Amber moons are beautiful and rare full moons, created when the sun
is high in the sky and directly opposite the moon.
Amber Moon begins with an opening fanfare, then moves into the first theme
based on this fanfare. A second statement of the theme is repeated
softly, followed by a lyrical secondary theme in the woodwinds.
Variations follow this statement, and cyclically, like the comings
and goings of the Moon and Sun, the piece concludes with a return to
the initial theme.
Azimuth is a dynamic composition for the beginning concert band.
Designed to be played in an ensemble's first concert, the notes and
rhythms are limited to those first learned by beginning students.
Both dramatic and heroic, the piece is fun to play while also
offering a multitude of teaching opportunities throughout.
Written for first-year band students, this accessible and fun march
will be a great contest or festival march choice. The development
of tempo consistency, articulations, and the ability to count rests
are key educational components of this beginning-level composition.
Your ensemble and audiences will enjoy this piece intended to fit
your developing band’s needs while improving its skills.
Inception means “the starting point,” and with this work, your
students' introduction to performance music is made especially
exciting with Inception’s strong, serious style. This piece will
serve as the student's first introduction to truly exciting band
music. Popular composer Joseph Compello gives fledgling musicians
a chance to put their initial skills to use in front of an
audience.
Named after the newly discovered comet ISON, this new piece from
composer Kevin Mixon will have your very beginning students
intrigued from the start. The piece is energetic and is exactly
what students love to play! The most challenging rhythm is two
repeated eighth notes and uses only the first six notes learned in
most beginning band methods.
Written to honor the courage of the men and women who venture into
space, this work helps reinforce young brass players' embouchures
and pitch recognition while also developing beginning essential
fingerings for woodwind players. A great concert or contest
opener that will show off new players developing skills while also
giving every section a chance to shine.
Apollo Overture is written especially for very beginning
bands in order to teach rhythmic accuracy, ensemble balance, and
tone quality. The overture uses only the first six notes from the
SOUNDS SPECTACULAR BAND COURSE
and can be the beginning band's very first piece.
Night Fury is intended to portray a mythological time
period, full of adventure and excitement with images of dragons,
castles, and other legendary creatures. Composer Carol Brittin
Chambers was highly influenced by dramatic film scores while
creating this epic, fast-paced composition playable by young
musicians.
The North Star appears to the naked eye as a single bright star in
a circle of apparent darkness. This has made it a beacon and a
guide to explorers and travelers. "North Star" is a dramatic
fanfare for band that celebrates the courageous exploration of the
unknown in search of personal discovery and freedom. Composer
Peter Terry continues to write interesting music for even the
youngest of band musicians.
Sailing Into the Moon, a strong tuneful beginning band
piece, was inspired by the image of a Windjammer sailing toward
the rising moon on the horizon. Veteran composer Gary Fagan draws
from his experience as a long time educator to provide music that
students will enjoy learning and performing.
Skyburst is a dynamic piece for beginning band that depicts a
flight as it first jumps into the stratosphere above the clouds.
Skyburst is a fanfare-like composition with lots of dramatic
possibilities that serve nicely to highlight the strengths of your
beginning group for concert or festival performance. The piece
will capture the attention of your students, audiences and
adjudicators alike.
Inspired by NASA’s Starliner, this composition offers players
interesting, yet easy, melodic material and countermelodies that
will let your students work on phrasing and balance while still
having fun. Short percussion solos and an emphasis on developing
low brass and woodwinds make this an excellent concert opener or
contest selection
Featuring a lovely and appropriate use of mallet percussion
instruments, especially bells and other delicate members of the
percussion section, Northern Lights is evocative,
melodically distinguished and cleverly scored to help a young band
sound its best. The contrast between the natural minor of the
woodwind melody at the beginning and the grander, major mode brass
theme introduced later is nicely maintained throughout this very
effective piece.
Bill Calhoun is quickly becoming one of the best composers in this
business. He has a way of writing pieces that are exciting,
well-scored, interesting and different. Night Flight shows
his aggressive side with a piece that starts strong, right out of
the gate. The fearless-sounding melody lifts up players and
audience, grabs hold of them and takes them on the musical journey
of a flight into the night sky. A perfect selection to showcase
your developing band at a contest or festival performance.
Galactic Episode takes the performer and listener on a
musical journey through time and space, both externally and
internally. Jay Coles, pours his energy into a piece that will
grab the attention of your students and never let it go.
