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[Choral Songs] Recommended for High School Students! A Comprehensive Showcase from Classics to the Newest J‑Pop

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

The choral performances that move people at events like school festivals and graduation ceremonies.

In this article, we’ve gathered choral pieces recommended for high school students, as well as popular songs that have been arranged for choir.

We’ll introduce a wide range of music across genres—from classic pieces you find in textbooks to the latest J-pop.

In high school, there are often situations where students discuss and choose the repertoire together.

Even for the latest hit songs, you’ll often find published choral arrangements if you look, so don’t feel constrained by the idea that you must choose from a “choral anthology.” Be sure to consider a variety of songs.

[Chorus Songs] Recommended for High School Students! A Comprehensive Guide from Classics to the Newest J‑Pop (71–80)

Words of FarewellKaientai

[Chorus Version] Words of Farewell

Words of FarewellKaientai

A song by Kaientai that is often sung at graduation ceremonies.

It was used as the theme song for “Mr.

Kinpachi in Class 3B,” starring Kaientai’s Tetsuya Takeda, and it continues to be covered and loved by many artists today.

The lyrics carry a final message from teachers to the graduates who are about to spread their wings.

Although Mr.

Kinpachi is set in a junior high school, the meaning of the lyrics becomes easier to understand in high school, allowing students to sing it with even more feeling.

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Someday, these tearsLittle Glee Monster

EMF3-0048 Someday These Tears [Women's 3-Part Chorus]

Someday, these tearsLittle Glee Monster

It’s a Little Glee Monster song that resonates as an anthem cheering on those striving toward their dreams.

The members’ powerful yet delicate vocals blend beautifully, gently embracing the strength to never give up in the face of setbacks and hardships, as well as the profound meaning that tears can hold.

Released in January 2018, the song was chosen as the support song for the 96th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.

It’s a heartwarming encouragement song that stands beside those who, through daily practice and challenges, shed tears yet keep moving forward, and those advancing toward their precious goals.

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ChessboardOfisharu Higedan Dism

N-Con 90 Required Piece “Chessboard” (Junior High School Division) | Kobe City Mixed Chorus

ChessboardOfisharu Higedan Dism

A grand song by Official HIGE DANDism that likens the broad canvas of life to a chessboard.

Created as the set piece for the NHK National School Music Competition’s junior high division, the work pairs gentle piano tones with lyrics that warmly portray how we keep searching for our roles amid the interwoven happiness and sorrow—like a checkerboard pattern.

Released as a digital single in August 2023, it was also featured on NHK’s “Minna no Uta.” For choral performances at school festivals, we recommend singing in a way that layers each person’s feelings while making the most of the harmony between the piano accompaniment and strings.

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Tears Flowing EndlesslyNatsukawa Rimi

Tears Flow Freely [Three-Part Mixed Chorus]

Tears Flowing EndlesslyNatsukawa Rimi

A song with lyrics by Ryoko Moriyama and music by BEGIN.

Because Moriyama wrote the lyrics while thinking of her brother who passed away at a young age, it came to be sung often as a farewell song at events like graduation ceremonies.

The title “Nada Soso” is Okinawan dialect meaning “tears falling in streams.” It’s a song that expresses the complex feeling of thinking of someone dear while shedding tears—I’d love to see high school students take on this challenge!

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ShichirigahamaDan Ikuma

Shichirigahama (Shichirihama) (Lyrics by Kitaro Nishida, Music by Ikuma Dan) – Conductor: Chen Yun-Hong, Performance: Taipei Chamber Choir

ShichirigahamaDan Ikuma

Ikuma Dan’s “Shichirigahama” is a moving choral work in which poetry and music are exquisitely fused.

Based on a poem by Kitaro Nishida, the lyrics symbolically express the relationship between nature and humanity and a sense of impermanence, alongside evocative depictions of the beautiful scenery of Shichirigahama.

The SATB choral harmonies are quiet yet powerful, and the piece fully showcases Dan’s style, which elevates the beauty of the words through musical refinement.

It has also been selected as a set piece for the 2024 All-Japan Choral Competition.

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contrailArai Yumi

contrail

contrailArai Yumi

When it comes to Yumi Matsutoya’s classic songs that are also popular as choral pieces, the 1973 release Hikoukigumo (Voyage) surely comes to mind.

It was a hit when it first came out and later became the theme song for Studio Ghibli’s film The Wind Rises, making it a beloved track across generations.

Choral arrangements have been published in various versions by many different publishers.

Matsutoya’s signature simple, wistful melody suits choral music perfectly.

Try finding a choral arrangement you like and give it a go!

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Promise of SunflowersHata Motohiro

Hata Motohiro - Promise of a Sunflower (choral/chorus version)

Promise of SunflowersHata Motohiro

A song that’s becoming a new choral standard is “Himawari no Yakusoku” sung by Motohiro Hata.

Since it was a huge hit as the theme song for the animated film “STAND BY ME Doraemon,” many of you may already know it.

Its lyrics, filled with words that evoke a sense of setting off on a journey and feelings of gratitude, make it a popular choice for graduation ceremonies and thank-you gatherings.

On his official website, Hata has called on people to perform the song as a chorus to commemorate special memories with loved ones, and a music video using the submitted footage has been produced and released.

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