Listen to the Rain: 2-Part Choral Octavo
Words and music by Sally K. Albrecht
Item: 00-PO-0001802
$1.85
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Follow the progression of a storm as it forms, builds, and fades away. Carefully constructed for young singers, this selection is a perfect introduction to minor key singing and includes a variety of notated body percussion sounds imitating the pitter-patter of raindrops.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0001802
More about this title
About the Composer: Sally K. Albrecht
Sally K. Albrecht has shaped choral education for over thirty years as a conductor, clinician, and prolific composer. She has directed honor choirs at prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center, and she spent three decades leading school choral and vocal publications at major educational music publishers, most recently as Director of School Choral, Vocal, and Elementary Publications at Alfred Music. An ASCAP Special Music Award recipient since 1987, she has over 600 choral publications in print alongside 75 songbooks and musicals. She is particularly recognized for integrating movement into choral performance.
Albrecht holds degrees from Rollins College (B.A. in Music and Theater, 1976), the University of Miami (M.A. in Drama, 1977; M.M. in Accompanying, 1979), and has taught at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College. She served as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and received their "Pillar of Leadership" award. In 2021, both the University of Miami Frost School of Music and Rollins College honored her with Distinguished Alumna Awards.
Why we love this
The storm narrative gives young singers a dramatic arc to sing into rather than abstract musical concepts. Albrecht's introduction of minor key tonality through accessible melodic writing lowers the technical barrier while keeping the piece musically legitimate, and the body percussion elements transform the choral section into active storytellers rather than passive singers.
What to expect
The piece unfolds like watching weather roll across a landscape: it starts quiet and tentative, gathers momentum and texture, then gradually quiets again. The body percussion creates a tactile, almost cinematic quality that invites singers to feel the storm rather than simply perform it.
Who it's for
Middle school and early high school choirs ready to explore minor key tonality in a context that feels engaging rather than drill-focused. The 2-part voicing accommodates changing voices and mixed groups without requiring advanced reading skills.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the dynamics to track the storm's journey: keep the opening gentle and sparse, build intensity through the middle section, then pull back as the rain subsides.
- Work the body percussion rhythms as a group first before layering them into the singing; unison patting establishes pulse and makes the notation feel intuitive.
- Encourage singers to visualize the weather as they sing; the physicality of the percussion will naturally drive phrasing and breath placement.
How to use it
This works especially well in spring or fall concerts where weather-themed programming feels natural, or as an opener that immediately engages an audience through the novelty element. It also serves as an effective teaching performance for demonstrating how even simple voicing can convey musical narrative.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and performing minor key melodies
- Coordinating body percussion rhythms with vocal singing
- Dynamic shaping and phrasing to support musical storytelling
- Ensemble cohesion across a simple 2-part texture