Skipping Stones: 2-Part Choral Octavo

Name: Skipping Stones: 2-Part Choral Octavo
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-39776
Price: 1.85 USD
Availability: InStock

Words and music by Andy Beck

Item: 00-39776

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A charming reflection on childhood designed to inspire determination. Andy's creative and sometimes patter-like text is clearly painted with carefully chosen melodic intervals, alternating echoes, symbolic rhythms, and a buoyant piano accompaniment.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Skipping Stones: 2-Part Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Series: Alfred Choral Designs

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 12

UPC: 038081444376

SKU: 00-39776

More about this title

About the Composer: Andy Beck

Andy Beck leads the choral publications department at Alfred Music, where he shapes the voice and quality of the catalog itself. His compositional output spans over 450 works, including widely performed choral pieces, vocal warm-up collections, and sight-singing resources that have become standards in American music education. His arrangements and original compositions are performed regularly by choirs at every level, from elementary through professional ensembles.

Beyond the page, Beck is an active presence at clinics, all-state honor choirs, and adjudication festivals throughout the United States and internationally. A tenor and seasoned musical theatre director, he brings practical understanding of what singers need and what conductors must teach. His formal training includes degrees in music education from Ithaca College and Northwest Missouri State University, grounding his work in pedagogy as firmly as in artistry.

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Why we love this

Beck writes text that sounds like natural language but works like poetry, pairing it with melodic contours that illuminate meaning rather than obscure it. The patter-like pacing and rhythmic detail will keep your singers engaged intellectually while the accessible 2-part voicing keeps the focus where it belongs: on ensemble blend and expressive storytelling. Programming this piece signals to young singers that contemporary choral writing can be both intellectually playful and emotionally genuine.

What to expect

Skipping Stones evokes the unselfconscious joy and determination of childhood play. The melody bounces forward with rhythmic vitality and melodic clarity, while the alternating echoes between voices create a sense of conversation and companionship. Beneath it all, the piano provides steady forward momentum that mirrors the persistent, hopeful energy of skipping stones across water.

Who it's for

This piece fits squarely in middle school and early high school choral programs where singers are developing confidence in ensemble singing but not yet comfortable with complex divisi or rapid key changes. It also serves skilled 4-6 grade choirs ready for material that treats them seriously without overwhelming them technically.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the text deliberately by observing Beck's phrasing marks and rhythmic notation; the "patter-like" quality relies on singers understanding where words cluster and where they land on strong beats.
Balance the echoes between parts so they read as conversational rather than mechanical; let the dynamics breathe and shift according to the text's emotional arc.
Work the piano accompaniment from the first rehearsal; its "buoyant" character supports the singers' interpretation and prevents the piece from feeling static.

How to use it

Open a concert with this piece to set a bright, optimistic tone and establish your singers' technical and interpretive range from the opening. It pairs naturally with other secular, contemporary choral works that celebrate youth and resilience, or contrast it with a more introspective work to demonstrate your choir's versatility within a single program.

Skills your students will build

Singing rhythmically precise patter-like passages while maintaining clarity
Executing call-and-response and echo textures with control and balance
Interpreting contemporary choral text with expressive intent
Maintaining phrase shape and vowel consistency across alternating melodic intervals