Goodbye, Summer

Saying goodbye to summer is never easy. But maybe singing a song about it can ease the sorrow just a little. And even if it doesn't, you can at least have fun trying, especially when the song is as singable as this one. Set in a slow '50s triplet-based style, the melody has an easy, familiar kind of feeling to it. Even our younger singers learned it quickly.

To make it a little more interesting and challenging, consider adding the optional second part. This part is divisi, which is also optional, and adds a great stylistic background accompaniment, whether you're using our recorded tracks or not. If you like these background vocals but don't have the singers to pull it off, we have created a second instrumental version on the recording (track 24) that includes part 2. And of course, it can also be used as reinforcement for your own background singers.

Another way to spice up the tune is to use a soloist. Again, we have included an extra version (track 6) to demonstrate how this might work. Our soloist, Shelbie Phillips, sang the first time at measure 5, and was joined by the rest of the chorus the second time. You'll note that she used stylized embellishments freely, which your soloist (or soloists) could also do.

To help your singers learn their parts, we have isolated all three vocal lines and put them on our web site as MP3s that you and they can download for free. We also included an a cappella version that is so neat, it will likely inspire your singers to try it this way, too. (See the box following for details.)

Online extras - The free, downloadable extras mentioned can be found under the Graphics and Extras for Volume 20, No. 1 at MusicK8.com