'Twas the Night Before Christmas: Unison / 2-Part Choral Teacher's Handbook

Albrecht and Althouse have crafted a program that honors the beloved poem while creating genuine theatrical moments through music. The mix of original songs ('Christmas Is Coming,' 'Reindeer on the Roof') alongside a familiar classic ('Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies') gives young performers variety and keeps the audience engaged without overwhelming a K-6 cast.

Picture the familiar opening lines of the Moore poem unfolding onstage, then suddenly breaking into an upbeat, modern carol that makes the audience smile. The journey from quiet bedtime calm to Tchaikovsky's swirling waltz to rockin' reindeer creates a dynamic experience that keeps young performers engaged and the audience delighted throughout.

This handbook is designed for elementary music teachers, choir directors, and classroom teachers leading school concerts or holiday assemblies with students in kindergarten through sixth grade. It works equally well for small school choirs and larger all-school performances, and offers reproducible materials that make rehearsal setup straightforward and cost-effective.

• Prepare your staging plan before rehearsals begin. The Teacher's Handbook includes detailed staging notes; review them early so you can block scenes efficiently and help students understand how movement and music work together.
• Balance spoken narration with sung sections by assigning clear narrator roles in advance. This prevents awkward transitions and ensures the story flows naturally for the audience.
• Use recorded accompaniments to support rehearsals, especially in the early weeks. Having consistent instrumental support helps younger singers learn pitches and rhythms more securely.
• Encourage expressive faces and gestures during unison passages. Young performers often focus only on hitting notes; reminding them to embody the character (whether excited reindeer or sleepy children) elevates the entire production.

This works beautifully as a complete holiday concert experience on its own, or as the centerpiece of a longer winter celebration that includes other vocal and instrumental selections. The built-in theatrical framework means minimal additional staging or set design is needed, making it ideal for schools with limited technical resources but ambitious artistic goals.

• Reading unison and simple 2-part harmony
• Connecting sung passages with spoken narration
• Coordinating singing with blocking and stage movement
• Building confidence in ensemble ensemble performance
• Responding to dynamic and expressive cues in varied musical styles