Wake Me Up! (arr. Deke Sharon): SSA Choral Octavo

Deke Sharon's SSA arrangement captures the infectious optimism of 'Wake Me Up!' while making it accessible for developing singers. The a cappella setting strips away production flourish and reveals the song's genuine emotional core, creating an arrangement that feels both contemporary and genuinely singable for a range of vocal abilities.

Waking up to possibility. The arrangement channels the song's blend of melancholy and hope, with soaring moments that feel earned rather than imposed. There's a lightness to the orchestration that lets the voices shine without feeling spare or undersupported.

SSA choirs looking to program something current and engaging that audiences actually recognize and enjoy. This works equally well for high school and community choirs seeking a modern pop arrangement that doesn't sacrifice musicality or challenge.

• Find the pocket early by establishing the driving rhythmic feel through precise articulation on the repeated vocal figures; this song lives in its groove.
• Balance the three parts so the top line's soaring moments land clearly without drowning the foundational harmonic support underneath.
• Shape the dynamic arc across all ten pages to avoid plateauing; the song needs to feel like it's always moving forward emotionally.
• Commit to the contemporary energy throughout; this arrangement asks for genuine joy and vulnerability, not nostalgia or irony.

Place this in a concert's middle section where you want to shift energy and remind your audience that choral music lives in the contemporary world. It pairs well alongside other modern pop arrangements or as a palate cleanser between classical works, giving your program accessibility without compromising artistic credibility.

• Sustaining accurate pitch while moving rhythmically over repeated harmonic patterns
• Blending three independent vocal lines into unified chords
• Balancing homophonic and rhythmic ensemble singing
• Singing with contemporary pop styling and phrasing without losing classical vocal technique
• Building stamina through a longer contemporary arrangement