Mary Donnelly grew up in Reno, Nevada, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and French from the University of Nevada, Reno. While still an undergraduate, she founded two children's choruses, a experience that redirected her toward music education. She went on to earn a Master's Degree in Education from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with coursework centered on integrating the arts across disciplines.
Donnelly taught general music and choir in elementary and middle schools throughout the Washoe County School District for three decades before retiring. In 1985, while team-teaching sixth grade music with George Strid, their principal challenged them to compose a musical for Reading Week. That collaboration launched a prolific partnership spanning over two hundred songs and twenty-five stage musicals. She holds memberships in ACDA, NEA, and ASCAP.
Why we love this
Donnelly and Strid have spent decades writing for young singers, and it shows in how naturally this piece sits in the voice. The three-part mixed voicing avoids the unison monotony of easier holiday fare while staying genuinely singable for middle schoolers and younger high schoolers. The arrangement captures seasonal warmth without resorting to oversaturated arrangements.
What to expect
This arrangement captures the genuine joy of the season without sentimentality. The three-part writing creates harmonic warmth while the text setting stays true to natural phrasing, giving singers room to sing with intention rather than struggle.
Who it's for
Directors building holiday concerts with ensembles that include changing voices or mixed age groups will find this accessible and musically substantial. It works equally well in schools where scheduling forces a single concert to serve multiple grade levels.
How to get the most out of it
Balance the three parts so none dominate; middle school singers often push the melody and underweight the inner voices, so rehearse the lower parts with confidence and projection.
Let the text phrasing guide your tempo choices rather than locking into a metronome; holiday music breathes when singers feel the natural speech rhythm underneath the melody.
Record a rough run-through early in rehearsals and play it back to the ensemble; hearing themselves in context helps singers understand how their individual part contributes to the whole sound.
How to use it
Slot this as a standalone choral feature or pair it with another light piece to create a mixed concert segment that appeals to families seeking accessible but well-crafted holiday music. It also works as a solid opener for winter concerts because it settles audiences into the evening while showcasing your singers' ability to handle part-singing.
Skills your students will build
Singing independent lines in three-part texture
Maintaining pitch stability while other parts move
Blending tone across a mixed-voice ensemble
Text expression and natural phrasing in holiday context
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