English

English

Play isn't a break from the work. It is the work.

If your rehearsals feel like a grind and your singers' energy shows it — The Playful Choir is the resource you've been waiting for.

Choral conductor and educator Jonas Rasmussen has spent years developing a rehearsal methodology that brings genuine joy into the room without sacrificing musical rigor. In this debut volume, he hands you 30 field-tested exercises, games, and challenges that will transform how your choir focuses, sounds, and performs together.

 

What's Inside:

• 30 ready-to-use activities organized across 5 chapters: 

  Focus · Sound · Structure · Games · Challenges

• Step-by-step written guides with variations, tips, and notation for every exercise

• Companion video for every single game — watch Jonas lead a real youth choir through each one before you try it yourself

• Works across grade levels, adaptable for middle school, high school, and community choirs

• Instant access! Scan the QR code, register once, and all 30 videos unlock immediately

Composed for New York-based cellist Maxine Neuman, Shawn's colleague at Bennington College. The opening Allegro is a showcase for the technical and expressive range of the cello. Movement II (Largo) is a study in contrasts among the dark, the nervously agitated, and the ethereal. A majestic introduction precedes the concluding Allegro. The concerto closes in a surprisingly subdued, contemplative, even melancholic mood. This work is finely crafted with a modestly demanding orchestration compared to complexity and technical difficulty of many contemporary concertos.2[2/picc] 2[1/eh] 2.cl(B♭) 2.bsn – 4.hn 2.tpt(B♭) 1.tbn 1.btbn 1.tuba – timp perc(1: glck, bd, tub bells) – cel – vc solo – str

English

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A re-voiced version of the popular anthem, now available in TTBB with horn and piano. The vocal lines and lush writing make for a fitting setting of this hymn.

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The solo part of the Steelpan Concerto was actually written for soprano pan, a steel instrument which usually plays the primary part in the Caribbean steel bands. The work was composed in the late summer of 1994 for Liam Teague, a young musician from Trinidad whose musicianship inspired the work, and with the financial assistance of the Woodstock Chimes Foundation, Garry and Diane Kvistad, presidents. It is also an homage to Al O’Connor and the NIU Steel Band—one of the oldest such university groups in existence—and to the artistry of steel drum builder Cliff Alexis, whose instruments’ incredible intonation and tone make them worthy partners in any serious musical endeavor. The work was originally conceived in terms of three distinctly different accompaniments to back up the solo pan player: piano, steel band, and full orchestra. It was also written in such a way that additional parts from the steel band could be added to augment the soloist and his accompanying forces in orchestral performances. Its idiom is a popular one, similar to some extent to the music indigenous to the Caribbean islands, from which it borrows its percussion section. 

The work is in two main sections connected by an extended solo cadenza. The first movement’s title, Reflections, is not only a description of its musical content, style, and tempo, but carries an additional meaning: in Europe reflection is a synonym for pealing, the action of striking a bell. In this context, the movement’s title refers to the bell-like sound of the Alexis instruments; the climax of the movement is intended to be reminiscent of the “change-ringing” of bells popular as a seasonal sport in English church steeples. The second movement, Toccata (touch piece), also carries a double meaning. It is not only an opportunity for the soloist to display his machine-rhythm speed, accuracy, and virtuosity as well as his
phenomenal dynamic control; it is also a connection with that Baroque past with which the name of this composer—despite all efforts to the contrary—is forever associated. —Jan Bach

 

Contents:

• Reflections
• Toccata

Wind Ensemble: 2[2/picc] 2.ob 3.cl(B♭) 1.bcl(B♭) 2.bsn – 2.asx 1.tsx 1.bsx – 4.hn 3.tpt(B♭) 3.tbn 1.euph 1.tuba – perc(1: orch bells, sus cym, conga, bongo, timp, vib, tri, cowbell, flexatone, brake dr, tam-tam) – harp – db
Orchestra: 2[2/picc] 1.ob 2.cl(B♭) 1.bcl(B♭) 1.bsn – 2.hn 2.tpt(B♭) 2.tbn 1.tuba – perc(3) – harp – pan solo – str(min. 6.6.4.4.2)

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Rich, full, exciting setting of GLORIA makes congregation feel like a great chorus surrounded by sound. Optional introductions suggested. Included instrumental parts for Strings (2 Violins, Viola, Cello), Winds (2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 French Horns), and Organ.