Soon And Very Soon (arr. Glenda Austin): Educational Piano

Glenda Austin's arrangement preserves the spiritual depth of Crouch's original while making the piece accessible for pianists still building technical facility. The four-page length and thoughtful voicings mean students can learn a meaningful, singable tune without confronting excessive complexity.

Warm encouragement wrapped in familiar harmonies. The piece radiates quiet conviction and hope, with a melodic line that feels both singable and consoling.

This arrangement works well for intermediate pianists exploring gospel and sacred music traditions. It suits students preparing for worship settings, jazz ensembles needing a gospel standard, or pianists building a diverse repertoire that includes spiritually grounded material.

• Find the natural pulse beneath the notation; gospel phrasing often sits just behind the beat, so resist locking rigidly to a click track.
• Voice the chord changes warmly by sustaining inner voices where the arrangement allows, letting harmonies breathe rather than tonguing everything crisply.
• Balance the melody against accompaniment so the tune remains audible even when both hands carry similar rhythmic activity.

Pair this with other gospel standards in a concert celebrating sacred music traditions, or feature it during a chapel service where live piano accompaniment serves the community. Students also benefit from playing it alongside recordings of the original to hear how arrangement choices respect the composer's intent.

• Gospel voicing and harmonic color
• Balancing melody and accompaniment in block chord textures
• Phrasing techniques rooted in spiritual and blues traditions
• Reading and executing stylistically appropriate rhythmic notation