How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is the Sky) (arr. Rob Hopkins): TTBB Choral Octavo

Rob Hopkins' arrangement gives this classic the kind of sophisticated jazz voicing that makes men's choirs sound deeper and more connected than a straightforward reading would allow. The flexibility of the voicing (TB/TTB/TBB/TTBB) means you can use it regardless of your section sizes, and the standard itself is so universally known that audiences respond immediately to the opening phrase. When you need a contemporary-sounding encore that still feels accessible to your singers, this delivers.

Wistful and conversational, as if asking genuine questions about love's depths rather than declaring answers. The arrangement maintains a swinging, intimate quality; it breathes like a late-night set rather than a formal concert piece, with moments of harmonic richness that feel sophisticated without becoming heavy.

Men's choirs and mixed ensembles looking for a standard that sits comfortably in the jazz and popular music space without requiring an extensive rehearsal investment. This works equally well for college choir programs, community groups, and high school ensembles seeking material that sounds polished but stays within reach of singers still developing their jazz vocabulary.

• Balance the melody across all four parts rather than isolating it in one voice; Hopkins' arrangement distributes the tune strategically, and letting each section own their moments makes the harmonic landscape more transparent.
• Shape the phrases around the lyrical content (the questions about depth and height) so the natural curiosity in the text drives the musicality rather than mechanical phrase breaks.
• Lock the rhythmic precision in the jazz figures, especially where syncopation appears; these moments only sparkle when the ensemble commits to the groove rather than playing around it.

Place this as a palate cleanser between heavier choral works or as part of a "Great American Standards" set that lets your ensemble explore twentieth-century songwriting across multiple arrangements. It also serves as an accessible entry point into jazz voicing techniques for singers who haven't worked extensively in that idiom.

• Voice leading in jazz harmony and seventh chord function
• Singing through syncopated rhythmic figures with rhythmic independence
• Balancing parts to support rather than compete for the melodic line
• Interpreting the lyrical shape beneath musical phrasing in a standard
• Ensemble intonation in close voicings typical of barbershop and jazz TTBB writing