A Brand New Me: Piano Vocal

Jacobson and Emerson craft piano-vocal arrangements that balance accessibility with genuine artistry, avoiding the thin production feel of much contemporary educational material. The 71 pages suggest substantial repertoire suited to varied program needs, whether you're building a solo recital program, supplementing a musical theater unit, or searching for flexible material that works across multiple voice types and accompaniment contexts.

Contemporary yet rooted in solid musical craft. The writing balances singable melodies with thoughtful harmonic movement, creating arrangements that feel fresh without demanding excessive technique or extensive rehearsal time.

Singers preparing solo repertoire, piano teachers accompanying voice students, and choral directors seeking contemporary material to round out concert programming. The collection accommodates developing vocalists through advanced singers working in mixed voice types.

• Work through the accompaniment independently first to establish the harmonic foundation before adding the vocal line; this gives singers a secure harmonic context to navigate any chromatic or jazz-influenced passages.
• Experiment with the intensity of the piano part across different verses or choruses to create dynamic shape without adding extra measures; Jacobson's writing often rewards subtle layering of the accompaniment.
• Address phrase-final breaths and vowel consistency alongside the written dynamics; these arrangements often sit in the vocalist's passaggio and benefit from intentional breath placement.

Integrate individual selections into a mixed recital program to provide contrast against art songs or operatic material, or draw from the collection for supplementary solo showcase performances during your spring concert series. The breadth of the collection makes it ideal for building a diverse audition or competition preparation library.

• Reading lead sheet style notation and jazz-influenced harmonic vocabulary
• Sustaining consistent tone quality across extended phrase lengths
• Coordinating with an accompanist through varied textural density
• Navigating contemporary song forms and stylistic shifts within single pieces