A Lot Of Livin' To Do: SATB Choral Octavo

Ed Lojeski's SATB arrangement captures the infectious optimism of this Bye Bye Birdie showstopper without oversimplifying the harmonic language. The arrangement sits comfortably for mixed choirs while preserving enough musical substance that singers feel they're performing something real, not a diluted version of a classic.

Bright, optimistic, and propulsive. The song radiates the kind of youthful exuberance that made Bye Bye Birdie such a phenomenon in 1960, with musical language that sits somewhere between pop sensibility and genuine compositional craft. There's a lightness here, but never shallowness.

Concert choirs seeking Broadway repertoire that audiences recognize instantly and singers enjoy rehearsing. The SATB voicing works for upper secondary through community ensemble levels, provided your singers have basic musicianship and comfort with jazz inflections.

• Keep the energy forward and conversational through the verse sections; this song lives or dies on its rhythmic vitality and the feeling that the singers are genuinely excited about life.
• Balance the lead line carefully between soprano and tenor passages so the melody never disappears into the chord structure.
• Lock in the rhythmic figures in the accompaniment parts (particularly in the piano) so that the swing and lift of the original Broadway recording comes through.

Program this as a closing number for a spring concert or as part of a Broadway-themed pops set. Its sheer infectiousness makes it an excellent audience engagement piece, and the 11-page length means it won't overextend rehearsal time while still delivering major impact.

• Rhythmic flexibility and swing feel
• Navigating jazz-inflected harmonic language
• Sustained vocal energy across a full-length song
• Blend and balance in four-part texture with an active accompaniment