The Polar Express: A Choral Medley: Score: Choral Instrumental Parts
Featuring: Believe / Hot Chocolate / When Christmas Comes to Town / Santa Claus Is Coming to Town / Rockin' on Top of the World / Spirit of the Season
Original motion picture selections by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri / arr. Teena Chinn
Item: 00-PR-0004404
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Description
The score from the highly successful Tom Hanks movie The Polar Express featured a wide variety of music. Teena Chinn has captured the essense of the original score within this varied and fun-to-sing medley. Includes: "Believe," "Hot Chocolate," "When Christmas Comes To Town," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Rockin' on Top of the World," and "Spirit of the Season." Medley is approximately six minutes in length.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, The Polar Express: A Choral Medley: Score: Choral Instrumental Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
16
SKU:
00-PR-0004404
More about this title
About the Arranger: Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard is a prolific arranger and composer whose work spans film, television, and concert music. His arrangements balance accessibility with musical sophistication, making complex scores singable for student and community ensembles without sacrificing the character of the original.
Why we love this
Ballard threads six beloved songs from The Polar Express into a single cohesive arc that feels neither rushed nor padded. The arrangement respects the emotional weight of "Believe" and "Spirit of the Season" while keeping lighter moments like "Hot Chocolate" playful and engaging, giving your singers real dynamic range across six minutes.
What to expect
Nostalgic and warm, with moments of genuine tenderness alongside straightforward joy. The medley captures the film's blend of wonder and coziness, moving from intimate reflection to infectious celebration without losing coherence.
Who it's for
High school, community, and collegiate choirs seeking substantial winter programming that audiences recognize and connect with immediately. This works equally well for groups with developing musicianship and more experienced ensembles; the arrangement scales to your singers' comfort level.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the recorded accompaniment at a level that supports rather than overpowers the choir; these songs carry strong melodic and harmonic memories from the film, so your voices need room to land clearly.
- Shape the transitions between songs deliberately. Brief instrumental breaks between medley sections give singers time to reset and allow the audience to register each new song.
- Anchor "Believe" with confident, sustained phrasing in the upper voices; this moment often becomes the emotional center of the medley.
- Keep rhythmic energy consistent through "Hot Chocolate" and "Rockin' on Top of the World" so these sections don't feel disconnected from the slower, more introspective material.
How to use it
Program this as a standalone feature or pair it with other winter songs to create a holiday set that feels contemporary rather than traditional. At six minutes, it anchors a concert section without overwhelming other repertoire, and the built-in audience familiarity makes it an ideal crowd-pleaser in mixed programming.
Skills your students will build
- Sustaining legato lines across long phrases
- Balancing choir with instrumental accompaniment
- Navigating tonal shifts and key changes within a single piece
- Shaping emotional arc across contrasting musical sections
- Responding to recorded cues and maintaining ensemble cohesion with accompaniment