The Future Begins With Us

What better way to emphasize this poetic message than with a goosebump-raising rock ballad?

Once again, we have decided to begin with a solo and develop it into full choir. This time, our recording soloist is Rachel Moody. As you can hear, she has a voice that is both delicate when it needs to be and strong when it needs to be. If your soloist has both of these capabilities, she should have no trouble singing all the way to the chorus. You could use two different soloists for variety, going to the second solo at m. 13. Obviously a lighter voice at the beginning and a stronger one going into the chorus would be appropriate. As always, solos are optional. You could have the entire ensemble or any type of smaller group perform the opening as you see fit.

When the chorus does enter at measure 21, it is written in two parts. The second part is a straightforward harmony that follows the melody line rhythmically. It should be easy enough to use for groups just learning how to sing harmony. The range is also a little lower so you could use it with older boys perhaps combined with some versatile older girls. Even so, it only goes down to a B below the staff.

Our soloist returns at measure 34 with an optional ad libbed descant. Since it is an ad lib, it is not written out on the part. An ambitious soloist might wish to analyze Rachel's solo and imitate it or adapt it. If you do not wish to include it, that's fine. There is certainly enough texture at that point for the song to sound full as it is.

Speaking of texture - this song has a unique blend of instruments that make it absolutely joyful to listen to. We have combined oboe, English horn and soprano sax as a harmonic trio which intertwines throughout the piece. Again, listening to the instrumental tracks will reveal the details of the lines they play, which are exquisite, in our opinion. If you have any budding saxophonists or double reed players, make sure they get a chance to hear this. It's always nice to have an excellent example of how good an instrument can sound. Kudos to our performers Roger Roe (oboe and English horn) and Jim Farrelly (soprano sax).