Mary Donnelly grew up in Reno, Nevada, and completed her undergraduate work at the University of Nevada with majors in English and French. While still in college, she founded two children's choruses, an experience that redirected her path toward music education. She earned her Master's Degree in Education from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she focused 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 a sixth-grade general music class with George Strid, their principal challenged them to write a musical for Reading Week. That collaboration launched a prolific partnership that has produced over two hundred songs and twenty-five musicals. She remains active in ACDA, NEA, and ASCAP.
Why we love this
Donnelly and Strid have built their entire career on writing music that works in real classrooms with real students. This piece captures the warmth of a greeting in Swahili while remaining genuinely singable for young mixed voices, avoiding both the oversimplification that insults growing musicians and the complexity that frustrates them. It's the kind of piece that sounds fuller and more accomplished than the difficulty level suggests, which means your students will feel genuinely proud at every rehearsal.
What to expect
Warm and welcoming, like the greeting itself. There's genuine joy in the musical line without being saccharine, and the three-part writing creates a fuller sound than you'd expect from such straightforward voicing. It feels like singing with friends rather than performing at them.
Who it's for
This works beautifully with middle school and early high school mixed choirs, particularly those adding multicultural repertoire to their festival season or spring concert. It's accessible enough for less experienced ensembles yet rewarding enough that stronger groups will appreciate its elegant simplicity.
How to get the most out of it
Establish the syllabic rhythms of the Swahili text before adding melody. Chanting the words as spoken language first helps singers internalize authentic phrasing rather than forcing English-language habits onto unfamiliar syllables.
Balance the three parts by assigning the melody to your strongest singers initially, then gradually shift melody responsibility across sections so all voices feel ownership of the tune.
Let the harmonic simplicity serve the text. Resist the urge to pile on dynamics or interpretive choices; the strength lies in clean ensemble tone and clear vowels that honor the language.
How to use it
Pair this with other world music selections to deepen cultural programming, or use it as the opening number to set a friendly, inclusive tone for your entire concert. It also works well as a closing piece, sending the audience out with genuine warmth. Consider teaching the text pronunciation and meaning to your audience so they understand why a simple greeting becomes such a complete musical statement.
Skills your students will build
Singing authentic Swahili pronunciation and text placement
Balancing three independent vocal lines with equal clarity
Maintaining harmonic blend while carrying individual part integrity
Interpreting simplicity as a compositional strength rather than lack of sophistication
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