The contemplative opening measures of Sunchaser set the mood by
depicting the dawn of a new day, quickly launching into a spirited
adventure full of energy and life. Composer Carol Brittin Chambers
gives us a beautiful work rife with musical imagery that students
will love to play. Sunchaser is a perfect selection to highlight
the strengths of your young band at your next festival.
Composed about the possibilities for greatness that lie within
each day, this concert fanfare starts inquisitively before moving
to a musical reminder of the challenges we all face daily.
Reinforcing several basic 6/8 rhythmic patterns that performers
need to learn, this piece also offers development opportunities
for articulation accuracy while playing in a light, precise style.
Listening for melodic elements and balance will also be improved.
Use this to start your next concert in an uplifting way and as a
meaningful opportunity to discuss the power of making positive
choices.
Cosmic Expeditiontakes performers on a musical journey far across the
galaxy. This fanfare composition by Michael Miller is perfect for
a concert opener. Starting with bold brass fanfare figures over
textural woodwinds, this piece takes the listener on a sonic
journey through a variation of harmonic colors, timbral and
textural shifts.
Written for intermediate-level bands, Moontowers intends
to evoke a fantastical atmosphere containing huge mythical
constructs – such as stone edifices – that rise from a lunar
surface, softly illuminated by reflected light from another
galactic source, while also allowing listeners to create their
own, more specific visual interpretation. The piece also pays
homage to the metal towers that once existed in cities through the
U.S. intended to brighten the areas at times when there was
insufficient natural moonlight. A perfect selection for those
directors in search of a contemplative work to round out concert
programs.
Written for smaller bands with limited instrumentation that are
looking for more challenging compositions, this complex
composition will develop musicians counting and rhythmic precision
skills while also working on cut-time and tonguing. Definitely a
different type of composition, this will entertain performers and
audiences alike with its tongue-in-cheek approach.
Yukiko Nishimura's lush ballad Winter Milky Way will take
students on an interstellar journey. With whimsical lines and
jazz-influenced harmonies the piece is both idiomatic and
impressive, just right for intermediate bands. Winter Milky Way is
sure to delight performers and audiences alike.
Mercury, known as the messenger of the gods, is easily identified
by his unique winged shoes (talaria) and hat (petasos).
Chasing Mercury depicts exactly that: a playful chase of
the winged messenger. By whom? It is up to the young musicians who
have the opportunity to bring this work to life. Those who are
familiar with Gustav Holst's Mercury will notice the
opening motif chasing two themes of Holst's around the rest of the
work –giving Chasing Mercury a second meaning. This fun
and playful piece is certain to entertain and delight.
A poignant balladic description of a memory of a New Mexico
night sky, this lyrical piece encapsulates the feeling of wonder
and humility felt when we stare out at a sky seemingly filled
with hundreds of little moons. Beginning with subtle percussion
and a cross-cued euphonium solo, a wistful theme is developed
and passed throughout the ensemble. Multiple expressive demands
related to phrasing, balance, listening, and tone let you teach
these in a composition that sounds harder than it is. Use this
ballad as a contrast to your opener in concert or as a second
selection in festival or contest performances.
Carolyn Bremer's stellar showpiece, as recorded and performed by the top wind ensembles and bands in our nation, was first composed for orchestra but has rocketed to success in this version for concert band by the composer. Based on our national anthem, which gives the piece its title as well as much of its musical content, Early Light has become an iconic monument to American achievements from ballparks to the international space station. This exciting showpiece has just been added to the Texas UIL Prescribed Music List for festival/contest use. Duration: 5'30"
A tour de force concert opener (or a striking closer) that rips
right out of the gate with a four-note motive functioning as the
genesis for the rest of the piece. It comes complete with bursts
of brass fanfares, woodwind flourishes, percussion interjections,
and biting harmonies that build tension only resolved at the final
chord. This piece packs an incredible amount of music in a short
period of time. Before you know it, wham! It's over. One of
O'Loughlin's finest works to date!
Composer David Maslanka brings a short 3 minute fanfare into
existance based on inspiration from a prayer by St. Francis of
Assisi. Often high school bands do not get the opportunity to
perform music by this important composer due to their length and
difficulty, but this piece is well within the reach of many high
school groups. Certainly it will be a standard in the reportoire.
STARGAZING was breathtakingly avant-garde when premiered in 1969;
today it's an enticing (even charming) time capsule of an era
shaped by Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, the emergence
of Moog synthesizers, and radical changes to societal norms.
