House Made Of Gingerbread

This is not your grandmother's gingerbread house. When you saw the title of this piece, you probably thought it would be a happy little shuffle, didn't you? Surprise. We actually prefer to think of this one as more on the mysterious side, which will hopefully make it appealing to older students, too. Set in a halftime rock groove, it pulses extremely well under the moody, atmospheric accompaniment.

Starting out at mezzo forte in unison, it borrows the classic fairy tale opening, "Once upon a time..." The modal melody continues the story with a description of the unique structure and its surroundings until the chorus at bar 25. At this point, it becomes forte and is joined by part 2. While this second part is optional, it is helpful when it covers the endings with "House (Walls) made of gingerbread," as if to punctuate the purpose. Even so, it is covered in the orchestration in case you need the substitution or reinforcement. And yes, we have a rehearsal track on our web site to help your singers learn their part.

At the D.S., it's back down to mezzo forte, this time with part 2 staying in. Again to the chorus, then to the coda. The transition to the coda is a little tricky, so singers will need to be on their toes. After another statement of the chorus and a grandly building accompaniment, the piece winds down for the ending. Bar 46 is sung four times, each time getting quieter – another opportunity for learning and applying musical concepts. Everything stops together at the same time in the last bar on the last beat. Pretty sweet.