The Road Not Taken: SSA Choral Octavo
Words by Robert Frost, music by Victor C. Johnson
Item: 00-PO-0006439
$2.05
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
This beloved Robert Frost poem presents a memorable metaphor about life choices. Victor Johnson's contemporary setting explores subtle nuances of the text through the thoughtful use of melodic line, harmonic color, musical expression, and word stress. A perfect pathway for exploring all the tools of the choral art. This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0006439
More about this title
About the Composer: Victor C Johnson
Victor C Johnson brings three decades of choral leadership to his work as School Choral Editor for Sing!, the educational publishing division of Choristers Guild. Based in Dallas, Texas, he has shaped the musical lives of thousands of students through his tenure as choral director at Ft. Worth Academy of Fine Arts, where he led the Academy Singers and Academy Men's Choir while serving as Artistic Director of both the Singing Girls of Texas and the Children's Choir of Texas.
With more than 500 published choral works, vocal collections, and keyboard pieces to his name, Johnson has established himself as a distinctive voice in contemporary choral composition. He currently conducts the Dallas Symphony Children's Chorus Mixed Ensemble (grades 9-12), the resident children's choir for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. His professional leadership extends across the American Choral Directors Association, American Guild of Organists, Texas Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, and other major music education organizations.
Why we love this
Johnson's setting demonstrates why Frost's poem has endured in American classrooms. Rather than oversimplifying the text into a single emotional arc, this arrangement mirrors the poem's own complexity, letting harmonic shifts and melodic choices illuminate the speaker's internal conflict. The writing sits naturally for SSA voices while offering enough musical substance to hold an audience.
What to expect
The piece unfolds with quiet introspection, its harmonic language contemporary yet warm. Johnson's musical choices honor both the poem's philosophical weight and its underlying accessibility, creating moments of unexpected beauty as the familiar words take on fresh meaning through melody and harmony.
Who it's for
Directors programming graduation ceremonies, concert festivals, or contests will find this octavo equally at home in any setting. It suits SSA choirs seeking a piece that demonstrates sophisticated choral craftsmanship without requiring extensive vocal maturity, making it accessible to upper secondary choirs and strong middle school ensembles.
How to get the most out of it
- Pay close attention to Johnson's dynamic and expressive markings; they anchor the text's emotional weight and prevent the piece from becoming too literal or sentimental.
- Shape the melodic line to follow the arc of decision and reflection in Frost's words, allowing silence and breath to carry as much meaning as the sung phrases.
- Balance clarity of diction with musicality, particularly in moments where harmonic color deepens the ambiguity of the text.
How to use it
This octavo works particularly well as a concert opener or closer, its literary foundation and musical depth giving it appropriate gravity for graduation programs. It also serves festivals and competitions where artistic interpretation and attention to text matter as much as technical display.
Skills your students will build
- Interpreting poetry through musical expression and phrasing
- Understanding how harmonic color and melodic contour shape text meaning
- Singing with expressive intention and emotional nuance
- Blending voices while maintaining individual line independence in SSA texture