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[Choral Music] Recommended for Middle Schoolers! A Collection of Moving Choral Works & Choral Arrangements

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.

In junior high school, there are many opportunities to perform choral pieces as a class or grade.

Music classes, choir competitions, school events like entrance and graduation ceremonies, and more.

In particular, it seems that more schools are putting effort into choir competitions.

However, when you want to “deliver a highly polished performance” or “choose songs that will stand out without overlapping with other classes,” selecting the repertoire can be difficult, and many teachers likely struggle with it every year.

In this article, we’ve picked out recommended choral pieces for junior high school students.

From classics to hidden gems, we’ll introduce moving works along with videos—please use them as a reference!

[Choral Music] Recommended for Junior High Students! A Collection of Moving Choral Works & Choral Arrangements (21–30)

ChessboardFujiwara Satoshi

Satoshi Fujiwara (Official HIGE DANDism) / Chessboard

ChessboardFujiwara Satoshi

“Chessboard” is a song about the diversity of life and the importance of the choices we make within it.

Released in August 2023, the track was written and composed by Satoshi Fujihara of Official HIGE DANDism and was selected as the required piece for the Junior High School Division of the 90th NHK All-Japan School Choir Competition.

In a checkerboard-patterned world where happiness and sorrow intersect, the song asks what role we each will play.

It carries the message that both failures and successes are preparations for the future, and that a day will come when past events take on new color.

Featuring Fujihara’s signature pop-rock and piano-driven band sound, it’s a piece that junior high school choirs are encouraged to take on.

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Unchanging ThingsYamazaki Tomoko

Chorus of Unchanging Things

Unchanging ThingsYamazaki Tomoko

Tomoko Yamazaki’s “Kawaranai Mono” (“Things That Don’t Change”) is a highly recommended choral piece that resonates with middle school students.

It’s perfect for farewells such as graduation and teacher reassignment ceremonies, with a simple, beautiful melody that deeply touches the heart.

The lyrics celebrate bonds with irreplaceable friends, family, and beloved teachers, and while looking back on school days, they also convey a hopeful sense of taking flight toward the future.

Released in February 2011, the song features the appeal of a beautiful three-part harmony.

Though set at a relaxed tempo, its dynamic contrasts give the piece structure and shape, resulting in a moving song that truly speaks to listeners.

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To You — A Message for Your DepartureMasako Doi

[With lyrics, high-quality audio] 'To You — A Message for Your Departure' Chorus

To You — A Message for Your Departure Masako Doi

Composed and written by Masako Tsutsui and released in 2006, this choral piece is included in the mixed-voice choral suite “Goddess of Time (Venus).” The musical character incorporates elements of pop, featuring an accessible, familiar melody.

The lyrics weave in many commonly taught lessons, and it’s a song that can move you as you sing.

While it seems challenging, the more you practice, the more fulfilling it likely becomes.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Somewhere on this EarthSakushi: Miura Keiko, Sakkyoku: Wakamatsu Kan

[Chorus] Somewhere on This Earth (with lyrics)

Somewhere on this EarthSakushi: Miura Keiko, Sakkyoku: Wakamatsu Kan

“Somewhere on This Earth” is a moving choral piece that sings of ourselves and our friends as we change, and of the bonds of the heart that remain unchanged.

The lyrics carry a hopeful message that we are connected even when we are apart, making it a very fitting song for elementary and middle school graduation ceremonies.

Keiko Miura’s gentle words are warm and approachable, and Kan Wakamatsu’s beautiful melodic lines resonate deeply.

Since its release in 1998, this song has been loved for many years—why not sing it with gratitude for someone dear to you?

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

Gunjou [Mixed Chorus, Four-Part Version]

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

Watch “ultramarineSakushi: Minamisōma Municipal Ogataka Junior High School Heisei 24th Year Graduates / Miki Oda / Composer: Takutomi Nobunaga” on YouTube

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

It was created by the 2012 graduates of Odaka Junior High School in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, together with the composer Takafumi Nobunaga.

Centered on the feelings of students forced to live as evacuees, and on the themes of recovery from the disaster and the bonds between people, this work sings of hope for the future and is perfect for choral performances at cultural and school festivals.

It’s an ideal song for bringing hearts together across classes and grades, sharing cherished feelings through voices joined in song.

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Precious thingsYamazaki Tomoko

[Chorus] Important Things (Mixed Three-Part)

Precious thingsYamazaki Tomoko

This choral piece, with lyrics and music by Tomoko Yamazaki, is notable for its soothing melody.

The lyrics, which evoke a look back on cherished memories, have made it popular not only for competitions but also as a graduation song.

Carried by a gentle tune, it sings of the enduring bonds with friends who remain unforgettable even when far apart, inviting listeners to reflect on the importance of friendship.

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Letter ~Dear fifteen-year-old you~Anjura Aki

Letter ~Dear You at Fifteen~ Eng sub (Have a Song on Your Lips)

Letter ~Dear fifteen-year-old you~Anjura Aki

A song that is becoming a new staple of choral music is Angela Aki’s “Tegami: Haikei Jūgo no Kimi e” (“Letter: To My Fifteen-Year-Old Self”).

It was written as the set piece for the junior high division of the 2008 NHK All-Japan School Music Competition, and has continued to be sung at elementary and junior high school graduation ceremonies even after the competition.

NHK also aired a documentary featuring Angela Aki’s interactions with the junior high students who performed the song at the choral contest, and in 2015 it was adapted into a film starring Yui Aragaki.

Known for its powerful, message-driven lyrics, it’s a song you’ll want to sing while savoring every word.

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