs that just works."
Common questions
This is one of the real challenges of December music teaching. A few approaches: include songs from multiple winter traditions (Shalom Chaverim is already in this list and brings Hebrew heritage into the room), focus on winter themes rather than specifically Christmas themes where possible (If I Were a Snowman, Sister Phoebe), and frame folk songs like Deck the Halls as cultural heritage — the same way you'd teach a song from any other tradition. Deborah's teaching notes address this directly for the relevant songs in the library.
Yes, with the right combination. For a simple K–2 concert: If I Were a Snowman (movement activity), Sister Phoebe (mitten game), and one cumulative song. For a 3–6 concert: Scotland's Burning as a four-part round, Deck the Halls with the barred instrument arrangement for older grades, and Shalom Chaverim as a closing piece. That's a complete 20-minute program. Every piece has a video demonstration and full teaching guide so you can teach it confidently even if it's new to you this year.
Most of the songs here can be taught in one to three class periods. Scotland's Burning as a round can be concert-ready in three classes for grades 3 and up. Deck the Halls takes longer for the full barred instrument arrangement — plan four to six classes for grades 5–6. Sister Phoebe and If I Were a Snowman are typically one-class songs for the appropriate grade levels. Shalom Chaverim as a unison song takes one class; as a round, two or three.
Every song on this page is demonstrated by Deborah inside a Singing Classroom subscription — with full teaching notes, sheet music, and concert-ready arrangements. Start your free trial and walk into December prepared.
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Related pages
All three verses, ta-m-ti rhythm, major scale, and the full barred instrument arrangement with mnemonic lyrics.
Full teaching guide →A four-part round that's concert-ready in three classes. Fa solfège, major scale, and a dramatic sound when all parts lock in.
Full teaching guide →A winter farewell round in Hebrew — minor key, cultural diversity, and a beautiful contrast to the major-key Christmas repertoire.
Full teaching guide →