Get your audience clapping along with Jingle Jam---a joyful, high-energy holiday medley featuring "Up On The Housetop", "Deck The Halls", "The Twelve Days Of Christmas", "O Tannenbaum", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "Jingle Bells"! With its infectious spirit, engaging parts for every section, and just the right touch of sleigh bells, Jingle Jam is the perfect finale for your next holiday concert.
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Evan VanDoren has built a reputation for writing string arrangements that balance accessibility with genuine musicality. His work in the Developing Strings series demonstrates a clear understanding of what young orchestras need: parts that sit well under the fingers, textures that showcase every section, and melodies that singers and audiences recognize immediately.
Why we love this
VanDoren resists the urge to overcomplicate a medley. Instead, he lets each tune breathe, layering the familiar melodies in ways that feel fresh without demanding technical fireworks from your players. The inclusion of sleigh bells gives you a built-in crowd element without turning the arrangement into a percussion feature.
What to expect
Pure festive momentum. The piece tumbles forward through recognizable holiday territory, each melody arriving with just enough orchestral color to feel celebratory without veering into arrangement excess. By the time sleigh bells enter near the end, the energy is infectious enough to pull an audience into active participation.
Who it's for
String orchestras at the intermediate level who want a concert closer with immediate appeal. This arrangement works equally well for directors seeking their players' first experience with holiday pops and those who want something more polished than typical school-made medleys.
How to get the most out of it
Keep the tempo buoyant throughout. These tunes thrive on rhythmic lift, so resist the pull toward sluggishness even when younger players need breathing room.
Assign the sleigh bell part to someone who can execute clean, rhythmic entries. A muddled shimmer at the finale undermines everything that comes before.
Balance the melodic lines between violin sections carefully. When two familiar tunes overlap or answer each other, clarity comes from matching articulation and tone color across parts.
Work the transition passages separately in rehearsal. The connective tissue between medley movements is where energy either builds or stalls.
How to use it
Reserve this for your final holiday concert selection. The energy and familiarity make it an ideal bridge between your concert program and any community singalong or reception that follows. Alternatively, it works beautifully as a winter assembly opener.
Skills your students will build
Maintaining ensemble tempo through multiple key areas and melodic transitions
Blending familiar melodies when parts play simultaneously or in succession
Responding to shifts in texture and energy within a single continuous form
Sustaining rhythmic precision during fast, energetic passages
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