Moana: Choral Instrumental Pak
As performed by Opetaia Foa'i / Arranged by Mac Huff
Item: 35-PK00381193
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Description
The Disney film "Moana" is tremendously entertaining, with stunning oceanic animation, a captivating adventure tale, feisty heroine and tuneful musical numbers by "Hamilton's" Lin-Manuel Miranda and the authentic Polynesian sounds of Opetaia Foa'I and Te Vaka. Enchant your audiences with this 12-minute medley, which includes: "How Far I'll Go, I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors), We Know the Way, Where You Are, You're Welcome."
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00381193
More about this title
About the Artist: Opetaia Foa'i
Opetaia Foa'i is a Samoan musician and composer whose work centers the musical traditions of the Pacific. As a founding member of Te Vaka, he has spent decades researching and preserving authentic Polynesian sounds, instruments, and vocal techniques. His collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Moana score brought these cultural elements into mainstream consciousness while maintaining their integrity and power.
For music educators, Foa'i's contribution to Moana represents something rare: a Disney film that honors rather than dilutes its source material. His arrangements invite students to engage with non-Western musical traditions not as exotic flavor but as complete, sophisticated systems worthy of serious study.
Why we love this
Mac Huff's medley captures what makes Moana's music so magnetic without requiring a 90-minute runtime. The arc moves through introspection, cultural identity, humor, and triumph. All five songs land with their full emotional weight compressed into 12 minutes, making this a genuine crowd-pleaser that doesn't sacrifice musicality for brevity.
What to expect
Oceanic and propulsive. The arrangement moves between intimate moments of reflection and full-ensemble exultation, with those distinctive Polynesian vocal colors threading throughout. It's the musical equivalent of a voyage: uncertain at first, then empowering, then joyfully defiant.
Who it's for
Directors seeking a contemporary, high-energy showcase piece that works for middle school through high school ensembles. This medley also suits camps, festival performances, and concert programming where you need something with immediate appeal and genuine musical substance.
How to get the most out of it
- Commit to the rhythmic language in 'We Know the Way.' The percussion and body percussion drive this number, so establish those patterns early in rehearsal and lock them before layering the vocals.
- Let 'How Far I'll Go' breathe. Huff's arrangement allows the soloist to own this moment; avoid over-accompanying the verse so the character's determination stays front and center.
- The cultural tuning and intervals in the Polynesian songs may feel unfamiliar at first. Spend extra time on pitch matching in these sections; accuracy here honors the source material and creates the medley's most striking sonic moments.
- Balance the humor in 'You're Welcome.' This finale should feel celebratory and slightly tongue-in-cheek, which means clear articulation and ensemble precision matter as much as dynamic energy.
How to use it
Position this as a standalone feature that stands apart from your concert's other selections, or pair it with other contemporary pop arrangements to create a thematic second half. The medley works especially well as a closer on a mixed concert because it sends audiences out energized without requiring a solemn tone.
Skills your students will build
- Singing with rhythmic precision in syncopated pop and percussion-driven sections
- Producing vowels and tone colors associated with Polynesian vocal traditions
- Navigating non-traditional intervals and melodic shapes
- Balancing solo and ensemble roles within an extended medley structure
- Performing with stylistic confidence in contemporary Disney arrangements