[For junior high students] Choral songs you’ll want to sing at your middle school graduation ceremony. Songs that touch the heart.

GarnetOku Hanako

Hanako Oku / Garnet (Solo Performance) [Music Video]

A moving ballad that brings to mind scene after scene from student days—the sprinting figures on the field, casual after-school conversations, lines of handwriting in a notebook.

Released in 2006 as Hanako Oku’s fourth single, it reached a wide audience as the theme song for director Mamoru Hosoda’s animated film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

It’s a celebrated classic that also won the Heisei Anime Song Award for Best Film Theme.

In simple words, it conveys both the ache of time slipping away and gratitude for the encounters that made one stronger.

Even if we are separated, those days will never fade.

That message resonates deeply, making it a perfect song for the milestone of a graduation ceremony.

It’s a piece we especially hope junior high school students will sing as they engrave memories with friends in their hearts and take their first steps forward.

The Last ChimeSakushi: Yamamoto Emiko / Sakkyoku: Wakamatsu Kan

The Last Chime (Two-Part Unison) / Lyrics: Emiko Yamamoto / Music: Kan Wakamatsu

This piece is a beloved choral song that’s indispensable for graduation season and has continued to be cherished at many elementary schools! The moment the piano prelude, which mimics chimes, begins to play, memories of school life vividly come back and your heart is sure to swell.

The joy of clearing the vaulting box for the first time, the schoolyard turned pure white with snow, the ordinary days filled with laughter with friends—Keiko Yamamoto’s lyrics depict memories just as elementary school children experienced them.

Composed by Kan Wakamatsu and introduced at the 2004 All-Japan Choral Education Conference, the song has since spread to schools nationwide.

Its range is set so that even boys whose voices are beginning to change can sing it comfortably, making it perfect for an entire grade to sing with feeling.

It’s a moving song that turns farewells with friends into a forward-looking send-off.

Futabaaimyon

Aimyon – Futaba [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

This is a song whose lyrics, inspired by plants budding toward the future, resonate with a mix of bittersweetness and hope that accompanies growth.

Its message—marveling at how our hearts and bodies grow before we even notice, and affirming our parting with our past selves—makes it a perfect fit for the milestone of graduation.

Written by Aimyon in March 2022 as the theme song for NHK’s “Aimyon 18 Festival” and included on her album “Falling Into My Eyes Record,” the piece carries the story of being created together with 1,000 18-year-olds.

It’s sure to give you the courage to leap into the unknown.

Why not choose it as a song to dedicate to children graduating from elementary school and moving on to new environments, or as background music for a send-off?

Song of SpringFujihara Sakura

Sakura Fujiwara – Spring Song (Lyric Video) – 360 Reality Audio

This is a captivating song featuring a melody that evokes the gentle warmth of spring sunshine and a smoky, comforting vocal that sits close to the heart.

While holding anxieties about an unseen tomorrow, the lyrics resolve to take a bold step forward, gently encouraging graduates as they set off into new surroundings.

Included on a single released in March 2017 and used as the theme song for the latter part of the film March Comes in Like a Lion, this piece moved many to tears in theaters.

It’s also featured on the album PLAY, where Spitz’s original classic is reconstructed with Sakura Fujiwara’s uniquely warm expression.

Overlapping with the image of children overcoming the sadness of parting and taking flight with hope, it’s a perfect choice for creating a moving graduation ceremony.

far; distant; by farGReeeeN

"Haruka" Choral Piece / Mixed Three-Part Chorus / Entire (All) - With Full Lyrics - For Part Practice Covered by Singer micah

I recommend GReeeeN’s “Haruka” as a song befitting the important milestone of graduation.

Released in 2009, it also served as the theme song for the film “ROOKIES: Graduation.” Its lyrics, which depict family love and new beginnings, will deeply resonate with middle school graduates as they set out on their journeys.

This song gives listeners the strength to believe in their own paths and take a brave first step.

Sung as a chorus at the ceremony, it will surely become an irreplaceable memory for the students.

ChessboardOfisharu Higedan Dism

Satoshi Fujiwara (Official HIGE DANDism) / Chessboard

Official HIGE DANDism’s “Chessboard” is a song released in 2023, and it was also chosen as the set piece for the junior high school division at the 90th NHK All-Japan School Music Competition.

Its melody feels both nostalgic and fresh, stirring a poignant sense of excitement.

It’s a song that gives dreams and hope to students who are boldly stepping into the future.

The lyrics also resonate with themes of graduation, and imagining the song being used to celebrate a new beginning is truly moving.

“Chessboard” can be described as a piece that further elevates the emotional moments of a graduation ceremony.

Cherry Blossom Rainabuzōbu fiito. hatsune miku

Chorus “Sakura no Ame” All (Full) – with complete lyrics – for part practice, covered by Singer micah

The song “Sakura no Ame,” perfect for junior high school graduation ceremonies, is known for its deeply resonant melody that touches the hearts of graduates.

Born from a collaboration between VOCALOID Hatsune Miku and absorb, halyosy’s lyrics—tinged with sorrow yet filled with hope—strongly encourage students as they take their first steps into the next stage of life.

Since its release, the song has been sung at numerous schools and can truly be called an anthem that speaks for youthful emotions.

By performing “Sakura no Ame,” a piece that symbolizes both beginnings and endings, gratitude for the friends and teachers with whom one has shared time together becomes all the more vivid.