Garrett Breeze

Teaching Arranging in the Choral Classroom

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Exposure to arranging at a young age was one of the things that kick-started my love for music. It enabled me to learn the music I wanted to play and gave me the tools I needed to eventually start creating my own music.

Unfortunately, arranging is not traditionally part of the curriculum in secondary music education. This course was created to change that by giving teachers the tools they need to introduce arranging to their students in an accessible way.

Contrary to popular belief, your students don’t need to have music theory or notation experience in order to start arranging.  In fact, arranging at a young age is one of the best things they can do to help those skills develop.  

It’s time to stop treating arranging as an advanced activity that can only be taught after other skills are mastered.  Basic principles of arranging can be taught at ANY level.

The course consists of four lessons (each with a listening assignment) followed by a final project in which students will arrange one chorus of a popular song for SATB a cappella choir.

It was designed with ensemble choir classes in mind, giving students the rare opportunity to sing each other’s music and learn from each other.  Students should be encouraged to complete their final project using the tools they feel most comfortable with be it pencil and paper, computer notation, recording, or live performance.

I think you will find teaching and learning arranging in this way to be a unique and rewarding experience.

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Garrett Breeze

COMPOSER, ARRANGER

Garrett Breeze is a composer, arranger, and orchestrator whose credits include film, television, video games, Broadway stars, major classical artists, and many of the top school music programs in the U.S.

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