May a Rainbow Run Beside You: PianoTrax Digital Download

This piece captures the bittersweet hope of a graduation moment without resorting to sentimentality. Burrows has written something genuinely singable that doesn't ask students to manufacture emotion from thin material; the melody and harmonic language do the work for you, leaving singers and audiences alike with something authentic to hold onto.

The piece opens with quiet contemplation and builds toward affirmation without ever losing its gentle dignity. There's warmth in the harmonic movement and genuine optimism in the melodic contour; listeners leave feeling acknowledged in whatever chapter of life is beginning.

Choirs performing graduation ceremonies, end-of-year concerts, or spring festivals will find an excellent fit here. This octavo works for treble, mixed, or changing-voice ensembles of any serious high school or adult choir program.

• Balance the text clarity with the melodic line. This piece earns its emotional power through language as much as music, so ensure every phrase projects without oversinging.
• Find the natural rubato in the accompaniment. The PianoTrax allows for slight flexibility in tempo during key emotional moments; use it to breathe life into transitions between sections.
• Shape the dynamic arc across the full length. Resist the urge to build steadily throughout; instead, let energy rest in certain phrases to make the final statement land with freshness.
• Unify vowel color across your sections to blend the harmonic sonorities Burrows has created. This is especially important in moments where the inner voices carry harmonic weight.

Anchor a graduation concert with this as your closing piece, or pair it with contrasting uptempo selections to showcase your choir's full range. The piece sits comfortably in a program where you want to shift the emotional temperature near the end, giving audiences something reflective to carry with them.

• Singing sustained melodic lines with consistent vowel placement
• Balancing text projection with musical legato
• Listening for harmonic resonance across multiple voice parts
• Responding to subtle tempo and dynamic shaping in accompaniment