Tell Me Something Good (arr. Kirby Shaw): SATB Choral Octavo

Kirby Shaw's arrangement captures the infectious energy of Wonder's original while making it accessible for mixed voices. The funk underpinnings stay front and center, giving your choir permission to lock into the groove rather than float on top of it, which creates a rare opportunity for students to experience how soul music works as an ensemble.

Uplifting and grounded at once. The arrangement has a natural swagger that comes from Wonder's harmonic vocabulary and the funk groove, yet the SATB voicing keeps everything anchored and achievable. There's joy in the simplicity and authenticity of what you're singing.

Choirs that want to expand beyond traditional repertoire and students who respond to contemporary music will find real value here. This works equally well for high school ensembles building confidence with funk and pop idioms and collegiate groups looking to engage audiences with material that lands immediately.

• Lock the rhythmic foundation by having the section leaders internalize the backbeat before running full ensemble passages; the groove only lands when everyone feels the same pocket.
• Balance the melody line so it floats over the supporting harmonies without dominating them. These voices need to breathe as a unit.
• Let the recorded accompaniment set the groove, but rehearse without it regularly so singers develop an independent sense of time and can respond dynamically to ensemble energy.
• Attend to the lyrical content. This is a song about asking for connection and honesty in relationships. That emotional directness should shape phrasing choices.

Place this on a concert alongside a cappella or lighter contemporary work to create dynamic contrast. It also serves as a morale booster and audience connector when programmed near the end of a set where you want to leave listeners energized and smiling.

• Singing syncopated rhythms with precision and confidence
• Locking into and maintaining a groove as an ensemble
• Balancing melody and harmony within a funk idiom
• Interpreting pop and soul phrasing conventions
• Managing microphone technique if amplified