One (from A Chorus Line): SSA Choral Octavo

This arrangement unlocks one of musical theater's most emotionally direct songs for SSA ensembles, offering a chance to explore how a single spotlight moment becomes a collective experience. Anita Kerr's voicing captures both the intimacy of the original and the power of group singing, creating natural moments for soloists to emerge while keeping the full choir engaged throughout. Your students will connect instantly to material this culturally significant and musically sophisticated.

Personal and expansive at once. The song sits in that distinctive theatrical space where individual vulnerability transforms into collective recognition, with moments of genuine introspection interrupted by bursts of ensemble energy. The harmonic language supports both the intimate confessional quality and the moments where the full choir swells behind the storytelling.

Choirs at the high school level or accomplished middle school ensembles seeking Broadway repertoire with artistic substance. This works beautifully for groups ready to tackle material that demands both vocal control and emotional maturity, and for any director building a concert around contemporary musical theater.

• Establish the tempo as conversational, not rushed. The lyrical phrasing needs breathing room to land emotionally, so resist the urge to push the tempo forward even during ensemble sections.
• Balance the solo line carefully against the supporting voices. When a student steps into the spotlight moment, the choir should provide harmonic foundation without competing for attention.
• Shape the dynamic arc across the entire song rather than treating each phrase independently. Build gradually toward the emotional climax, then settle back down for the final reflection.

Consider pairing this with other contemporary musical theater selections to create a concert exploring how modern songwriting captures authentic human experience. It also works effectively as a program closer, especially when you can feature different soloists across performances or rehearsals to emphasize the song's themes about shared artistic struggle.

• Sustaining legit vocal production across Broadway tessitura
• Balancing solo and ensemble roles within a single piece
• Shaping lyrical phrasing to serve emotional storytelling
• Managing dynamic control in music that shifts between intimate and expansive moments
• Reading and executing rhythms that prioritize natural speech patterns over strict metric regularity