by Teresa Jennings

The finale from This Is America, the powerful all-school revue featured in Music K-8 magazine, will also provide a dramatic closer to any performance. It can be performed as unison or 2-part, making this a great song for combining various grades or levels of talent. One of the most distinctive aspects is the repeating section that has members of the choir reciting the names of the 50 states in alphabetical order. The creative teaching notes describe several ways of staging this, including having the singers light a new candle or other light with each new state. This leads to an all-out blockbuster ending guaranteed to bring your audience to its feet. Teachers in schools that have used this song already are telling us just how memorable it can be for everyone involved. (from Music K-8, Vol. 13, No. 3)

This kit is available in electronic format, for download to your computer. These files are quite large and may take a long time to download. Users with a dial-up modem will have difficulty: A high-speed Internet connection is highly recommended. When you expand the compressed file, it will include two MP3s (one full-performance and one accompaniment only version) and a printable PDF of the written music. Questions? Visit the Download Help page (opens in a new window)

The Convenience Combo Kit includes both the Kit with CD and the Downloadable Kit.

Sound clips are available on MusicK8.com