Look To The Rainbow: SAB Choral Octavo

Mark Hayes has arranged this standard with real restraint, letting the melody breathe while giving each voice part something musical to do. The SAB voicing sits perfectly for mixed choirs that need sophisticated material without the tessiture challenges of more complex arrangements, and the jazz and pop sensibilities make it feel contemporary even though the song is a classic.

Optimistic and warm, with the kind of melodic contentment that comes from a song written when American songwriting was at its peak. There's an almost gentle joy to it, the musical equivalent of finding something beautiful when you weren't looking for it.

Choirs with solid musicianship who want a piece that feels accessible without being simplistic. This works equally well for high school concert choirs, community ensembles, or college non-majors groups looking for jazz and pop repertoire with real substance.

• Shape the phrase contours carefully in the melody line; this song lives or dies by singing through the longer phrases rather than stopping at cadences.
• Balance the alto and bass parts so they support without overwhelming the soprano line, especially in passages where they move in parallel motion.
• Pay attention to the swing feel if the piece leans jazz; the difference between straight rhythms and swing subdivisions changes the entire character.
• Blend the lower voices on the sustained harmonies; thick, warm tone here creates the foundational warmth that lets the melody soar.

Place this in a concert alongside other American standards or jazz arrangements to create a cohesive set that showcases your choir's versatility. It works beautifully as a program lightener between heavier classical or contemporary pieces, and it's short enough to accommodate other repertoire while substantial enough to feel like a real contribution to the concert.

• Phrasing across longer melodic lines in the soprano part
• Sustaining harmony parts without losing blend or intonation
• Understanding swing rhythms and jazz articulation
• Balance and texture in three-part writing
• Singing through harmonic movement while maintaining legit tone