The best graduation songs to sing look forward and say thank you, and they're easy enough to sing on an emotional day. For a solo, "The Climb", "I Hope You Dance" and "For Good" are favourites; for the whole class, "Lean on Me", "Count on Me" and "Don't Stop Believin'" are songs everyone already knows. Below are songs for each kind of graduation, farewell songs, and how to set the key and practise. If you'd like to hear a song in your own voice before the ceremony, Tera Studio makes your first 2 songs free: try it with your voice.
Key takeaways
- Choose a song about what comes next, or a thank-you, rather than a breakup song that happens to say goodbye.
- Songs with a big final chorus need a key that leaves room at the top: nerves take the high notes first.
- Whole-class songs work best when everyone already knows the chorus.
- Our free key changer moves a song up or down by up to 6 semitones without changing its speed.
Graduation songs to sing as a solo
| Song | Recorded by | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| "The Climb" | Miley Cyrus | About the journey rather than the finish line; the last chorus builds |
| "I Hope You Dance" | Lee Ann Womack | A gentle wish for the future, at an easy, steady pace |
| "Unwritten" | Natasha Bedingfield | Upbeat, and about a story that's just beginning |
| "A Million Dreams" | from The Greatest Showman | Starts quietly and grows; good for a strong young voice |
| "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" | Green Day | Simple, with just a guitar, and a long-time graduation favourite |
Duets
"For Good" from Wicked is written for two friends saying goodbye and suits two voices that can share a melody. "Count on Me" (Bruno Mars) is light and easy for two singers to share.
Songs for the whole class to sing
"Lean on Me" (Bill Withers), "Count on Me" (Bruno Mars), "Don't Stop Believin'" (Journey), "Graduation (Friends Forever)" (Vitamin C) and "See You Again" (Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth; the sung chorus is the part everyone knows). Hand out the words a week ahead, and pick a key for the middle of the group: one that suits the strongest singer is too high for everyone else.
Kindergarten and primary school graduation songs
"You've Got a Friend in Me" (from Toy Story), "Count on Me", "Lean on Me", "A Million Dreams" and "Happy" (Pharrell Williams). Children's voices don't reach as low as most adult voices, so a song recorded by a man often needs to go up a few semitones for a class of small children.
Farewell songs
For a school farewell party in India, "Yaaron" (KK) and "Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan" (from Yaarana) are long-time favourites. In English, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and "See You Again" are the usual goodbye songs.
How to get ready
- Find your range. Sing a slow "aah" from your lowest to your highest comfortable note in our free vocal range test. It shows your lowest and highest notes and your voice type, and records nothing.
- Set the key. The free key changer raises or lowers a song file by up to 6 semitones, one at a time, keeping the speed the same. No sign-up, and the file never leaves your phone. Guide: change a song's key to fit your voice.
- Make a backing track. The karaoke maker takes the singer out of a song in about 2 minutes, free with a free account (3 songs a day), so you can practise over the music in your key.
- Learn the fast parts slowly. The free tempo changer slows a song without changing its key; start at 0.8× and work up to full speed.
- Warm up on the day. A few minutes of vocal warm-ups before the ceremony, away from the crowd.
Hear it in your own voice first
Not sure which song suits you? Tera Studio sings the whole song in your own voice, over the original music, from about a minute of your singing (2 minutes sounds more like you), so you can compare two songs in your voice before you choose. Use a recording you have permission to transform, with one clear lead singer. A song in your voice also makes a keepsake for a teacher or a classmate who's moving away.
Record your minute somewhere quiet. In October 2026, of 22 rated Tera Studio songs whose voice was recorded over steady background noise (a fan, air conditioning or traffic), 21 were rated Needs work.
Current price and limits
Every new account can make and hear 2 whole songs free, once per account, each up to 4 minutes, with no card. Downloads need a paid plan. Starter is $8.99 a month for 30 finished minutes (about 7 songs) and Creator is $19.99 a month for 90 minutes, or $89.99 and $189.99 paid yearly. Both include WAV and song-card video downloads, one guided correction per song and free re-downloads. Minutes refresh monthly without rollover, and they come back if a song fails on our side. Prices show in your currency where available; pricing and Stripe checkout confirm the total before you pay. See the refund policy.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good song to sing at graduation? For a solo, "The Climb", "I Hope You Dance" or "Unwritten": they look forward, and they're not too hard to sing on an emotional day. For a duet, "For Good" from Wicked.
What songs can a whole class sing at graduation? Songs everyone already knows: "Lean on Me", "Count on Me" and "Don't Stop Believin'". Choose a key that suits the middle of the group.
What songs are good for a kindergarten graduation? "You've Got a Friend in Me", "Count on Me" and "Happy" are short, cheerful and easy to learn. Raise the key if the song was recorded by a man.
What is the most famous graduation song? "Pomp and Circumstance" is the march most American graduates walk to, but it's played, not sung. Among songs people sing, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and "Graduation (Friends Forever)" are two of the best known.
How do I stop my voice shaking when I sing at graduation? Pick a key a little lower than you think you need, practise over the backing track until you don't need the words, and warm up before you go on. A slow breath out before the first line helps too.