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If I Can Sing: T(T)B Choral Octavo

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If I Can Sing Cover Image
If I Can Sing: T(T)B Choral Octavo

If I Can Sing: T(T)B Choral Octavo

Words by Sara Teasdale, music by Lon Beery

Item: 00-47690
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Description
“If I can sing, I still am free.” Sara Teasdale's 1917 poem “Refuge” is certain to resonate with anyone who possesses an appreciation for singing. This lush setting plays out across a shifting palette of harmonic colors and choral textures, and is offered in wonderfully adaptable alternate voicings that address the needs of choirs at any level.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, If I Can Sing: T(T)B Choral Octavo 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
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 8
UPC: 038081543833
SKU: 00-47690

More about this title

About the Composer: Lon Beery

Lon Beery

Lon Beery directs six choruses at Spry Middle School in Webster, New York, where he works with approximately 500 students across the school year. His compositions and arrangements have been published through Alfred Music, BriLee, and other major publishers, totaling more than 50 pieces in print.

Beery's work has reached national recognition: his TTBB composition "I Believe" was performed by the U.S. Army Chorus at President Ronald Reagan's internment service in California. His contributions to choral music have earned him multiple ASCAP Standard Awards, and he has shared his expertise through articles in the Choral Journal and Music Educators Journal. He remains active in the profession as the Middle School Chair for New York ACDA and regularly presents at state, regional, and national conferences.

Why we love this

Beery understands what middle school and high school choirs actually need: music that sounds sophisticated without demanding perfect technique, and flexibility that lets you cast singers across a range of voice types and experience levels. The multiple voicing options (TB through TTBB) mean you can program this with confidence regardless of who walks into rehearsal, and the harmonic richness rewards singers who are ready to listen critically to blend and intonation.

What to expect

This setting wraps Sara Teasdale's affirmation in warm, shifting harmonies that feel both introspective and hopeful. The textural variety keeps singers engaged across eight pages, moving between moments of vulnerability and fuller, more confident voicing that lets the choir feel their collective power.

Who it's for

Directors leading treble-heavy or mixed choirs at the middle school through early high school level who need concert or festival repertoire that accommodates flexible casting without sacrificing musicality. The poem's themes about freedom and resilience connect with young singers, and Beery's harmonic language is accessible without feeling simplistic.

How to get the most out of it

  • Explore the recorded accompaniment early in rehearsal to help singers internalize the harmonic movement, especially during sections where the harmony shifts unexpectedly.
  • Emphasize the poetic text throughout preparation: encourage singers to consider what "freedom through singing" means personally before they worry about vowel unity.
  • Balance the lush harmonic colors by having singers listen to their section's role in the overall sonority, not just their individual line; this develops awareness of vertical harmony rather than just horizontal melody.
  • When working with multiple voicings, double-check your edition during sectionals to ensure everyone in the room is reading the same arrangement.

How to use it

Pair this with other repertoire that explores themes of hope or resilience for a concert with real thematic depth, or save it for late in your festival season when your choirs have built the blend and listening skills to handle the harmonic subtlety. Its literary text and concert finish make it a strong closer for a mixed program.

Skills your students will build

  • Hearing and adjusting to shifting harmonic colors and chord progressions
  • Blending within and across voice parts in SATB-family voicings
  • Connecting poetic language to musical interpretation
  • Managing multiple available editions and selecting the right voicing for your ensemble
  • Sustaining tone quality through longer phrase lines

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