Cool Kids: SSA Choral Octavo

Alan Billingsley's arrangement captures what made the original recording so infectious while keeping the vocal writing accessible for treble choirs. The SSA voicing works beautifully for middle and high school choirs, and the rhythmic vitality translates directly from the pop hit to the concert stage without feeling watered down.

Bright, energetic, and immediately familiar. The arrangement captures the original's effervescent quality, with bouncy rhythms and a hook that sticks with audiences long after the final note. Singing it feels like joining something fun and current rather than plowing through a textbook exercise.

This octavo works perfectly for middle school and high school treble choirs looking to program contemporary pop alongside traditional repertoire. Directors will find it especially useful for concerts targeting younger audiences or mixed-age community choirs seeking current material that doesn't require complex voice leading.

• Keep the eighth-note rhythms tight and precise throughout; the groove depends on rhythmic clarity, not on lagging behind the beat.
• Balance the recorded accompaniment so it sits behind the voices rather than competing with them. Your singers should always drive the phrase.
• Lean into the syncopated moments with confidence. Hesitation here kills the contemporary feel that makes this arrangement appealing.
• Shape the melody with natural phrasing rather than mechanical phrasing. Let the hook land, then reset for the next section.

Program this as a contemporary showcase piece in a spring or end-of-year concert, pairing it with one or two other pop or musical theater selections to create a modern set. It also works well as a concert opener to energize an audience, or as a reprieve between heavier classical or art song repertoire.

• Maintaining rhythmic precision in syncopated pop idioms
• Balancing vocal blend with contemporary style and personality
• Following and interpreting recorded accompaniments
• Shaping pop phrasing with musicality rather than mechanical delivery