A Place Like Home (A Holiday Wish): Bells: Choral SoundPax
Words and music by Sally K. Albrecht and Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PC-0001360_B
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Description
During the holidays, each of us yearns to have family and friends by our side. For those who can't be with us, we sing this special heartfelt song to encourage them to "find a place that feels like home." Dedicated to a special choir at Camp Lejeune, NC. Includes parts for flute, oboe, clarinet, alto sax., French horn/opt. tenor sax., trombone, and rhythm.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, A Place Like Home (A Holiday Wish): Bells: Choral SoundPax comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
26
SKU:
00-PC-0001360_B
Instrumentation:
SoundPax
More about this title
About the Composer: Sally K. Albrecht
Sally K. Albrecht has shaped American choral music for decades as a composer, conductor, and clinician with a particular gift for integrating movement into ensemble performance. Since 1987, she has received consecutive ASCAP Special Music Awards and maintains over 600 published choral works alongside 75 songbooks and musicals. Her career in music education spans from conducting honor choirs at prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center to leading the school choral and vocal publications departments at major educational publishers, most recently Alfred Music.
Albrecht holds degrees from Rollins College (B.A. in Music and Theater, 1976), the University of Miami (M.A. in Drama, 1977; M.M. in Accompanying, 1979), and has taught at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College. Recognized with the Distinguished Alumna Award from both the University of Miami Frost School of Music and Rollins College in 2021, she also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society. She and composer/arranger Jay Althouse reside in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Why we love this
Albrecht and Althouse craft a song that speaks directly to the emotional reality of holiday separation, making it especially meaningful for choirs with military or deployed members. The SoundPax format provides professional instrumental support across seven instruments without requiring your ensemble to manage individual parts, and the heartfelt message transforms a seasonal performance into a gesture of genuine connection.
What to expect
Warmth mixed with longing. The song carries the tenderness of a message sent across distance, inviting listeners into a moment of collective hope and reassurance. The orchestral support wraps the vocal line in comfort while keeping focus on the earnest wish at the song's center.
Who it's for
Choirs ranging from intermediate to advanced levels who want to program something emotionally resonant during the holiday season, particularly ensembles serving military communities or any group addressing the theme of distance from loved ones. This works for high school choirs, adult community choirs, and college vocal ensembles seeking a contemporary secular piece with genuine heart.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the choir's blend against the recorded accompaniment by doing a full mix rehearsal with playback at performance volume; the woodwind and brass parts should enhance rather than cover your ensemble's voice.
- Shape the emotional arc through dynamic control and phrasing rather than tempo changes; let the lyrical content guide your interpretation of climactic moments.
- If you're using the optional instrumental parts live, assign clear section leaders and establish consistent cues with your accompanist to keep singers connected to the larger musical gesture.
How to use it
Feature this in a holiday concert that acknowledges real life alongside festive celebration; it pairs naturally with both traditional seasonal fare and other contemporary pieces about family and connection. The dedication to a specific military community gives it weight as a service to your audience and your singers, making it especially fitting for a concert's closing piece or as the emotional centerpiece of a winter program.
Skills your students will build
- Singing with emotional authenticity and sustained legit phrasing
- Balancing choir sound with recorded instrumental accompaniment
- Interpreting contemporary secular seasonal music with maturity
- Ensemble unity across dynamic and tonal color shifts