GBHC Thank You Song For Gareth
A few months ago, a friend who has been taking part in Gareth Malone’s Great British Home Chorus asked for my assistance in writing an arrangement of ‘Thank You For The Music’.
Hundreds of GBHC members world wide have come together on a dedicated GBHC facebook group to form a support network throughout lockdown, with my friend, Judith Crosier, being one of the group admins. Their aim is to share musical resources for the choir, as well as being a place of friendship and support for anyone who needs it.
‘Thank You For The Music’ was to be a secret “thank you song” to Gareth Malone, a thank you for starting the choir and for his tireless work, teaching and live-streaming rehearsals throughout the the pandemic.
When I joined the project, member of the GBHC group had already written their own words to the tune of ABBA’s ‘Thank You For The Music’. I wrote an approachable SATB arrangement which would be suitable for all abilities and which the choir could learn quickly, as they had a short turnaround time in which to learn and record their parts. My arrangement was then combined with a few elements from an earlier draft which had been formed by members of the choir.
The arrangement was enjoyed by all and it was a lovely project to be part of.