Ain't-a That Good, Good News! Cover Image

Ain't-a That Good, Good News!: 2-Part Choral Octavo

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Ain't-a That Good, Good News! Cover Image
Ain't-a That Good, Good News!: 2-Part Choral Octavo

Ain't-a That Good, Good News!: 2-Part Choral Octavo

Good News * Swing Low, Sweet Chariot * Ain't-a That Good News!

Traditional Spirituals / arr. Sally K. Albrecht

Item: 00-45381
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Description
Three favorite spirituals are cleverly combined in this mini-medley. Call-and-response arranging makes for memorable interplay between voices, eventually leading to an innovative mash-up. Staging suggestions found on Step One! and at alfred.com/video. Fresh and fun!

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Ain't-a That Good, Good News!: 2-Part Choral Octavo 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: 12
UPC: 038081511214
SKU: 00-45381

More about this title

About the Arranger: Sally K. Albrecht

Sally K. Albrecht

Sally K. Albrecht has shaped American choral music for decades as a composer, conductor, and clinician with a distinctive focus on movement and physicality. Since 1987, she has received the ASCAP Special Music Award annually and maintains over 600 published choral works, ranging from octavos to full-length musicals. She has led honor choirs at major venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center, and spent more than thirty years directing choral and vocal publications for leading educational music publishers, including Alfred Music.

Her educational background spans both music and theater. Albrecht earned a B.A. from Rollins College (Florida) with majors in Music and Theater, followed by an M.A. in Drama and an M.M. in Accompanying from the University of Miami. She has taught at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College. In 2021, she received the Distinguished Alumna Award from both the University of Miami Frost School of Music and Rollins College, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees.

Why we love this

Albrecht's signature style of call-and-response dialogue feels immediately engaging for young singers and audiences alike. The arrangement's mash-up structure keeps the energy high while honoring the spiritual tradition, and the staging suggestions built into the score make production straightforward without requiring elaborate preparation.

What to expect

The piece pulses with joy and conversation. The call-and-response weaving between voices creates a sense of call-and-echo that feels organic to the spiritual tradition while the mash-up ending brings a contemporary twist that lands as fresh rather than forced.

Who it's for

This octavo fits middle school, high school, and community choirs singing at the 2-part level. It works equally well for groups introducing young singers to the spiritual tradition and for established ensembles looking for contest or festival material with accessible but engaging arranging.

How to get the most out of it

  • Emphasize the antiphonal exchanges between the two parts; let each section own its phrases with clarity and presence rather than blending them into a single texture.
  • Experiment with the staging suggestions on the score and in the Alfred video resource to find blocking that energizes the performance without overwhelming your rehearsal timeline.
  • Balance the three spirituals distinctly in character; subtle tempo and dynamic shifts between each section will help audiences hear the medley structure.

How to use it

This works beautifully as a concert closer or festival submission where you want to showcase both traditional literature and creative arranging. It also pairs well on a program featuring African American spirituals or world music, and its compact length (12 pages) makes it ideal for schools building a diverse spring concert.

Skills your students will build

  • Call-and-response singing with rhythmic independence between voice parts
  • Maintaining steady tone while executing rapid part exchanges
  • Connecting spirituals to contemporary performance practice through staging and movement
  • Reading and performing a medley structure with distinct musical characters

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