Follow That Star: Choral Octavo Digital SoundPax
Words and music by Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PK-0006388
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Description
This glorious processional will create an impressive opening at your holiday concert or worship service. Modal harmonies and open intervals are not difficult to sing, but capture the sound of the season. And a light SoundPax instrumentation adds to the stately effect.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Follow That Star: Choral Octavo Digital 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
SKU:
00-PK-0006388
Instrumentation:
SoundPax
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 earned the Distinguished Alumni award. His eight-year tenure in rights and licensing at a major educational music publisher gave him deep insight into what works in the choral classroom, and he served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America during that period.
As a composer, Althouse has over 800 choral works in print across all skill levels, performed regularly throughout the English-speaking world. A writer member of ASCAP and frequent recipient of the ASCAP Special Award, he has also collaborated with his wife Sally K. Albrecht on children's musicals and compiled respected vocal solo collections. His educational contributions include The Complete Choral Warm-up Book, Accent on Composers, and several reproducible classroom resources. Althouse has served on the boards of the North Carolina Master Chorale and the Folk Art Society of America.
Why we love this
Althouse writes processional music that sounds ambitious without demanding technical gymnastics; the modal harmonies and open intervals here sit beautifully on the voice and reward singers with an immediate, dignified sound. This is exactly the kind of piece that opens a holiday concert memorably without consuming precious rehearsal time on complex voice-leading.
What to expect
The piece unfolds with quiet grandeur, its modal harmonies creating an ancient, reverent atmosphere that feels both timeless and seasonally appropriate. Open intervals ring clearly and simply, letting the text breathe and the harmony resonate without unnecessary complexity.
Who it's for
This piece suits choirs at all levels who want a substantial yet accessible processional for holiday or worship programming. Whether you're working with a school choir, church ensemble, or community group, the moderate harmonic language makes it achievable within a reasonable rehearsal timeline.
How to get the most out of it
- Allow the SoundPax accompaniment to establish the stately tempo and character before the choir enters; this creates a processional feeling that defines the piece.
- Shape the modal melodic lines with gentle dynamic contours rather than holding notes at static volume; small swells through phrases will enhance the open, serene quality.
- Balance the choir so that the open intervals project clearly without the parts competing; vertical resonance matters more here than volume.
- If using instrumental parts alongside the SoundPax, ensure they lock rhythmically with the recorded accompaniment during your first full rehearsal run-through.
How to use it
Open your holiday concert or Advent/Christmas worship service with this processional; its stately character sets a dignified tone for everything that follows. It pairs well in a program with more elaborate seasonal works, offering a moment of stillness and modal simplicity amid contemporary arrangements.
Skills your students will build
- Singing in modal harmonic contexts
- Balancing open intervals and vertical sonority
- Maintaining ensemble intonation across sustained notes
- Processing text expressively within a processional form