Get On Your Feet: SATB Choral Octavo

Kirby Shaw's arrangement captures the infectious rhythmic drive of the original while keeping the voicing accessible for mixed choirs. The Latin grooves sit naturally under four-part writing, and the piece genuinely lands as a concert moment rather than a novelty number. Your singers will feel the energy in their bodies, and your audience will respond immediately.

Energetic and celebratory, with a Latininfluenced groove that sits between funk and pop. The arrangement sparkles with rhythmic vitality without overwhelming the singers; it's the kind of piece that makes an ensemble sound tighter and more confident than they may be.

Any mixed choir with intermediate to advanced reading skills and strong rhythmic training. The piece works equally well in high school show choirs, college a cappella groups, community choirs, and church ensembles looking to enliven their setlist. Singers need secure part independence and comfort with syncopation, but the voicing itself remains straightforward.

• Lock the rhythm section into a steady, relaxed pocket rather than pushing the tempo; the syncopation reads more clearly when the underlying beat feels secure.
• Layer the accompaniment parts gradually in rehearsal if you're using the recorded backing track, starting with rhythm only and adding melodic layers as singers gain confidence with their lines.
• Emphasize the Latin percussion textures in your phrasing; even in the harmonic sections, let the clave rhythm influence how phrases breathe and resolve.
• Work the solo passages separately from the full choir sections so soloists develop secure intonation before blending back into the ensemble sound.

Open your concert with this to establish immediate audience engagement and set a festive tone, or close with it to send the room home with infectious momentum. It pairs well alongside other contemporary pop or Latin-influenced repertoire and works beautifully in shows that balance classical and secular work.

• Singing syncopated rhythms in a Latin groove
• Maintaining rhythmic independence within a four-part texture
• Balancing solo passages with ensemble blend
• Stylistic interpretation of pop and Latin idioms