Just The Way
You Are
Arranged for SSAA
A Cappella
🕰 Style & Background
Style: Smooth 70s Pop meets Vocal Jazz
Originally recorded by: Billy Joel
Arranged by: Natalie Cardillo
Language: English (USA)
🎯 Programming Use
✅ ICHSA/ICCA Ballad
✅ A Cappella Concert
✅ Pops Concert
✅ Thematic Program (love songs, 70s music)
💡 Why This Piece Works
This arrangement honors the tenderness of Billy Joel’s original while introducing a modern a cappella texture that feels more intimate, youthful, and vocally expressive.
The upper voices create an ambient, almost dreamlike atmosphere through repeated “oo”s and “mm”s — not just background filler, but the emotional heartbeat of the piece, gently echoing the soloist’s inner thoughts.
Subtle syncopation gives the background vocals a pulse without overpowering. The groove sways rather than drives, maintaining a relaxed, reflective feel that invites deep listening.
Around the bridge — especially in the “I took the good times, bad times” section — a delicate harmonic shift lifts the emotional weight of the piece. It’s like watching someone quietly open up, both musically and emotionally.
While the arrangement leans on recurring motifs and syllables, each repetition evolves — building in color and intensity before settling back into stillness. The final “just the way you are” doesn’t land like an ending, but like a whispered promise: soft, certain, and sincerely felt.
Audiences will love hearing this beloved song presented in such a tasteful and heartfelt way. In competitions like ICHSA and ICCA, where many sets lean loud and intense, this arrangement offers a refreshing contrast — a beautiful, breath-catching moment that invites the listener to pause, feel, and simply take it in.
🎵 Musical Characteristics
Melodic Range
Key and Tonality
G Major
Solfege Accessibility: Challenging — A lot of chromaticism with some double sharps
🍎 Tips from the Teacher
Focus on gentle, jazz-influenced tone with a seamless, blended ensemble sounds
Spend time fine-tuning chromatic lines for clarity and precision in tuning
The verses are repetitive — challenge your singers to shape each one with intentional emotion and vocal color
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