Right Now: SATB Choral Octavo

Kirby Shaw's arrangement captures the infectious momentum of this Van Halen classic without losing the rock edge that makes it sing. The added instrumental parts give your singers something genuinely exciting to lock into, and the song's message about seizing the moment lands differently when your whole choir is belting it together.

From the first notes, this arrangement captures the exhilaration of a stadium rock moment transplanted into the choral world. The combination of driving rhythms, sing-along vocals, and instrumental color creates an atmosphere of celebration and urgency that's genuinely hard to resist.

Any SATB choir ready to tackle a contemporary rock arrangement with real personality. This works equally well for high school singers and college-level choirs who want to program something with immediate appeal and serious energy.

• Keep the energy infectious from the downbeat; this arrangement thrives on momentum, so establish a confident tempo in rehearsal and protect it through performance.
• Layer the instrumental parts strategically during rehearsals to help singers hear their melodic and harmonic role within the fuller texture.
• Balance the combo parts so they support rather than overshadow the vocals; the rock groove should enhance the choral sound, not compete with it.
• Lean into the rhythmic precision that rock demands, especially in the section breaks; tight unison passages will give the arrangement maximum impact.

Program this as the anchor of a pop or contemporary-focused concert, or use it as a show-stopping finale that leaves audiences on their feet. It pairs well with other rock or secular choral arrangements if you're building a themed concert, and its recognizable melody makes it perfect for engaging non-traditional audiences at pops events.

• Singing in rock idiom with appropriate vocal style and articulation
• Maintaining rhythmic precision in syncopated passages
• Balancing blend when singing against active instrumental parts
• Reading and interpreting dynamic contrast in contemporary choral writing