Don't Stop (arr. Dirk Kokx): SSAATB Choral Octavo

Dirk Kokx's arrangement captures the infectious energy of the original while giving your choir a chance to explore tight, modern voicing in an SSAA setting. Students connect immediately to this repertoire because they likely already know the song, which removes barriers to engagement and lets you focus on teaching them how to build contemporary pop harmony with precision and style.

Propulsive and bright, with the kind of infectious confidence that makes an audience want to move. The arrangement channels the original's optimism into a choral sound that feels current rather than nostalgic, even when you're singing a 45-year-old classic.

Directors seeking contemporary pop repertoire that doesn't talk down to singers or audiences. The SSAA voicing makes it accessible for upper elementary through middle school choirs, while the Kokx arrangement's sophistication rewards high school singers who are ready to explore modern harmonic language.

• Lock the pulse in your rhythm section and have them drive the groove consistently; this arrangement lives on its forward momentum, not on rubato or interpretive flexibility.
• Work the soprano line into the arrangement early, since it carries the melody listeners expect to recognize.
• Balance your inner voices carefully so the harmonic movement stays transparent rather than muddy; in a piece this groove-focused, clarity serves the arrangement.
• Record a rough pass and listen back as an ensemble; hearing how your blend sits against the rhythmic framework will guide your rehearsal priorities more than any description can.

Open a concert with this piece to establish an energetic tone and signal that your choir performs music beyond the classical canon. It pairs effectively alongside other pop or contemporary arrangements, and works especially well as a finale when you want your audience leaving with a smile and a tune they can't shake.

• Singing syncopated rhythms in a pop context
• Balancing melody awareness with harmonic support
• Maintaining rhythmic precision in a groove-based arrangement
• Blending modern chord progressions across multiple voice parts
• Performing music that connects to their existing cultural knowledge