Stronger Together: SAB Choral Octavo
Words and music by Sherry Blevins
Item: 00-PO-0007340
$2.40
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Staggered vocal entrances, a contemporary melodic hook, and an ear-grabbing accompaniment highlight the uplifting text on themes of unity and community. Halfway through, a left-hand piano feature with singer snaps and claps creates the first layer of an add-on section that grows stronger as the parts join together. A soaring final descant propels this impressive piece to its rousing ending!
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
16
SKU:
00-PO-0007340
More about this title
About the Composer: Sherry Blevins
Sherry Blevins has established herself as a prolific composer whose works span major publishers including Alfred Music, Hinshaw, Fred Bock, and others. Her catalog has grown to over 27 published pieces since 2018, and her music has been performed by honor choirs, all-state ensembles, and collegiate singers across the country, from West Vancouver Schools to the Cincinnati Boychoir. She recently served as composer-in-residence for National Concerts and MidAmerica Productions, with her work premiered at Carnegie Hall.
Beyond composing, Blevins brings deep experience as an educator and arts advocate. A former ACDA Southern Region President and artistic director of the Chattanooga Boys Choir, she regularly adjudicates festivals and conducts workshops nationally. Her collaborative approach to composition has yielded published pieces co-created with student choirs, most notably a 2023 commissioning project spanning seven schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Vincent Oakes, former artistic director of the Chattanooga Boys Choir, notes that her writing combines engaging melodies with smart harmonic choices and practical accompaniments that serve the text without overshadowing the singers.
Why we love this
The staggered entrances draw listeners in immediately, while Blevins' contemporary melodic writing lands firmly in the ears of singers and audience alike. The midpoint pivot into snaps and claps with a left-hand piano feature gives your ensemble a tangible, physical moment to build momentum, and the soaring descant finale rewards careful rehearsal with a genuinely thrilling payoff that feels earned rather than tacked on.
What to expect
Energetic and deliberately optimistic, with moments of rhythmic playfulness that lighten the text without trivializing it. The contemporary harmonic language feels fresh and current, grounded enough that singers don't struggle with awkward intervallic leaps, yet sophisticated enough to hold a thoughtful listener's attention.
Who it's for
SAB choirs in grades 5-12 and community ensembles looking for a showstopper with real musical substance. The piece works equally well for concert programming and festival competition, offering enough technical challenge to engage serious singers while remaining accessible enough to build confidence in developing voices.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the overlapping vocal lines carefully during the initial section. Record a rehearsal to hear where voices blur or disappear, then adjust dynamics accordingly so each staggered entrance remains audible.
- Treat the snaps and claps as compositional elements, not afterthoughts. Spend time getting the rhythmic precision and articulation consistent so this rhythmic layer locks tightly with the piano before adding the vocal parts back in.
- Shape the descant as the climax it is. Encourage your sopranos to sustain through breath marks and lean into the line's upward trajectory, but avoid oversinging at the expense of blend with the other parts.
- Use the recorded accompaniment in early rehearsals to establish tempos and harmonic context, then wean off it gradually so singers internalize their parts and can respond to live conducting nuance.
How to use it
Slot this as your penultimate selection on a concert to ride the emotional momentum into a finale, or build an entire program around themes of community and resilience. The piece also works as a confident opener for a festival round, giving adjudicators an immediate sense of your choir's stylistic range and interpretive maturity.
Skills your students will build
- Navigating overlapping melodic lines and staggered entrances
- Coordinating body percussion (snaps/claps) with vocal parts and piano accompaniment
- Sustaining extended phrases in the final descant without loss of tone quality
- Balancing part independence with blend in a three-part texture
- Interpreting contemporary harmonic language with musicality