We Are The World 25 For Haiti: SATB Choral Octavo

Roger Emerson's arrangement captures the anthemic power of this global fundraiser while making it accessible to school choirs. The SATB voicing balances singability with the harmonic richness that made the original so affecting, and the 17-page score gives directors room to build to the emotional climax that defines the piece.

The arrangement unfolds with both intimacy and grandeur. It moves from introspective moments that highlight individual voices to sweeping, unified declarations of purpose. The harmonic language sits somewhere between pop sophistication and choral tradition, creating music that sounds both immediate and substantial.

Choirs with strong singers across all four voices and enough rehearsal time to develop dynamic control and text clarity. This works for high school, college, and community ensembles looking for a piece with genuine emotional depth and contemporary relevance.

• Build dynamics gradually across the form. This arrangement rewards patience; resist the urge to sing too full early, leaving nowhere to go when the final sections arrive.
• Balance the message with musicality. The text carries weight, but clarity of diction and phrase shaping will make the meaning land more powerfully than volume alone.
• Consider how soloists interact with the ensemble sections. If featuring individual voices, rehearse the transitions carefully so the shift from soloist to full choir feels intentional rather than abrupt.
• Pay attention to rhythmic precision in the hip-hop influenced sections. Tight ensemble work in these passages will define the contemporary character Emerson built into the chart.

This fits naturally into a concert exploring social consciousness in music, or as a finale that sends audiences out moved and united. It also works as a standalone benefit concert piece or as part of a program that pairs contemporary repertoire with students' own interest in music with purpose.

• Singing sustained legit lines over contemporary rhythmic accompaniment
• Dynamic control across extended phrases and form sections
• Diction clarity in both singable vowels and rhythmic passages
• Ensemble blend in four-part harmony with varied textural density
• Interpreting emotionally charged material with musical integrity