Two Songs after Friday Afternoons: ChoralWorks(Secular)-UpperVoices

Howard's text selection here is refreshingly honest and playful. The pairing of "Big Bums" with "Pi (A Pie?)" gives young singers permission to find humor and personality in their material, making the learning process feel less formal and more genuinely joyful. The musical setting matches this tone perfectly, creating a piece that young performers will actually want to sing.

Light-hearted and modern without being pretentious. The music honors its texts with clarity and directness, allowing young voices to shine while the piano provides colorful accompaniment. These songs feel like a conversation with the audience rather than a formal presentation.

Upper-voice children's choirs and school ensembles looking for contemporary repertoire that connects with singers emotionally and intellectually. Directors seeking short, substantive pieces that work well in school concerts, community performances, or festivals.

• Approach the humor straightforwardly. Children respond to material that treats them as intelligent listeners; let the slightly cheeky titles and wordplay land naturally without winking at the audience.
• Work the text-setting carefully with your pianist. The interplay between voices and piano is intimate across just 5 minutes, so clarity of diction and rhythmic precision will make the musical ideas pop.
• Balance the two songs as contrasting pieces within the same arc. If the first song establishes one mood, use the second to shift perspective or energy, keeping the overall performance engaging.

Place this on a concert that celebrates contemporary choral writing or pair it with other commissioned works from the past two decades. At just 5 minutes total, it's ideal for concert programming where you want to showcase young singers in a piece that feels current and engaging. It also works well as a standalone concert opener that immediately establishes a warm, approachable tone.

• Text expression and interpretive singing through contemporary material
• Coordination with piano accompaniment in a contemporary idiom
• Part independence across multiple voice lines
• Articulation and clarity in modern musical language
• Understanding composer intention through recent commissioned work