Look at Us Now: 2-Part Choral Octavo

McPheeters nails the opener assignment here. Two minutes of uncluttered rhythmic drive and singable melody means your singers learn it fast and feel confident immediately, while the brass and rhythm accompaniment gives your audience something genuinely exciting to hear from measure one.

Two minutes of infectious rhythmic momentum paired with accessible melodies that sit comfortably across a 2-part texture. The piece radiates confidence and forward motion, built on clean, contemporary harmonic language that feels immediate and fresh.

This works for middle school and high school choirs seeking an accessible, high-impact concert opener. It's ideal for groups with newer singers or mixed experience levels because the melodic and rhythmic vocabulary is straightforward without sacrificing musical integrity.

• Lock the rhythmic feel early in rehearsal by having singers tap the main groove while singing; the energy depends entirely on precision, not volume.
• Use the SoundTrax to establish tempo and style for your singers, then gradually reduce reliance on the recording as confidence builds.
• Keep dynamics shaped by the text and phrase arc rather than trying to force excitement through force; the piece's inherent energy carries the moment.

Open your concert with this and you've set an energized tone without requiring your audience to warm up to your singers. It's short enough to build a multi-piece opener sequence and gives you a strong segue into contrasting material later in the set.

• Rhythmic precision and ensemble lock in contemporary pop-influenced meter
• Blending treble and lower voices in 2-part texture
• Responding to and interpreting accompaniment patterns
• Building confidence through accessible but musically substantive material