It’s Time to Stay Wide Awake

Subject

singing the night away

Year Composed

1994

Year Copyrighted

2011

Voicing

Unison

Musical Form

  • Verse 1
  • Verse 2
  • Verse 3
  • Coda

Song Details

After a deceptive, lullaby-like piano introduction, a jaunty song ensues about staying awake to sing a song that seems to have no end. With each successive verse, the endings grow a bit longer, until the singer tires and the coda arrives with the dawn. To the listener, this song should swing along effortlessly, but articulating the text with the syncopated rhythms will present a fun challenge for the chorus.

Performance options

consider some simple choralography to suggest falling asleep as each verse concludes, then waking up to sing the next verse; think creatively about how to interpret the ending with movement

Suggested uses

  • intermediate and upper grade elementary choruses
  • to practice singing in swing rhythm

Listen to a sample

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It's Time To Stay Wide Awake

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