M-R Music's Wind Band Report No. 1

M-R Music's Wind Band Report

Marching Band / Matrix Music

Vol. 1, No. 1 August 2013

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Hello fellow band director, and and welcome to the first issue of the Wind Band Report, our newsletter specifically for wind band directors! My name is Jeff Girard, and I'll be your guide as we introduce you to some new materials you can use to help your wind band program. Each newsletter will focus on a different area and/or grade of wind band music.

Marching band season is well underway for many of you, and your shows are likely already in production. You may be in need of some fresh new arrangements for your band to play in the stands to work up some energy in your crowd and your players. While many of you may be familiar with the pop tune charts published by Alfred, Arrangers Publishing, and Hal Leonard, Matrix Music (distributed by Jalen Publishing) has published many popular tunes as well and has had a particularly good year of new works.

What I really liked about their arrangements is that while they're not so difficult as to be beyond intermediate bands, they're also musically complex enough to be performed by competitive bands. Some of the groove rhythms are tight enough to make your band work at playing as a whole unit.

Below is a sampling of some of Matrix's new works for the 2013 season, including several well written Michael Jackson charts to use in the stands or even create a show from. Whatever you may think of the performer, his music was exceptional and these charts showcase his musical creativity very well. Click on the images or links below to hear specific arrangements.


Bad From his 1987 Bad album, the video of this song is where Jackson first unveiled his anti-gravity "lean" move. Listen here.	Beat It Mama Say Mama Saw Muma-fusa. What else do you need to say about this funk classic? Listen here.	Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough This shuffle style rock tune has a great groove to it. The trumpets kick it up the octave at the end for some extra wild fun! Listen here.


Smooth Criminal From his 1987 Bad album, the video of this song is where Jackson first unveiled his anti-gravity "lean" move. Listen here.	Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' Mama Say Mama Saw Muma-fusa. What else do you need to say about this funk classic? Listen here.	The Way You Make Me Feel This shuffle style rock tune has a great groove to it. The trumpets kick it up the octave at the end, fun to groove to! Listen here.


Dance To the Music A classic from the Motown years, everyone will recognize Sly and the Family Stone's famous funky riff when it kicks in. Listen here.	Iron Man Your kids want to play it, your fans want to hear it, and this Avengers hero is a star right now. Rock the stands with this Osbourne classic. Listen here.	(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher Add a little soul to your sound with this still popular hit from Jackie Wilson. It's got a nice, accessible groove for your fans to get into. Listen here.

Matrix offers a large number of other great popular titles, like Green Day's Basket Case, Aretha Franklin's soul hit Chain of Fools, Gloria Estefan's driving Conga, Neil Diamond's hit Sweet Caroline, and dozens more. You can download their 2013 catalog as a PDF file, or you can visit their website to browse their complete offerings. I liked a lot of what I heard from them this year, and I hope you will too.

You can also click these links to see the 2013 marching band releases from Alfred, Arrangers Publishers, Hal Leonard, and DevMusic. All of these titles are available to order from M-R Music, so give me a call and I'll get you taken care of.

Meanwhile, to a colleague and spread the word around that the knowledge you came to expect from the former Shattinger Music store is still available here.

Next issue we'll begin delving into new beginning band works - starting with a brand new piece by Frank Ticheli. Stay tuned!