We Are The World: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
By Lionel Richie / By Michael Jackson / As performed by USA For Africa / Arranged by John Higgins
Grade: 4
Item: 35-PK00144428
$70.00
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Description
In 1985, an unprecedented collaboration of recording artists created this benefit project for African famine relief. Now 25 years later, the recording industry has stepped up again with a remake of this powerful anthem to aid the relief efforts for Haiti. Here is a well-crafted version that will go together quickly and sound great. Dur: 3:20
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00144428
More about this title
About the Composer: Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie built his career as a master of accessible melody and emotional directness. His work spans pop songwriting, ballad composition, and large-ensemble arrangements that prioritize clarity and singability over technical complexity. In educational settings, his music serves as a bridge between contemporary pop culture and concert music fundamentals.
Why we love this
This arrangement captures the aspirational energy of the original without demanding virtuosic facility from your ensemble. Students respond immediately to material they recognize, and the straightforward harmonic language lets you focus on ensemble balance, phrase shaping, and the genuine emotional weight this song carries. It's the rare popular hit that conducts like concert music.
What to expect
The opening unfolds quietly, almost introspective, before growing into a statement of unity and purpose. The arrangement maintains the original's emotional directness while creating moments of genuine power as the full ensemble enters.
Who it's for
Concert bands seeking repertoire with genuine cultural resonance and positive messaging. This works for groups at the intermediate level who are ready to play popular material seriously, without apology or irony.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the melody with long, purposeful phrases rather than punctuating every bar line. Let the line breathe and build toward the climactic moments.
- Balance the ensemble so the primary voice carries clearly; many band arrangements of pop songs lose the song itself under orchestration. Trust the transparency of this scoring.
- Establish a unified tempo from the downbeat. The 3:20 duration depends on restraint in the first half and building energy only gradually toward the final chorus.
- Pay attention to dynamic control in the middle sections. Grade 4 doesn't mean the band plays at one dynamic; shaping quiet passages will make the forte sections land harder.
How to use it
Consider programming this for a community concert where your audience includes families unfamiliar with concert band repertoire. The song's charitable origins make it especially fitting for benefit concerts or programs themed around social responsibility. Its accessible familiarity also works well as a closing number that leaves audiences energized and connected to your ensemble's work.
Skills your students will build
- Phrasing across multiple measures in pop idioms
- Dynamic control and contrast at Grade 4 level
- Balance and blend when the primary melody is not in the first chair parts
- Sustaining emotional commitment to a familiar arrangement