Bad Habits (arr. Mark Brymer): 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo

Mark Brymer's arrangement captures the introspective vulnerability of the original while making it genuinely singable for a three-part mixed ensemble. The pop idiom feels fresh in a choral context, and the emotional arc of acknowledging personal shortcomings gives your singers meaningful material to perform with conviction.

Reflective and confessional. The song sits in intimate emotional territory, examining the small ways we hurt the people we care about, with enough musical space for singers to feel the weight of the words rather than simply moving through notes.

High school and college choirs looking to expand beyond traditional repertoire will find this particularly valuable, as will directors programming pop material for contemporary concert settings or pops shows. Singers respond readily to song texts they know and love, and this arrangement makes a legitimate artistic statement rather than serving as mere novelty.

• Honor the conversational tone of the lyric by treating phrase endings with flexibility rather than rhythmic rigidity; this isn't a march, and breath placement should serve the natural cadence of speech.
• Balance the parts so the melody sits clearly without the supporting voices becoming wallpaper; this arrangement likely distributes the hook across the voicing, so each part needs definition.
• Attend to the groove and pocket even in a choral setting; Sheeran's music lives in a relaxed space rhythmically, so pushing the tempo defeats the song's character.

Slot this into a contemporary pop program alongside other modern singer-songwriters, or use it as a counterweight to heavier classical works in a mixed concert where you're aiming for emotional variety. The ten-page length keeps rehearsal time reasonable while delivering maximum programming impact.

• Singing with stylistic authenticity in a pop idiom
• Balancing ensemble clarity with melodic focus
• Interpreting lyrical intention through phrasing and dynamics
• Managing the relationship between rhythmic precision and musical flow