A Must-See for Middle and High Schoolers! Recommended Free-Choice Songs for Choir Competitions Catalog
The choir competitions held at schools every year.
Many junior and senior high school students look forward to working together as one class, don’t they? Still, the big headache is choosing the repertoire.
It’s often said that, especially in choir competitions, the choice of the free piece can greatly affect the results.
That’s why there are many points to consider, such as “a piece that won’t overlap with other classes” or “a song that’s topical yet can be polished to a high level.” In this article, we’ll introduce recommended pieces for junior and senior high school choirs.
We’ve picked not only the classics but also rarer choices for choir, like Western pop and Vocaloid songs, so you can find the perfect piece for your class.
- [Choral Music] Recommended for Middle Schoolers! A Collection of Moving Choral Works & Choral Arrangements
- Ranking of Popular Choral Songs [2026]
- [For Junior High School Chorus] A Curated Selection of Challenging Popular Works and Classic Songs
- [Choral Songs] Recommended for High School Students! A Comprehensive Showcase from Classics to the Newest J‑Pop
- [Choral Songs] Recommended for cultural and school festivals! Classic choir pieces & the latest popular songs
- [2026] Let's Sing at the Chorus Competition! A Roundup of Recommended Western Songs
- [For Female Choir] Carefully Selected Heartfelt Recommendations & Women's Choir Arrangements
- [Choral Piece] High Difficulty! A selection of works that are hard to sing
- [Middle School Students] Popular Songs Ranking by Generation [2026]
- [Choral Songs You Can Sing in English] Recommended Pieces for Choral Competitions Too!
- [Elementary School Chorus Songs] A comprehensive showcase from moving masterpieces to the latest hit tunes!
- [High School Students] Popular Songs Ranking by Generation [2026]
- Songs popular among junior high school students. Also songs trending on social media.
Recommended Choral Pieces for High School Students (11–20)
About meMrs. GREEN APPLE
A ballad that stays close to hearts burdened with anxiety and loneliness, offering words of encouragement.
Its grand sound, infused with marching elements, and its powerful message that affirms life—including for those who have lost—are deeply moving.
Released in January 2019 as Mrs.
GREEN APPLE’s eighth single, it was selected as the support song for the 97th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.
In 2023, an orchestral arrangement was also produced for an Otsuka Pharmaceutical Calorie Mate commercial.
Questioning the differences between oneself and others while portraying an attitude of facing everyday joys and anxieties, this piece is perfect for choir performances at school festivals.
Sung together with friends, it’s a song that allows everyone to recognize each person’s individuality and share earnest feelings.
Youth PhotographLittle Glee Monster
A heartwarming youth pop song that wraps the bittersweet feelings of graduation season in a bright expression! Sparked by the moment of taking a photo, it portrays the importance of friendship and the excitement for the future, while also expressing the brave facade of masking loneliness with a smile.
Released by Little Glee Monster in March 2015, this work is one of the group’s signature songs that leads into the albums “Colorful Monster” and “Joyful Monster.” Its gentle lyrics, which weave together the value of friendship in a cheerful student life and the desire to preserve memories of life’s milestones, make it perfect for chorus performances at school festivals and graduation ceremonies.
Choral pieces of Western music (11–20)
If you don’t want to overlap with other classes, I recommend Western music!
When choosing a free-selection piece for a chorus competition, most people pick songs they sang in music class or standard choral pieces. But that often leads to “We’re overlapping with another class!!” In that case, choosing a song from Western pop is highly recommended! There are plenty of grand and beautiful pieces that are perfect for choral singing, so please use them as a reference. However, singing English lyrics requires lots of practice! Related article:[2026] Let's Sing at the Chorus Competition! A Roundup of Recommended Western Songs
Choral songs in Western music (1–10)
No OneAlicia Keys
A Grammy-winning song that captivates with rich R&B sounds, themed around true love brimming with poignancy and strength.
It’s a track from New York–born Alicia Keys’s acclaimed 2007 album “As I Am,” which spent five consecutive weeks at No.
1 in the U.S.
Featured as background music in the film “27 Dresses” and the TV series “Ugly Betty,” the song earned high praise for its powerful vocals.
Its distinctive blend of piano and Mellotron, paired with a heartfelt vocal performance filled with deep devotion for a loved one, resonates deeply.
Alicia Keys is also in the spotlight for headlining Summer Sonic 2025.
If you perform it as a chorus, the key is for everyone to convey that strong, united emotion.
Beautiful ThingsBenson Boone
This work is notable for its wistful melody and powerful vocals.
Hailing from the United States, Benson Boone is a singer-songwriter who rose to prominence from his activity on social media and broke through with his debut single, “Ghost Town.” This piece was released to the world as the lead single from his debut album, “Fireworks & Rollerblades,” which came out in January 2024.
It’s a gem of a ballad that conveys gratitude born from love as well as the fear of losing something precious, and it has ranked high on charts around the world.
It has also received high acclaim, including winning Best Alternative Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.
In a choral competition, you can create a moving stage by leveraging the emotionally rich lyrics and beautiful harmonies.
Die With A SmileLady Gaga, Bruno Mars
This song is striking for its grand message interweaving love and death—a soul-stirring duet by American artists Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.
Released in August 2024, it beautifully blends a retro atmosphere reminiscent of 1970s soft rock with contemporary sensibilities.
Gaga’s dramatic vocals and Mars’s soulful voice intertwine exquisitely, elevating the piece into a sweeping ballad that portrays the end of the world and an eternal bond with a loved one.
It was also featured as the theme song for the film “Eternal Love” and gained attention as music in an Apple commercial.
For choir competitions, it’s a piece that can fully showcase a group’s vocal abilities and create a moving, heartfelt performance.
We Are the WorldUSA For Africa
USA for Africa is a charity music group formed with the aim of helping the poor in Africa.
It drew attention because top artists like Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder came together.
The chorus of We Are the World is arranged as a group sing-along, which makes it very compatible with typical choral performances and easy to sing.
If you want to make it more powerful, have strong vocalists perform Cyndi Lauper’s and Stevie Wonder’s parts as solos.
Sweet Child O’ MineGuns N’ Roses
The love song, which begins with a powerful guitar riff and features a beautiful melody and a moving vocal performance, was released in June 1988 as a single from the 1987 album Appetite for Destruction.
For the American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, this work became their first No.
1 hit in the United States, and it has been loved across generations, appearing in films such as Thor: Love and Thunder.
It was also performed during their Japan tour in May 2025, sending the venue into a frenzy.
Reimagined as a choral piece, it could reveal a new charm that harmonizes the raw energy of hard rock with the gentleness of a ballad.
Having the entire class sing it together would create a deeply moving, heartfelt stage.