Squeezin' Down the Chimney: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo
Music by Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0006742
$2.25
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
You-know-who is SQUEEZIN' DOWN THE CHIMNEY? Just putting this title in your Christmas program will guarantee a giggle from your audience. It's fun, but like all of Jay's music, it's easy-to-teach, and educationally appropriate. The SoundTrax cassette adds the finishing touch.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Archive Edition: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
8
SKU:
00-PO-0006742
More about this title
About the Composer: Jay Althouse
Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he earned the Distinguished Alumni award. Early in his career, he spent eight years managing rights and licensing for a major educational music publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America. His compositional output spans over 800 published works for choirs at every level, performed regularly across English-speaking countries.
As a writer member of ASCAP, Althouse has received the Special Award multiple times for his contributions to standard music composition. Beyond his octavos and choral pieces, he has co-created children's musicals with his wife Sally K. Albrecht, curated vocal solo collections, and authored classroom resources including Ready to Read Music and Accent on Composers. His choral composition I Hear America Singing, written with Albrecht, was performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Obama's 2009 Inauguration. Althouse has served on the boards of the North Carolina Master Chorale and the Folk Art Society of America.
Why we love this
The title alone will land your punch line before the music even starts, and Althouse delivers on the comedy without sacrificing solid choral writing. The SAB voicing remains accessible and teachable, which means you can actually spend rehearsal time enjoying the humor rather than untangling part-writing problems. This is novelty done right: brief, rhythmically engaging, and genuinely fun for singers and audiences alike.
What to expect
Squeezin' Down the Chimney has the bounce and playful spirit of a classic novelty tune, with clever text and straightforward harmonic movement that lets the comedy breathe. The arrangement walks the line between humorous and musical, never winking so hard that the singing suffers.
Who it's for
This piece works for intermediate treble-and-baritone choirs, school choirs with mixed voices, and community choirs looking for a seasonal crowd-pleaser that doesn't demand advanced technique. The eight-page octavo length keeps rehearsal and memorization manageable, making it ideal for groups performing multiple holiday selections.
How to get the most out of it
- Lean into the characterization. Let your singers know this piece invites them to wink at the audience; the energy and clarity of articulation matter as much as blend here.
- Use the recorded accompaniment to establish the rhythmic pocket and comedic timing, especially if your group is learning the piece for the first time.
- Treat the text with intentional clarity. Comedy lands when the audience hears every word, so encourage precise diction without pushing dynamics beyond what the arrangement supports.
How to use it
Open your Christmas concert with this piece to set a warm, lighthearted tone for your audience, or place it mid-program as a palate cleanser between more serious holiday selections. Its brevity makes it perfect for pops concerts, family-friendly holiday performances, or any program where you want to remind singers and listeners that Christmas music can make you smile.
Skills your students will build
- Singing with rhythmic clarity and energy in a secular context
- Articulation and text delivery in comedic repertoire
- Blend and balance within a 3-part mixed voicing
- Ensemble coordination with recorded accompaniment