Friendship songs you’ll want to sing in choir: A roundup of choral pieces about friends

ultramarineSakushi: Fukushima-ken Minamisoma Shiritsu Odaka Chūgakkō Heisei 24-nendo Sotsugyōsei / Sakkyoku: Oda Miki

[Choral Song] Ultramarine / With Lyrics [45/200]

Here is a moving song perfect for graduation ceremonies.

It is a choral piece filled with the feelings of students who lived through the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident.

The lyrics were written by the 2012–2013 graduating class of Odaka High School in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, and the music was composed by Miki Oda.

Completed in February 2013, it premiered that March at a concert supporting recovery from the earthquake.

Since then, it has spread nationwide and was featured on the TV program “24-Hour Television” in August 2014.

The song carries thoughts for friends far away, memories of days spent together, and hopes for the future.

Its soul-stirring piano melody and lyrics that inspire the courage to face forward are sure to encourage graduates as they take their next steps.

On the Day of DepartureGasshou Kyoku

[Chorus Song] On the Day of Departure / With Lyrics / Singing Practice / Graduation Song #chorus #classchorus #graduationsong #choruscontest

When it comes to choral songs about graduation, “Tabidachi no Hi ni” is indispensable.

Composed in 1991 by teachers at a junior high school in Saitama Prefecture, it became known nationwide after being used in a 2007 NTT East Japan commercial.

In a 2008 Oricon survey of “graduation songs people have sung,” it ranked first among middle and high school students.

If you’ve actually sung it at a graduation ceremony, it’s a masterpiece that will bring you to tears.

It’s a song you’ll definitely want to sing with your irreplaceable friends and the teachers who supported you!

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Hamada Takuya

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Just the way you areMatsui Takao

Class 1-3: “Just the Way You Are”

It’s a song about everlasting friendship.

It’s often sung in two-part mixed chorus and is easy even for elementary school students to sing.

It’s also comfortable for boys whose voices are changing, so you could say it’s more suitable for the upper grades.

Because it carries a message of parting, it’s sometimes performed at events like farewells for sixth graders.

It’s also a song where you can showcase vocal ability, so if your class is confident in its singing, give it a try!

To the wide worldHashimoto Yoshiji

To the Wide World / Himawari Kids

For an elementary school graduation song, if it’s to be sung at the ceremony, a choral piece is recommended.

This song, “Into the Wide World,” which is actually performed at graduation ceremonies, is perfect for celebrating a new departure.

While the lyrics don’t explicitly use words like “graduation” or “farewell,” they strongly evoke the image of taking a new step forward, making it a song that will surely move you when sung at a graduation.

Even if you sing it only once in your life, it will likely remain in your heart forever.

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utatane

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Shining in my heartHashimoto Yoshiji

[Choral Song] Shining in the Heart / Three-Part Mixed Chorus [With Lyrics]

This is a heartwarming choral piece by Shoji Hashimoto that sings of friendships and memories from school days.

Composed in 1998 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Okayama Prefecture Junior High School Band Federation, the work is characterized by a beautiful melody that incorporates Beethoven’s “Pathétique.” The lyrics express how memories with friends, along with songs and words, continue to shine as treasures of the heart, resonating with the feelings of junior high school students on the verge of graduation.

In the YouTube comments, people share moving experiences from graduation ceremonies and choral festivals, showing how deeply the piece has touched many hearts.

It is a song that brings the importance of friendship and hope for the future to junior high school students who may feel anxious or lonely as they enter a new environment.

Thank you, goodbye.Fukuda Wakako

Thank you, goodbye.

For anyone looking for a song to sing at a graduation ceremony, our top recommendation is “Arigatou Sayounara” (“Thank You, Goodbye”).

It’s a moving song filled with gratitude and farewells to the friends, teachers, and classroom you’ve shared time with.

With many repeated melodies, it’s easy for elementary school students to learn.

Even sung in a single part without splitting into sections like a mixed chorus, it still has great impact—so why not choose it for your graduation ceremony?

JourneyFuji Kaze

Fujii Kaze – Tabiji (Official Video)

A flumpool number that lets you feel the proof of a solid bond with friends.

It was created as the set piece for the Junior High School Division of the NHK National School Music Competition and was also broadcast on NHK Minna no Uta.

The invisible “bond” between friends transforms into tangible “proof” through shared experiences of all kinds.

Not only the fun times but even the clashes all become proof of that bond, and that proof helps us find hope for the future.

This is a song filled with gratitude to the friends who gave us the light to live the life ahead.