Squeezin' Down the Chimney: 2-Part Choral Octavo

A title this clever will land immediately with your audience and set a lighthearted tone for your Christmas concert. Althouse brings his signature pedagogical clarity to novelty writing: the 2-part texture is genuinely singable, the harmonic language sits well for young or developing voices, and the humor lands without requiring belabored jokes.

Lighthearted and playful, with a wink to the audience built into every measure. The music has bounce and accessibility, never talking down to singers or asking them to perform a novelty number they can't be proud of.

Middle school and high school choirs looking for a secular Christmas piece with genuine entertainment value. Community and church choirs will find it equally effective for adding levity to holiday programs without sacrificing musicality.

• Build the comedic timing in the lyrical moments rather than rushing through them; the laugh comes from the contrast between the silly title and sincere musical treatment.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to establish the groove, then have singers lock into the rhythm section confidently so the humor reads as intentional rather than accidental.
• Balance the soprano and alto lines so neither part overwhelms; equal voice balance lets both parts carry their melodic weight in the 2-part texture.

Position it as the palate cleanser in your Christmas program, ideally after a more reverent or dramatic piece. Its brevity and clear entertainment value make it ideal for concert encores or as a closing number that sends the audience out smiling.

• Rhythmic precision in syncopated patterns
• Blend and balance in 2-part texture
• Text clarity and diction in novelty material
• Interpretation beyond literal note-reading (using inflection and timing for comedic effect)