Anything Goes! (A '20s Medley): SATB Choral Octavo

Imagine stepping into a speakeasy full of energy and a touch of humor. The melodies sparkle with period flavor, and the moderate voicing stays tight and singable while the arrangement bounces along. This is the sound of your choir letting loose and enjoying the material.

This arrangement works for high school choirs ready to move beyond straight-ahead singing and middle school ensembles with solid fundamental skills and appetite for staging. It's equally at home in a pop choral concert, a spring pops show, or a cabaret-style evening where fun and flash matter as much as vocal refinement.

• Lean into the rhythmic precision of the era. These melodies thrive on crisp articulation and snappy syllable clarity; resist the urge to over-legit the phrasing.
• If staging, establish clear sight lines between your choreography and the conductor. The recorded accompaniment (when used) helps lock the timing, but your singers still need to track you visually.
• Balance the melody line across voice parts as the arrangement passes themes between sections. No single part should overshadow the others; the medley effect depends on smooth handoffs.
• Use dynamic contrast between songs to maintain momentum. The medley can blur together if every section sits at the same volume; a small dip or lift signals the listener that something fresh is coming.

Program this as a show-stopper in the second half of a concert, when audiences are warmed up and ready for spectacle. It pairs well alongside other lighter fare or as a palette-cleanser between heavier choral works. The built-in movement potential also makes it a natural fit for spring concerts, pops nights, or end-of-year celebrations where your ensemble can show off personality beyond the music.

• Stylistic awareness of 1920s vocal idioms and jazz phrasing
• Coordination of choreography with ensemble singing and conductor direction
• Balancing melody and accompaniment across SATB voicing in a medley format
• Rhythmic precision and articulation in up-tempo ensemble passages
• Ensemble cohesion across multiple song transitions