The Tiger: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo

Name: The Tiger: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-SV9154
Price: 2.50 USD
Availability: InStock

By Sherri Porterfield

Level: Moderate

Item: 00-SV9154

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Musical life is breathed into William Blake's stunning text. Intensity builds throughout this well-constructed work. Sherri captures the excitement, the fear, and dread of the tiger. A wonderful new work for concert, contest or festival. Creative yet accessible. This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud and Music Prodigy. 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 Tiger: 3-Part Mixed 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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Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 12

UPC: 029156133769

SKU: 00-SV9154

More about this title

About the Composer: Sherri Porterfield

Sherri Porterfield directs choirs at Cedar Park Middle School in Cedar Park, Texas, where her ensembles have earned numerous first-place and sweepstakes awards at competitions and performed at state music educators conventions. Her teaching career spans Missouri, Kansas, and Texas, and she has served as an adjunct assistant professor of music education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. She earned her B.S.E. in music education from the University of Memphis and her Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

A prolific composer with over 175 published choral works, Porterfield has received annual ASCAP awards for her compositions since 1997. Her music appears in catalogs published by Alfred Music and other major publishers. She has worked as a clinician and guest conductor with honor choirs across the United States and serves as an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Choral Directors Association, American Choral Directors Association, and ASCAP.

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Why we love this

Porterfield captures the raw energy of Blake's poem without oversimplifying it for young singers. The piece builds with genuine musical architecture, allowing middle school singers to experience how intensity develops through compositional choices rather than high notes alone. SAB voicing keeps parts singable while the text work demands real interpretive engagement.

What to expect

A controlled storm building from wonder into something darker and more unsettling. The music mirrors Blake's famous questions about creation and power, moving through moments of awe and menace with a sense of inevitability. Singers feel the tension between beauty and danger in the text, and the composition asks them to express both.

Who it's for

Middle school choirs ready to tackle a piece with genuine artistic depth and literary substance. The moderate difficulty level suits singers who can handle part-singing and respond to interpretive direction without needing simplified harmonies or rhythm.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the dynamic arc carefully in rehearsal, marking the specific measures where the intensity peaks and where it pulls back. Young singers often rush forward or plateau rather than follow the score's contour.
Address the text as a dramatic narrative from the start. Ask singers what they understand about Blake's tiger before learning notes; this investment pays off in performance presence.
Balance clarity of diction with the building intensity. Slow down to articulate key consonants in early rehearsals, then gradually layer in the forward momentum.

How to use it

Program this alongside other secular choral works that feature strong poetic texts to create a concert that values literary interpretation. It works well in festival or contest contexts because the moderate difficulty level leaves room for artistic growth during rehearsal, and the Blake connection appeals to adjudicators and audiences alike. Consider pairing it with contrasting material to highlight its dramatic intensity.