Our Children (from Ragtime The Musical™): SATB Choral Octavo

This arrangement preserves the emotional core of a genuinely moving moment from the stage while sitting comfortably in the choral octavo format. The reflection on parenthood resonates with singers and audiences alike, and Funk's voicing respects Flaherty's melodic gift without demanding virtuosic technique. Programming a Broadway piece this well-crafted signals to your choir that contemporary musical theatre deserves serious artistic attention.

Intimate and reflective. The arrangement creates a sense of quiet conversation among singers, with warm harmonic progressions that feel both familiar and sincere. There's a gentle nostalgia in the music, the kind of moment where an entire room collectively recognizes something true about love and time.

High school and college choirs looking for accessible Broadway repertoire with genuine emotional depth. The piece works for concert choirs of moderate ability and for those seeking to program contemporary musical theatre alongside traditional repertoire.

• Balance the melody between soprano and tenor voices so the primary line doesn't overshadow the harmonic foundation; the beauty of this arrangement lies in how the voices support one another rather than compete.
• Shape phrases as if singing dialogue rather than abstract music. These are parents speaking about their children; let the meaning guide your phrasing and dynamic choices.
• Pay particular attention to vowel unification across the four parts, especially in sustained chords. Small tuning adjustments in the middle voices will make the harmony sing.
• Approach the tempo with flexibility. This ballad benefits from slight rubato that follows the natural speech rhythms of the text.

Pair this with other contemporary Broadway selections to show the range of the musical theatre canon, or use it as a contrasting emotional center within a concert that includes more energetic material. Its reflective nature makes it particularly effective as a closing piece or as a bridge between different sections of a program.

• Singing Broadway-style melodic lines with musical theatre phrasing conventions
• Balancing melody and harmony in four-part voicing
• Sustaining legit vocal production across chord changes
• Interpreting text with narrative intention and emotional nuance