Making Christmas (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) (arr. Mark Brymer): SATB Choral Octavo

Mark Brymer's arrangement captures the darker whimsy of Danny Elfman's original while making it accessible to high school choirs without sacrificing harmonic sophistication. The SATB voicing stays true to the moody, angular character of the song, offering your singers a chance to perform music that feels genuinely contemporary rather than "arranged for choir."

The piece carries the theatrical darkness of its source material while remaining distinctly vocal in character. Brymer's voicing creates moments of haunting isolation followed by rich, layered harmonies that feel both modern and surprisingly rich.

Advanced high school choirs and college groups looking for contemporary repertoire with real harmonic depth. Directors seeking holiday material that respects their singers' musical intelligence and connects to music they actually listen to will find this arrangement particularly valuable.

• Establish the rhythmic precision early in rehearsals. This arrangement depends on locked ensemble attacks and releases; work the rhythm section (basses and tenors on beat) before layering other parts.
• Explore the dynamic range available in Brymer's voicing. The contrast between sparse, isolated lines and fuller passages defines the song's emotional arc; understate the quiet sections to make the builds land harder.
• Keep vowel shapes consistent within each phrase, especially when voices move between harmony and melody. This piece benefits from clarity of line, which requires disciplined but natural vowel placement.
• If using a recorded accompaniment, let your singers listen to the full arrangement several times before rehearsing parts. Familiarity with the overall texture helps them understand where their line sits in the mix.

This works brilliantly as a centerpiece in winter concerts that blend traditional and contemporary holiday music. Its darker tone offers effective contrast to brighter, more conventional Christmas selections, and its 11-page length makes it substantial enough for serious programming without overwhelming rehearsal time.

• Reading and executing rhythmic precision in contemporary pop arrangements
• Singing independent melodic lines while maintaining harmonic awareness
• Shaping dynamic contrast across phrase structures
• Balancing vocal clarity with ensemble blend in SATB voicing