Starting Here, Starting Now: SSA Choral Octavo

Shire's gift for writing genuinely expressive love songs translates beautifully to the choral context here. John Leavitt's arrangement respects the melody's Broadway roots while creating a piece that works equally well in traditional, jazz, and pop settings. The piano part genuinely matters in this arrangement rather than serving as mere accompaniment, giving singers and accompanists a shared musical responsibility that makes rehearsals engaging.

The piece radiates genuine warmth without sentimentality. Shire's melody unfolds with the conversational ease of spoken affection, supported by harmonies that feel inevitable rather than imposed. There's an underlying sophistication in both the composition and Leavitt's arrangement that singers discover as they work deeper into the piece.

This octavo works for established choirs at the middle school, high school, and adult levels who want contemporary material with emotional authenticity. It's equally valuable for directors programming jazz or pop-focused ensembles alongside traditional groups, since the same piece functions across multiple stylistic contexts without compromise.

• Let the piano introduction establish the emotional tone; the accompaniment's character shapes how voices should enter and phrase their opening lines.
• Find the natural breathing spaces in Shire's melodic phrases rather than forcing arbitrary breath marks; the song's lyrical quality depends on singers understanding where phrases genuinely complete.
• Balance the SAA parts so the soprano line remains clear without drowning out the inner voices, especially in moments where harmony thickens.

Program this as a closing number for end-of-year concerts or graduations, where its message of hope and new beginnings resonates with occasion and audience. It works equally well as a standalone ballad in a pops concert or as a bridge piece between classical and contemporary repertoire in a concert that spans multiple styles.

• Sustaining legit tone while maintaining contemporary musical styling
• Balancing ensemble blend across three parts while keeping soprano melody audible
• Collaborating musically with a piano accompanist who drives harmonic and emotional content
• Interpreting lyrical phrasing in a contemporary context