I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free: Choral Instrumental Pak
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free Sheet Music Preview

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free: Choral Instrumental Pak

As performed by Billy Taylor / Arranged by Kirby Shaw

Item: 35-PK00344292
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Description
This gospel/jazz song written by Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas is best known for the 1967 Nina Simone recording and makes a wonderful choral showcase testifying to the longing for freedom and justice for all people.

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Additional Details
Publisher: Hal Leonard
SKU: 35-PK00344292

More about this title

About the Artist: Billy Taylor

Billy Taylor was a pianist, composer, and educator whose career spanned from the 1940s through the early 2000s. Beyond his work as a performing artist, Taylor became a vital voice in music education and arts advocacy, bringing jazz and American music into classrooms and concert halls as legitimate subjects of serious study. His compositions bridged jazz and classical traditions, and his commitment to social justice through music made him a model for artists who believed in art's power to move hearts and minds.

Why we love this

Kirby Shaw's arrangement captures the soulful urgency of Taylor's composition while keeping the focus on your singers' ability to convey genuine emotion. The piece sits naturally for voices and allows the ensemble to build from introspection to conviction, making it equally powerful in a concert setting or as a teaching tool about music's role in social movements.

What to expect

The music carries an ache beneath its hopeful surface. Harmonies drawn from jazz traditions create a warm, introspective tone, while the text moves listeners from personal longing to collective vision. There is both vulnerability and quiet strength woven throughout.

Who it's for

This arrangement works for treble, men's, and mixed ensembles at the intermediate level and above. Directors seeking repertoire that combines musical substance with emotional authenticity will find singers deeply engaged by both the historical weight and the vocal writing.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the opening with restraint; let the text's meaning emerge before dynamics swell. Premature intensity undermines the song's journey.
  • Balance solo passages carefully so that featured singers remain integrated with the ensemble sound rather than stepping apart from it.
  • Connect with the accompaniment's jazz feel by allowing rhythms to breathe slightly; precision without swing loses the song's character.
  • Explore the emotional arc across the full arrangement. The freedom expressed here builds gradually, so patience in the early sections pays off.

How to use it

Position this as a centerpiece for a concert exploring American music, jazz heritage, or social justice themes. It pairs naturally with spirituals, other Taylor compositions, or contemporary gospel arrangements, and works equally well as a powerful closer or as the emotional heart of a thematic program.

Skills your students will build

  • Jazz phrasing and articulation distinct from classical legato singing
  • Interpreting syncopated rhythms with stylistic accuracy
  • Building dramatic narrative across a song's arc
  • Balancing solo and ensemble roles within a single arrangement
  • Understanding how harmony color serves emotional storytelling

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