Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose: SSA Choral Octavo

This arrangement captures the unfiltered joy of '70s funk without requiring your singers to apologize for having fun. Eric Van Cleave's voicing sits perfectly for SSA choirs, keeping the energy high while letting the three-part texture breathe, and the built-in flexibility to use recorded accompaniment, live band parts, or neither means you can scale it to your program's resources.

Infectious, unashamed funk with a shimmer of sophistication underneath. The groove invites movement while the harmonies remind listeners this is still real singing. There's permission in this piece to be exuberant without being silly.

SSA choirs ready to program something contemporary-classic with built-in crowd appeal. Middle school and high school singers thrive with this material because the song itself does the heavy lifting, leaving mental energy for musicianship rather than survival. Concert choirs, show choirs, and festival groups all perform it successfully.

• Lock the groove early in rehearsal. The pocket matters more than perfect pitch here; work rhythm sections (bass, drums, percussion if you're using SoundPax parts) independently from the voices first.
• Emphasize the syncopated rhythms in the vocal lines without pushing tempo. This music lives in the spaces between the beat, not on top of it.
• If using the recorded accompaniment, let singers hear it alone for multiple rehearsals before layering voices in. The '70s production texture is distinctive and will inform their phrasing naturally.
• Balance the three parts so the melody lands clearly while the lower voices anchor the harmony. SSA voicing can obscure the tune if sopranos aren't lifted slightly in mix.

Close out a winter concert with it, or place it at the top of a spring show to set the celebratory tone for everything that follows. It pairs naturally with other pop or soul-influenced selections but also works as a surprising bright moment in a more traditional program. The optional instrumental parts make it viable as both an easy-to-rehearse concert piece and a festival or competition selection.

• Rhythmic independence in syncopated ensemble writing
• Balancing blended harmony (SSA voicing) while maintaining melodic clarity
• Phrasing and articulation in funk and soul idioms
• Ensemble flexibility (preparing to sing with or without accompaniment)