[For Middle Schoolers] Recommended Classic Songs to Sing at Graduation Ceremonies
Have you already decided on the song to sing at the junior high school graduation ceremony?
When you graduate from junior high, it’s common for classmates to go their separate ways.
While reaching this milestone brings joy, many students also feel the sadness of parting from friends they spent every day with, as well as anxiety about entering a new environment.
In this article, we’ll introduce a selection of graduation songs that resonate with those pre-graduation feelings, including timeless staples and popular tracks.
Use it as a reference to help choose music that will brighten your graduation ceremony!
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[For Middle Schoolers] Classic Recommended Songs to Sing at Graduation (71–80)
GarnetOku Hanako
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.
cherry blossomMoriyama Naotaro
This song, a massive hit in 2003, is a masterpiece that depicts parting and reunion through the beauty and transience of cherry blossoms.
Naotaro Moriyama’s clear vocals and the simple, piano-centered arrangement resonate deeply with listeners.
The lyrics, which liken cherry blossoms scattering at the very moment they are in full bloom to the turning points of life, evoke both the poignancy of a departure and a forward-looking hope.
Chosen as the ending theme for the MBS/TBS program “Sekai Ururun Taizai-ki,” it sold over one million copies.
In 2019, it was revived with a new arrangement as the theme song for the drama “同期のサクラ” (Synchrony’s Sakura), and it continues to be loved across generations.
Sung at a graduation ceremony—one of life’s important milestones—it will etch memories with friends and a resolve for the future even more deeply.
tomorrowSakkyoku: Sugimoto Ryūichi
A classic choral song for graduation, it was released in 1992 as the ending theme for NHK’s “Ikimono Chikyū Kikō” (The Great Nature).
The piece conveys grand dreams and love, and its gentle, beautiful lyrics deeply move those who listen.
Friends who saw each other every day until now will part ways upon graduation.
Yet the time spent together in junior high will become a precious treasure and live on in their memories.
And though there’s a touch of loneliness, it’s an encouraging song that gently pushes each of us to spread our wings toward our own tomorrows.
[For Middle Schoolers] Recommended Classic Songs to Sing at Graduation (81–90)
Cherry Blossom Rainabuzōbu fiito. hatsune miku
Despite being a song by the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku, this piece is remarkably rich and heartfelt.
The piano accompaniment in the intro is instantly dramatic, and once the mixed-gender chorus begins, you’re steadily drawn in by the beauty of the lyrics.
Never underestimate Hatsune Miku—this is a track I want everyone connected with any kind of graduation to hear.
Light of Fireflies
This is a grand yet warm song often heard in various settings, such as at graduation ceremonies, year-end chorus performances, and as background music at closing time.
Based on the Scottish folk tune “Auld Lang Syne,” it has Japanese lyrics that reflect on the passage of time.
Because its message is strong, it lends itself to many approaches—singing with piano accompaniment, layering only voices, and more.
It’s a piece you may want to express with the feeling of carefully tracing the time and memories you’ve shared with your friends.
bondYamazaki Tomoko
This is a work by Tomoko Yamazaki, beloved by many as a choral piece.
It praises the importance of friendship and encounters, the value of the time spent together, and the enduring bonds that remain in our hearts even as we grow up.
The lyrics are memorable for depicting how small events can carry great meaning and how the days we shared become irreplaceable treasures.
Widely embraced both as a song that offers hope to children who have experienced earthquakes and as a standard choral piece sung at elementary and junior high school graduation ceremonies, this work gently encourages students as they take their next step forward.
Best FriendKiroro
Released in 2001 and used as the theme song for the NHK morning drama series “Churasan,” this piece was written by vocalist Tamashiro as an expression of daily gratitude to pianist Kinjo.
While it isn’t a choral work, it could make a fitting graduation song that resonates with junior high school students.
The combination of piano and voice suits the piece well, so having all the graduates sing it with piano accompaniment would look and sound excellent.
Because it’s a familiar song, it’s also recommended when there isn’t much time for practice.
