Winter Again

Some folks think upon winter in a somber, joyless, and forlorn kind of way. But not our John Riggio! As soon as this song begins playing, it projects a happy vibe that's sure to make folks think well of our coldest months. You remember the Coca-Cola® polar bear commercials that aired a few years back? Did they look sad and depressed because it was cold out? We think not.

To add to the upbeat lightness, the tune starts out with a four-on-the-floor island beat style, which doesn't exactly conjure up images of blizzard conditions, but it sure is fun! It moves into a rock style for the chorus at measure 13 each time, then back into the island groove for the verse. It rocks even harder from measure 28 to the end, complete with a new electric guitar riff and thrashing drums.

The vocal line has a few challenging rhythms, but it's so fun and repetitive, our singers learned it very quickly. One spot you may need to play over for your students is in measure 34. The Bb to Ab movement is new, but again, once our singers heard it, it made total sense to them. The repeat at measure 28 is where we've added an optional part 2. You'll probably want to rehearse these rhythms and words separately with your students before taking the song at full speed.

Performance suggestions? Bring your coats, mittens, and boots! Bring ski goggles, ear muffs, and plastic sleds! Have a backdrop of a winter wonderland, if you have the means. This is a happy, hook-laden tune that your youngsters will love to sing and audiences will love to hear!