The Bumblebee: 2-Part Choral Octavo

Name: The Bumblebee: 2-Part Choral Octavo
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-45377
Price: 2.05 USD
Availability: InStock

Words and music by Sally K. Albrecht

Item: 00-45377

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A true charmer that will have your younger singers buzzing with delight! The original text cleverly hovers along the pitches of the major scale, and a slower middle section (in the parallel minor) provides a perfect opportunity to discover and discuss tempo and tonality. Sally's staging suggestions are available on Step One! This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, The Bumblebee: 2-Part Choral Octavo comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Series: Alfred Choral Designs

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 12

UPC: 038081511177

SKU: 00-45377

More about this title

About the Composer: Sally K. Albrecht

Sally K. Albrecht has built a prolific career as a composer, conductor, and clinician with deep roots in choral education and movement. She has received the ASCAP Special Music Award annually since 1987 and maintains over 600 published choral works along with 75 songbooks and musicals in active circulation. Her conducting experience spans honor choirs and major festival venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Kennedy Center.

For more than three decades, Albrecht served as Director of School Choral, Vocal, and Elementary Publications at major educational publishers, most recently at Alfred Music. She holds degrees from Rollins College (B.A. in Music and Theater, 1976) and the University of Miami (M.A. in Drama, 1977; M.M. in Accompanying, 1979). Her contributions to music education leadership earned her the Distinguished Alumna Award from both institutions in 2021, and she has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society.

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Why we love this

Albrecht's gift for crafting memorable melodies that sit naturally for younger singers shines here. The movement from major scale exploration to parallel minor tonality gives you a built-in teaching moment without sacrificing the fun and accessibility your singers crave, and her staging notes transform this from a solid piece into an engaging performance.

What to expect

Playful and buzzing with energy in the opening, then introspective and mysterious when the piece shifts to the minor key. The bumblebee character invites physical energy and lightness, yet the compositional craft underneath rewards careful listening.

Who it's for

This piece is designed for treble or mixed choirs with younger singers or singers new to part singing. The straightforward 2-part voicing, singable melodies, and text-to-pitch connection make it accessible while remaining genuinely musical and concert-ready.

How to get the most out of it

Highlight the major scale outline in the opening section so singers hear the melody's structural clarity; this reinforces sight-reading confidence early in rehearsal.
Use the tempo shift into the parallel minor to explore how slower tempos and darker harmonic color change the emotional landscape without losing the piece's charm.
Work the parts with careful attention to blend in the 2-part writing; even slight imbalance between voices will muddy the clean lines Albrecht composed.
Reference Albrecht's staging suggestions from Step One and begin movement rehearsals early to give singers time to internalize both music and blocking together.

How to use it

Program this as a charming opener or closer for a concert featuring younger singers, or pair it with other short, engaging pieces to create a set around nature or movement themes. The dual-section structure also makes it effective in a festival or contest context where you want to demonstrate range and musicianship in under five minutes.