Blizzard on the Way!: 2-Part Choral Octavo
Words and music by Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0001518
$2.05
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
A 100% chance of precipitation equals a 100% chance of anticipation . . . that school will be closed! Your 2-part choirs will "dig in" when singing this driving, disco, wintertime hit. Featured on "Reaching for the Stars" choral movement DVD 00-39928. Check this out! https://leapingbrain.com/modshop/product/?shop=9&product=5662
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0001518
More about this title
About the Composer: Jay Althouse
Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was later honored as a Distinguished Alumnus. His eight-year tenure in rights and licensing at a major educational publisher gave him deep insight into what choirs actually need, and he brought that knowledge to his own compositional work. He serves as a writer member of ASCAP and has received the ASCAP Special Award multiple times for his contributions to choral music.
With more than 800 compositions in print for choirs at every level, Althouse has become one of the most performed contemporary choral composers in the English-speaking world. Beyond composing, he has co-written children's musicals with Sally K. Albrecht, compiled respected vocal solo collections, and authored several classroom resources including The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers. He co-wrote "I Hear America Singing," performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Obama's 2009 inauguration. Althouse currently serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America.
Why we love this
This piece captures the infectious energy of disco with genuine choral substance. Althouse writes for young singers with respect, crafting a 2-part setting that's accessible without feeling thin, and the winter theme gives you a natural slot in your holiday or winter concert without relying on the same standard repertoire every program features. The driving rhythm and contemporary pop sensibility will genuinely excite your singers.
What to expect
Expect the room to feel like a Saturday Night Fever rehearsal. The driving beat and wintertime narrative create genuine excitement, and the disco idiom gives the piece an irresistible forward momentum that keeps singers engaged. There's playfulness here, too; the subject matter (a snow day!) taps into something your students actually care about.
Who it's for
2-part choirs at the middle school or early high school level will find this piece sits comfortably in their range and technical ability. The straightforward voicing allows your singers to focus on the disco energy and rhythmic precision without wrestling with complex harmony. This works especially well for choirs that respond to contemporary pop styles and enjoy movement-based performance.
How to get the most out of it
- Lock the rhythm section (or recorded accompaniment if available) early in rehearsal so the ensemble internalizes the disco groove before layering in vocal parts.
- Encourage crisp articulation on the forward-moving passages to let the dance beat shine through the harmonies.
- Work the dynamic contrasts that Althouse built into the piece; don't let it sit at one volume level just because it's energetic.
- If you're using movement and staging (featured on the companion DVD), integrate choreography into blocking rehearsals rather than adding it as an afterthought.
How to use it
Position this as a centerpiece in a winter or holiday concert where you want energy and joy rather than reverence. The disco groove and secular theme pair well alongside lighter choral fare or as a standalone opener that grabs the audience's attention immediately. It also works as a season-specific encore or as part of a mixed programming block where you're showing the range of modern choral writing.
Skills your students will build
- Maintaining steady rhythm in a syncopated, groove-based setting
- Articulation clarity at faster tempos
- Dynamic control and contrast within energetic material
- Coordinate singing with movement and staging cues