Man In The Mirror (arr. Deke Sharon): SATB Choral Octavo

Deke Sharon's SATB setting preserves the emotional weight of Jackson's message while creating genuine four-part writing that gives each voice meaningful material. The arrangement works beautifully as a concert closer or a standalone moment of reflection, offering your singers an opportunity to perform a song they already know and love with fresh musical depth.

The piece carries an introspective intensity beneath its accessible melody. Sharon's voicing creates moments of harmonic richness that ground the familiar tune in unexpected places, giving singers and listeners space to hear familiar material with genuine reflection.

This arrangement serves choirs at intermediate to advanced levels who want to perform contemporary repertoire with musical sophistication. It works equally well for secular concert programs, school assemblies, or community choral events where the song's inspirational message resonates.

• Balance the melodic line so it floats naturally across voice parts; avoid letting any section dominate the intricate inner voicing that Sharon crafted.
• Pay attention to phrase pacing in the upper voices to maintain the song's reflective quality and prevent it from feeling rushed.
• Use the text as an emotional anchor for tone production; the message of personal accountability requires genuine sincerity rather than polish.

Consider this as a powerful concert penultimate, allowing your audience to experience a contemporary classic with choral depth and authenticity. It also pairs naturally with other pop or contemporary arrangements, or stands alone as a meaningful moment when you want to step outside traditional choral literature.

• Balancing melodic material across multiple voice parts
• Singing contemporary pop music with choral ensemble technique
• Navigating inner voice independence in homophonic textures
• Interpreting and conveying emotional text within a familiar song
• Managing blend across different vocal registers in a two-page format