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Dry Bones: Choral SoundPax

$35.00 USD
$35.00 USD
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Dry Bones Cover Image
Dry Bones: Choral SoundPax

Dry Bones: Choral SoundPax

Traditional Spiritual / arr. Mark Hayes

Item: 00-17794
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Description
This Alfred best seller is now available for women's choirs! A fine, fun, and innovative arrangement of a popular spiritual about the prophet Ezekiel. Each verse is freshly approached, adding more and more excitement, building through a chromatically ascending "this bone connected to that bone" section, and ending with a big finish that will bring the house down! Great for festival use with or without the percussive SoundTrax or SoundPax. SoundPax includes parts for 2 a. sax., 2 t. sax., b. sax., 2 tpt., 2 tbn., rhy., perc.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Dry Bones: Choral SoundPax comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 52
UPC: 038081166056
SKU: 00-17794
Instrumentation: 2 trumpets, 2 trombones,2 alto & 2 tenor saxes, baritone sax, rhythm,percussion, score

More about this title

About the Arranger: Mark Hayes

Mark Hayes

Mark Hayes is an internationally recognized composer, arranger, and conductor whose published catalog exceeds 1,750 works across sacred and secular genres. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude in Piano Performance from Baylor University and has guest-conducted at Lincoln Center, the National Cathedral, and Carnegie Hall, premiering large-scale works including his Requiem at Lincoln Center in 2013 and again at St. Ignatius Basilica in Rome as part of a Vatican-sponsored festival in 2014.

Beyond the concert hall, Hayes has demonstrated versatility across musical theater, orchestration, and record production. He orchestrated the musical Madame Buttermilk and composed the score for Civil War Voices, which earned six awards at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York City. His particular passion lies in piano composition and arrangement; over 100 of his piano works are currently in print, spanning gospel, classical, jazz, and Broadway idioms. In 2010, Baylor University honored him with the Award for Exemplary Leadership in Christian Music.

Why we love this

Hayes's approach to this spiritual transforms a familiar melody into a vehicle for genuine musical architecture. The ascending chromatic section that builds excitement through successive verses shows careful attention to pacing and textural contrast, giving your choir multiple distinct moments to inhabit rather than repeating a single arrangement throughout.

What to expect

Uplifting and purposeful, with the storytelling warmth of a spiritual set against contemporary harmonic movement. The successive verses build energy like a spiritual call-and-response, culminating in a big, joyful finish that feels earned rather than imposed.

Who it's for

Women's choirs seeking repertoire that balances accessibility with genuine musical sophistication. This arrangement works equally well in festival settings where you need a crowd-pleasing spiritual with real substance, and in concert programs where you want a sacred work that builds impact organically across its structure.

How to get the most out of it

  • Layer your dynamic buildup across verses. Hayes structures each repetition with fresh material, so resist the urge to sing the same intensity level twice. Let the arrangement guide you toward the climax.
  • Balance the chromatic ascending section with clarity. Each group of singers carries the "this bone connected to that bone" material; clarity matters more than volume as the harmonies shift upward.
  • Shape the final big finish with confidence. This arrangement earns its ending through architectural progression, not just decibels. Commit fully to the lift and release in those final measures.
  • Coordinate with your SoundPax parts if using them. The saxophone voicings and rhythmic percussion parts are designed to drive momentum; rehearse with the accompaniment early so singers feel the harmonic and textural support.

How to use it

Program this as a festival or concert closer, or as part of a spiritual-focused set that showcases your choir's ability to navigate both traditional material and arranged sophistication. The SoundPax instrumentation makes it equally effective in contexts ranging from church performances to concert hall programming.

Skills your students will build

  • Layering dynamics and intensity across repeated sections with varied harmonic content
  • Navigating ascending chromatic passages with secure part-singing
  • Building ensemble energy through architectural form rather than simple volume increase
  • Coordinating with jazz and contemporary instrumental accompaniment
  • Balancing familiarity of a traditional spiritual with fresh musical interpretation

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