Mrs. Claus!: 2-Part Choral Octavo

This piece breaks the mold of typical holiday repertoire by centering a female character who gets to be sassy, funny, and front and center. The flexibility to feature a single soloist or distribute the solo passages among ensemble members gives you real options for how your singers want to engage with it, while the optional choreography and ragtime style invite visual creativity without requiring it.

A comedic wink to holiday tradition with swagger. The ragtime style and sassy character transform what could be a familiar holiday setting into something playful and contemporary. Your singers will feel the energy of a novelty number, even if they're relatively young or inexperienced; the style invites confidence and fun.

Directors of treble choirs, grades 5-8 or informal high school ensembles, looking for a secular holiday piece with humor and personality. This works especially well if your singers have expressed interest in adding movement or choreography to your holiday concert, or if you want a break from reverent seasonal fare.

• Decide early whether you'll assign the Mrs. Claus solo to one student or share it among several singers, then shape your sectional rehearsals around that choice. Both approaches work; the difference affects how you'll build ensemble cohesion and individual confidence.
• Lock in the ragtime rhythms with precision. These syncopations need to feel intentional and bouncy, not rushed or sloppy, so spend time on the accompaniment track to let students internalize the groove.
• Layer staging gradually if choreography is part of your vision. Teach the music first, then add movement piece by piece. Your singers will nail both more reliably if you separate the tasks.
• Embrace the novelty tone fully. This piece invites committed, over-the-top character work. Encourage your singers to have fun with it and let their personalities shine.

Open your holiday concert with this as a mood-setter, or use it late in the show as a crowd-pleasing finale. The novelty factor makes it a smart closer if you're moving from more serious seasonal repertoire into celebration mode. It also pairs well with other contemporary, character-driven choral selections if you're building a concert around storytelling or humor.

• Singing syncopated rhythms with precision and style
• Balancing solo and ensemble roles within a single piece
• Coordinating singing with movement and choreography
• Sustaining character and energy in novelty music
• Reading and performing in 2-part voicing