Cherish: E-Z Play Today

This arrangement captures the heart of what made the original recording so beloved: warm vocal phrasing, clean harmonic movement, and an unhurried approach to pacing. Students encounter a song that sits comfortably on the piano while teaching them how to voice and connect chords idiomatically for the popular music genre. The four-page format keeps the piece manageable for independent study or small ensemble work.

Unhurried and genuinely warm, the piece unfolds with the ease of a conversation between friends. Its openness on the piano creates space for expressive choices, inviting players to find the emotional simplicity beneath its timeless melody.

Pianists in their first year of exploring popular song standards and intermediate players building repertoire in rock and soft rock idioms. Voice students preparing accompanists will find this arrangement clean and supportive for developing interpretive choices around phrasing and rubato.

• Balance the right hand melody with left hand voicings so the harmonic progression remains audible beneath the tune.
• Shape the phrases by using subtle tempo flexibility in the vocal lines rather than strict metronomic adherence.
• Allow space for breath between phrases; this song rewards a conversational delivery over a mechanical one.
• Lean into the simplicity of the accompaniment without rushing, letting the melody's contour do the expressive work.

Feature this as part of a standards showcase celebrating 1960s songcraft, or use it to bridge popular and classical repertoire in a mixed concert. It works equally well as an encores selection or as a study piece for understanding how to arrange vocal pop music accessibly for piano.

• Voicing triads and seventh chords for popular music contexts
• Balancing melody and accompaniment in the right and left hands simultaneously
• Phrasing and shaping a vocal melody with rubato
• Reading and interpreting lead sheet harmony