My House ('From Matilda The Musical'): Choral Octavo

This number gives your choir an authentic entry point into contemporary musical theater with a song that's genuinely fun to perform. The character work is built into the music itself, so students develop dramatic intention while learning Minchin's distinctive compositional voice, which blends rhythmic sophistication with memorable melody.

The piece radiates a defiant warmth, channeling the triumph of a young character reclaiming her space and declaring her agency. The music swings between moments of intimate vulnerability and burst-out joy, giving singers room to shift emotional gears while staying anchored in the groove.

This octavo works for middle school and high school choirs ready to tackle contemporary musical theater with genuine style and personality. It appeals equally to directors seeking approachable Broadway repertoire and to students who connect with Matilda as a show they already know and love.

• Establish the rhythm section lock early in rehearsal; this piece sits somewhere between speech and song, so your percussion and bass need to anchor the groove while singers navigate the text-driven phrasing.
• Lean into the humor of the lyrical content by allowing singers to shape individual phrases conversationally rather than forcing everything into a straight rhythmic grid.
• Layer the parts gradually and have singers listen to the Broadway recording multiple times so they absorb Minchin's vocal inflections and stylistic choices organically.
• Balance the ensemble sections so that when the piece breaks into full choir moments, the impact lands without overshadowing the intimate storytelling of solo passages.

This sits perfectly in a spring concert celebrating contemporary musical theater, especially if you're building a set around shows with literary roots. It also works beautifully as a standalone feature for a solo student or small group given its storytelling focus, or as part of a larger Matilda medley if your program includes multiple selections from the show.

• Contemporary musical theater style and diction
• Rhythmic confidence in syncopated, speech-driven passages
• Dramatic character interpretation through music
• Balance between melodic singing and rhythmic groove
• Listening and responding to recorded references for stylistic accuracy