With You: 2-Part Choral Octavo

Beck captures something genuinely funny and moving in a single piece, which is no small feat at the 2-part level. The concept (filling in the blanks about what you'd be to your friend) gives students an immediate emotional entry point, while the musical arc from unison to beginning 2-part keeps the writing accessible without feeling simplistic. Directors get a piece that works equally well in a concert or festival setting, with enough personality to make rehearsals genuinely enjoyable.

Warm, playful, and surprisingly touching. The piece opens with a gentle sweetness that invites singers to smile, then deepens into genuine tenderness as the 2-part writing blooms. There's a real sense of discovery here—both musical and emotional—that tends to create those moments of connection singers remember.

This octavo works beautifully for middle school and high school treble choirs, particularly those just beginning to explore 2-part writing. It's equally at home in younger secondary choirs and concert settings where singers need something contemporary, joyful, and emotionally honest without being overly complex.

• Encourage singers to think about the specific friendship pairs they're imagining while singing. The emotional authenticity will carry the performance.
• Balance the sweetness of the opening unisons carefully; these moments set up the beauty of the later 2-part writing and deserve space to breathe.
• If you're using the optional triads, have your singers mark them in pencil and rehearse them separately first so they don't distract from the melody learning.
• Pay attention to the piano part, which reinforces the piece's wit and warmth; a expressive accompanist makes a real difference in how the piece lands with an audience.

Pair this with other contemporary secular pieces to show the range of modern choral writing, or use it as a concert opener to set an accessible, joyful tone for the evening. It also works well as a contest selection where the combination of musical quality and emotional engagement gives adjudicators something substantive to respond to.

• Transitioning from unison singing to independent 2-part singing
• Maintaining melodic phrasing while learning a second vocal line
• Blending treble voices in parallel harmony
• Reading and performing optional triadic harmony
• Connecting emotional intention to vocal performance