That's What I Like: Full Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Michael Story's orchestration captures the infectious groove of the original while remaining completely playable by a standard school ensemble. The Grade 2 scoring means your students can nail the style and energy of a chart-topping hit without drowning in technical complexity, and the flexibility to perform with strings alone or add winds and percussion lets you customize the arrangement to your instrumentation.

Smooth and groovy. The orchestration sparkles with modern sensibility while maintaining the sophisticated simplicity that made the original unforgettable. You get all the style and swagger of a GRAMMY-winning track without a shred of pretension.

Conductors seeking contemporary repertoire that engages students without requiring advanced technical skills. This works equally well for orchestras with strong string sections or full ensembles, and it appeals across middle school through early high school levels.

• Maintain the pocket. This arrangement lives in the groove, so lock the rhythm section early in rehearsals and build the rest of the ensemble around that foundation.
• Shape the melody lines with light articulation. Avoid playing it too heavily; the original has a sleek, modern feel that gets lost with a thick attack.
• Balance the brass hits. They punctuate key moments, but should feel like accents rather than separate statements from the strings.
• Let the recorded accompaniment guide your tempo. The swing and pocket of this tune matter more than metronomic precision.

Pair this with other contemporary pop selections in a "Modern Hits" concert, or use it as the crowd-pleaser finale on a mixed program of traditional and modern repertoire. It works particularly well as a spring concert closer when you want students and audiences to leave smiling.

• Maintaining groove and pocket in ensemble playing
• Light, modern articulation style
• Listening to and responding to a recorded accompaniment
• Balancing ensemble texture across multiple instrument families
• Playing contemporary arrangements with rhythmic confidence