The Music of Richard E. McKee (Cosmic Possum Publishing)
By Emily Crowe Sobotko, Elementary Choir R&R Chair for ACDA Eastern Region
I was first introduced to the music of Richard E. McKee at the ACDA Children’s Choir Conference in Atlanta, GA in January 2020 during a reading session and was immediately inspired to take his music into my classroom! My elementary choirs at the Brooklyn New School fell in love with each piece of McKee’s music that I would share with them. Here are a few of the many reasons why you should dive into the repertoire of this composer for your elementary choirs:
- Lots of unison pieces that can be taught at various levels of reading – great to teach in your elementary classroom or in an elementary choir setting
- Strong melodic writing that fits within elementary vocal ranges
- Text that captivates young people’s curiosities
- Great options for teaching part-singing with through descants and canon
- Great accompaniment and optional Orff arrangement options!
While you should dive into his entire catalog for your schools and choirs, here are three of my favorites that are great additions to any holiday or winter program.
Dash Away – A lovely piece set in 6/8, giving your singers a lot of rhythmic motion. I love this unison melody for singers of all ages. Teachers can take elements from the Orff arrangement to create a simple piano accompaniment. My students loved exploring the fuller Orff arrangement with the borduns and color parts.
Dust of Snow – A nice canon set to the poetry of Robert Frost. This piece will challenge your singers to annunciate to really paint the text!
Moonlight on Snow – My singers ask me every year if we’re going to sing this piece again. This is a fantastic piece with an optional descant and Orff arrangement. The transitions between the minor and major themes give you a lot to teach!