[Choral Songs] Recommended for cultural and school festivals! Classic choir pieces & the latest popular songs

Bird, to the skyNEW!sakushi: gekidan hitori / sakkyoku: nobunaga takatomi

N-Con 90 Required Piece “Bird, to the Sky” (High School Division) | Kobe City Mixed Chorus

This work, whose sheet music was released in April 2023 as the set piece for the High School Division of the 90th NHK National School Music Competition, features lyrics by the multi-talented Theater Hitoto (Gekidan Hitori) and music by Nobunaga Takatomi, one of Japan’s leading choral composers.

Imagining the students as birds, it depicts in beautiful harmony the scene of them taking flight from the time they spent together toward their respective futures.

Under the theme of “map,” it delivers the sparkle and poignancy of youth straight to the heart—making it perfect for choral performances at graduations and school festivals.

With the rich layering of voices unique to high schoolers, why not let unforgettable memories resound?

ReplayNEW!Lyrics: Takumi Kitamura / Composition: Yoshihiko Nishio・DISH//

“Replay” NHK School Choral Competition 2022, Junior High Division Assigned Piece / Kobe City Mixed Chorus [from the Assigned Pieces Concert 2022 for the Choral Competition]

This work sings of the preciousness of youth that can never be rewound.

The rock band DISH//, fronted by Takumi Kitamura, created it as a set piece for a choral competition.

It’s a message song infused with both a love for time that has passed and the determination to keep facing forward and moving on.

Released as a single in October 2022, it was also selected as one of the songs broadcast on NHK’s music program Minna no Uta from August to September 2022.

For high school students who experience meetings and partings as they climb the steps toward adulthood, it’s a theme that will surely resonate.

It’s a perfect number for situations where you raise your voices together with irreplaceable friends, such as at school festivals or graduation ceremonies.

dawnNEW!Sakushi: Hokkaidō Asahikawa Shōgyō Kōkō Suisōgakubu Heisei 10-nendo Sotsubusei Ichidō / Sakkyoku: Yahata Emi

[NHK Stories] Hokkaido Asahikawa Commercial High School Wind Ensemble, Chorus “Dawn” (2021.03.13 Shari Special Performance)

This is a moving choral piece imbued with gratitude toward teammates fostered through club activities and a resolve for the future.

It stirs the heart with its uplifting progression, depicting growth under the watchful care of mentors and family, like welcoming a new morning.

The lyrics were written collectively by the 1998 graduating members of the Asahikawa Commercial High School Wind Ensemble in Hokkaido, and the music was composed by Emi Yahata.

First performed at the graduation-from-club ceremony in October 1998, it went on to be widely loved and was published in April 2012 as a score with wind ensemble accompaniment.

The work has also been adopted as a title and emblem for NHK-related programs and publications.

It is perfect for singing powerfully with classmates who have deepened their bonds by overcoming hardships, at events such as graduation ceremonies and school festivals.

GiftsNEW!Lyrics: Shiho Ochi / Music: Shiho Ochi, Koichi Tsutaya

Gifts [Iwate University Chorus]

Co-written by Shiho Ochi and Koichi Tsutaya, this is the title track of the single released in October 2018.

It was newly composed as the set piece for the junior high school division of the 85th NHK National School Music Competition and was also featured on NHK’s Minna no Uta.

The song carries a warm message that gently embraces the self-doubt and emotional turbulence of adolescence, encouraging listeners to notice the precious things they already hold within themselves.

It is a piece we especially hope high school students—who often lose confidence by comparing themselves to others—will sing with heartfelt sincerity, as a chance to rediscover the small happinesses of everyday life.

ultramarineSakushi: Minamisōma Shiritsu Ogataka Chūgakkō Heisei Nijūyon Nendo Sotsugyōsei / Oda Miki / Sakkyoku: Nobunaga Takutomi

Gunjou [Mixed Chorus, Four-Part Version]

A moving choral piece that unites the hearts of students separated by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

This gem was created by the 2012–2013 graduating class of Odaka Junior High School in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, together with composer Takafumi Nobunaga.

The work powerfully yet poignantly gives voice to the feelings of students who were forced to live in evacuation.

In August 2013, a CD and score were released by Panamusica, and in August 2014 it was featured on Nippon TV’s “24-Hour Television,” where an inspiring joint performance by Kanjani Eight and the students was showcased.

Centered on themes of recovery from the disaster and the bonds that connect us, this song expresses hope for the future and is perfect for choral performances at school and cultural festivals.

It’s an ideal piece for bringing hearts together across classes and grades, sharing precious feelings through song.

horizonback number

[Chorus] “Horizon” by back number (Mixed 2-Part) by Manamaru × Choir Clubs of Four Junior High Schools in Kasukabe City ‘Moving’

Horizont was written for high school students aiming for the 2020 All Japan High School Athletic Meet.

Created by the rock band back number, known for their popular love-themed songs, this piece features a somewhat nostalgic and warm melody that strikes a chord.

It’s an inspiring message song that cheers on high school students working hard in their clubs and studies.

Why not try singing this beloved band’s song—hugely supported by teens—in a choral arrangement?

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Precious thingssakushi sakkyoku: Yamazaki Tomoko

[Chorus] Important Things (Mixed Three-Part)

This choral piece expresses, through a heartfelt melody and lyrics, the value of friendship and the realization of important things we tend to overlook in everyday life.

Interweaving past memories with the self living in the present, it gently sings of the beauty of time spent together and the bonds between people.

Released in 2006 by Kyoiku Geijutsu Sha, it was also featured as an insert song in the film “School-Live!” and included in junior high school music textbooks.

Widely cherished at graduation ceremonies, choir competitions, and cultural festivals, it is a perfect song for deepening the bonds with the companions you sing with.