One Voice Arizona

Connecting Communities through Singing

One Voice Arizona graphicWhat is the initiative?

To teach as many Arizonans, in as many venues as possible, two pieces of sung music each year in a six-year rotation for the purpose of creating a common body of music that people can sing together in either an organized or spontaneous fashion in public venues.

What is the repertoire and where do we find it?

Each year features one short easy piece, that could be teachable by rote, and one longer, but still accessible, piece that could be sung in a variety of voicings and might be better suited to concert programming.  The selections are intended either to have a universal appeal or to represent a specific segment of our Arizona population.

Year One (2017-2018)

  • Lift Every Voice and Sing
  • This Land is Your Land

Year Two (2018-2019)

Year Three (2019-2020)

Year Four (2020-2021)

Year Five (2021-2022)

  • You are My Sunshine
  • O When the Saints

Year Six (2022-2023)

  • Helleluyan
  • My Country ‘Tis of Thee

How do we get it?

For the 2020-2021 titles, simply click on the links above and download them for free. Copy as many as you need – they are in the public domain so they are free and legal. For other options and more information, clink on the “notes” links.

For past titles:

For 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 titles, simply click on the links above and download them for free. Copy as many as you need – they are in the public domain so they are legal and free. For other options and more information, click on the “notes” links.

Lift Every Voice and Sing

Order copies from your favorite music distributor:
Lift Every Voice and Sing by James W. Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson, SATB with piano, Hal Leonard, HL00007740 ($2.25 each)

This Land is Your Land

This title is not public domain. Please request copies from and they can be sent to you.

For future titles:

Information will be available here and will be presented at the AzACDA Summer Conference. If you can’t attend the conference, check in here mid-July to find out how to get your free copies!

How is the music taught and shared?

All teachers and conductors are encouraged to teach one or both pieces to all of their students/singers for use in the classroom, in public concerts, in worship or in outreach performances as appropriate and preferably with all or part of it from memory (for example the first verse or a refrain).  Teachers/conductors are asked to consider including outreach opportunities for underserved populations, including at schools in lower socio-economic areas and for Boys and Girls Clubs, after school programs, etc.  Teachers and conductors also are encouraged to teach one or both pieces TO the audiences for which they sing, and invite them to sing the pieces WITH them in whatever creative way they might devise (with the choir standing around the audience for example, on the refrain only, or on a final verse, for example).  Festival, regional choir and event organizers are encouraged to include one or both pieces each year in their programs, including for massed events on which all of the groups could sing one or both of them together to open or close the event.

Why are we doing this?

  • To get people singing again, and singing together
  • To connect diverse and divided communities
  • To provide meaningful musical experiences for underserved populations in our state
  • To reverse the effects of the elimination of public communal singing opportunities
    (for example, singing the national anthem at athletic events)

Who is this for?

Everyone

How can I be involved?

  • Find and like the One Voice Arizona Facebook page and keep checking in there as well as at azacda.org for more information.
  • Determine how you can use the two pieces for this year in as many ways and with as many singers as possible; get your music; teach your pieces!
  • Look for opportunities to share the pieces not only with your singers, but with your audiences (for concerts, for feeder schools, etc.) and as massed choir selections, and any other ways you can think to do so!
  • Seek out underserved musical communities for outreach performances – Boys and Girls Clubs, after school programs, at-risk youth programs, nursing homes, etc.
  • Seek out opportunities to sing them with other groups who are participating or just find opportunities to sing them in public and encourage others to join in.

Share your stories, recordings and videos in our Facebook group to connect our communities and inspire others!