Material Girl

One of the greatest benefits about being a composer is having the opportunity to meet and work with new people that love music as much as I do (or more!). One of those people was Megan Lewis, who I connected with in a choir directors Facebook group. After doing some transposition work on some music for her, she asked if I would be willing to make a couple arrangements for her students’ pop concert, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! And thus, my choral arrangements of Material Girl by Madonna and Take On Me by A-ha were born, and they were premiered in the Spring of 2023 by the Creekwood Middle School choir. Since I had only heard the songs on the radio before, it wasn’t until I worked on these arrangements that, when listening closely, I could hear more specific instruments, synths, and harmonies that I had never noticed before. It’s always fun discovering a deeper side of a song, no matter what style or genre. I encourage you to take a closer listen to one of your favorite songs; you never know what cool musical techniques you might find!