Whether you've been teaching voice lessons a short while or a long while, you've probably run into this conundrum with students from about age 7 to 11-- finding rep that they will get EXCITED about singing, especially musical theatre rep! You've probably run into at least one of these scenarios:

• You have a new student who wants to get into musical theatre, but doesn't know any musicals yet.
• You're trying to find new rep for a student, but none of the age-appropriate theatre classics are doing it for them.
• You have a student who loves musicals, but tends to like songs and shows that are not age-appropriate.

The good news is I have done the hard work for you and I'm going to share some awesome picks with you to use in your own studio! Over the years I've worked with a lot of young singers and I have a pretty good read on the kinds of theatre songs they go nuts over. 

Admittedly, about half of this list is songs from movie musicals-- I do find movie musicals to be more accessible to kids who are not familiar with the theatre world yet (movie musicals are basically “gateway musicals” anyways… muahahaha!!).

“If Only” from Descendants

Style: Dramatic Ballad    Genre: Contemporary Musical, Pop     Range: G3 - D5

If you're unfamiliar, Descendants is a Disney Channel film franchise about the kids of famous Disney villains, and the four films are jam-packed with original pop songs and covers (of pop songs and Disney classics). There's no shortage of songs girls this age would love, but I chose “If Only” for this list because it's a great way to get them to engage with emotion and dynamics without an overly challenging melody or range. I love this one for students who love pop but tend to pull up their chest voice in an unhealthy way, as a means of helping them learn to relax their vocal mechanism!

“A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into” from Be More Chill

Style: Uptempo        Genre:  Rock, Pop-Rock        Range: Ab3 - Bb4

Okay… so this one is not from an age-appropriate musical, but the song itself is perfectly fine for a younger singer and lots of fun! The melody is not overly challenging and the range isn't huge, which can be hard to find in musical theatre songs, but it's a good workout in breath control. I love this one for working on characterization as well, and it's tons of fun for kids to channel the giddy school crush vibes!

“Set It All Free” from Sing

Style: Uptempo        Genre:  Rock, Pop-Rock        Range: Gb3 - Bb4

Sing came out in 2016, but the music is as popular as ever with kids this age! I absolutely love this song for shy singers who want to work on singing out. It's so empowering, but doesn't present a huge vocal challenge for most singers. Kids love to rock out to this one!

“What It Means to Be a Friend” from 13 

Style: Dramatic Ballad       Genre:  Contemp. Musical Theatre       Range: A3 - D5

Like a lot of Jason Robert Brown's music, this song is a bit of a challenge and probably one of the more difficult songs on this list for a young beginner. It has an edginess that kids like without being inappropriate or awkward. That being said, I would not pick this for a beginner unless they really loved it.

“Coming Out of the Dark” from Monster High: The Movie

Style: Downtempo Pop      Genre:  Dark Pop      Range: B3 - B4

The Monster High movie is another recent one that girls this age love! This song is not technically a solo, but it's very easy to work it into one. “Coming Out of the Dark” is a great dark pop tune that can help shy students learn to sing out, with a melody that's easy to learn and a really approachable range.

“A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman

Style: Dramatic Ballad       Genre:  Contemp. Musical Theatre, Pop      Range: E3 - C5

This one is also not a solo, but it's easy to rework, and P!nk thankfully already did the work in her rendition for The Greatest Showman: Reimagined! Kids love the pop stylings of Pasek and Paul, and especially the inspirational, uplifting qualities of the music from The Greatest Showman. “A Million Dreams” is a great way to work on dynamics and emotion, as well as longer phrases and breath control.

“How Far I'll Go” from Moana

Style: Dramatic Ballad       Genre:  Contemp. Musical Theatre, Pop      Range: B3 - D5

I'm a 90's baby and I LOVE most of the Disney classics, but a lot of kids now are shockingly unfamiliar with some of the best Disney princess tunes! The music from Moana is more recent and familiar to them, and they love the pop elements Lin-Manuel Miranda brings in. “How Far I'll Go” is a great Disney “I want” song that young girls love and has an easy enough melody to catch on to. I have found it to be a great way to work on diction and breath control.

“Dead Mom” from Beetlejuice

Style: Dramatic Uptempo      Genre:  Contemp. Musical Theatre, Pop-Rock, Goth      Range: Ab3 - Eb5

Like the BMC pick, this one comes from a less-than-child-friendly musical, but kids that like edgy and/or spooky stuff will love this song! Some kids with theatre experience may be familiar with it from Beetlejuice Jr., which has an abridged version. “Dead Mom” is one of the more challenging songs on the list, with a big mood and tempo shift at the bridge. A fair amount of vocal stamina is required too, but kids who love this style will get excited about working on this piece!

I hope at least one of these will be a perfect match for your discerning young voice students! 

Kylie Briggs is a music teacher offering lessons in voice, piano, composition and songwriting in Eugene, OR.