"I ask for one day where I don't have to hear about pain, or life that's lost, I ask for one day where whispers of hope are alive inside my heart." These words, written by 5th graders in a writing workshop,

"Give us hope and we'll show you the way." This popular piece is celebrating its 20th anniversary with this edition. Identical in each voicing to the original editions - but now, more of the royalties are

With a powerful pop/gospel feel, this work captures the hopes and wishes of young people's thoughts on how to improve the world. Written in a youth song writing workshop, the idea of "rising as a people" is

"Every time I try to make a difference in the world, I wonder if I'm on. Tell me I am not alone." Upbeat, and able to be performed in a contemporary a cappella style or with the notated piano accompaniment,

The Foundation for Small Voices advocates for school music programs in many ways. Proceeds from sheet music sales of this piece by co-founder Jim Papoulis go directly to the Music Changes the World project.

Full of life and energy, this work in Spanish and English expresses the plea of Mexican children to the rest of the world to listen to their cry for help. The percussion and bass parts (included in the

The essence of this work, in a world of conflict and violence, is the need for a deep understanding that peace can come from all of us. After the opening phrase, "Look in the eyes of the children, feel the

Kuwa Furaha is a song about joy. More specifically, it is about the simple and beautiful way that children have of showing and expressing their joy. Jim Papoulis is well known for his world music

Born out of virtual songwriting conferences with students held during the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, this set of three songs expresses the students' words and thoughts as they struggled to

The upbeat multicultural feel of this piece combines great vocal lines and choral writing, modern driving rhythmic ideas, and a great message about uniting together on a collective "journey of hope." The

"When I close my eyes then I can see that I am not afraid." This song of confidence and hope for young voices resonates with positive lyrics, a strong melody and an expressive accompaniment for piano and

Beautifully melodic, with a great beat and a great message, this "world music" piece has a text in Swahili which translates as, "We have a right." Imbakwa was written for the score of a film about

"Eneza upendo uendako, umoja ni upendo" translates to "Spread love everywhere you go, unity is love." This piece celebrates the hopeful sentiments of unity and love through both Swahili and English lyrics

For SA voices with divisi, this inspiring selection uses percussion to simulate a heartbeat and from that bringing forth a simple idea - that reaching even just one heart can be a very powerful gesture.

With Gnothi Safton, composer Jim Papoulis raises the profile of Boomwhackers out of the elementary classroom and onto the concert stage. Including an original inspirational text that urges young

Written in a songwriting workshop, here is a song of multifaceted hopes. "I wanna believe in beauty, I wanna be seen in darkness, I wanna be heard in chaos." Composed in the world music style that has

Young people are almost always full of hope and energy; this work takes those traits and focuses them on the importance of young people cherishing our planet in a socially responsive way. With pop, rock,

There is a desire among children from all countries and all walks of life to be aware and listen carefully to those around us and who are different than us. This song, commissioned by the International

Kindergartners cut to the essence of music when they asked the composer to write "Simplicity, beauty, love, and music" as the message they want to convey to the world. Here is a poignant song for your

Middle school can be a difficult time in the life of a student, often filled with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. The composer explored this topic with middle school students in a songwriting

Nature not only inspires us but encourages us in this groovy tune. Plaintive text, directly from the imaginations of kids, is partnered with laid-back piano and drum parts in this cheerful and

The essence of this piece gives reverence to the message that music is universal; as a language, as an art and as a part of who we are. "From a distance we sing, music is universal. We sing for joy, we live

With a text geared toward upholding the idea that we are able to find and experience peace and joy within the context of our world, this inspirational original song is rhythmic, engaging, and full of love.