M-R Music's Wind Band Report No. 2

Jeff Girard and M-R Music present

The Wind Band Report

Issue 2 - Grade 1 Band works

Vol. 1, No. 2 August 2013

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Hello fellow band director, and and welcome back to the second issue of The Wind Band Report. I'm Jeff Girard, and my specialty is the wind band realm. Today I'll be talking about literature for your first year band students. Even if you don't teach beginning bands, some of these works are appropriate for use with a 2nd year band or higher. Some of you may even be called upon to guest conduct a beginning group some day, so perhaps this issue can help you find some suitable literature to use.

Due to the many technical limitations of a first year band, it can sometimes be difficult to find quality materials that teach deeper music values to beginning students. Teaching your students early on that there is more to music than the latest pop hit or show tune is a very important step in their musical development.

Here are a few recommendations I think can help fill that need.

(Don't worry, college directors - you literature is coming up next week, see below!)

First Light

Frank Ticheli

Frank Ticheli's 40th composition for band is his first for grade 1 players. The work depicts an early-morning adventure on a river raft. A light-hearted opening glides into a calm setting, followed by a rustic, dance-like section as the sun rises and the players enter rapid currents. The music returns to its carefree origins and then clams as the journey comes to a close.

Ticheli's works are always solid, and this is no exception. Expect to see more grade 1 works from the pen of this master composer in the future.

Listen to First Light. (This will take you to the a DropBox page. That's where I stored the sound file for this piece, so it's legit! Just click "Download" to get the mp3 file.)

#MBMFIR1

Set - $95

The Common Denominator

Robert Sheldon

Robert does a great job of creating an energetic piece that will teach concepts of rhythm, dynamics and sound, while providing a worthy musical experience. It only uses a handful of notes, yet sounds much harder than it really is. Listen to Sheldon's new work from Alfred's "Sound Innovations" series, which provides a sheet of study materials for your students specific to each piece in the series.

#00-39601

Set - $48

To Reach the Summit

Michael Oare

Hal Leonard's new "First Concepts" series features simple instrumentation, a unison bass line, and an optional advanced snare drum part to challenge your faster learners in the percussion. To Reach the Summit is a stately and engaging concert opener which can be programmed on your first band concert, with plenty of variety in the scoring even at this level. Listen to it here.

#04003498

Set - $40

Jester Dance

Mekel Rogers

Jester Dance is a fun piece for your beginning band students, using only six notes and simple rhythms. It's reminiscent of the Renaissance style, bringing some good teaching opportunities in music history. There's plenty of percussion parts to keep your players busy as well. Take a listen to it, it's rather catchy.

#B1548

Set - $40

Going Home

Robert W. Smith

For the last several years Robert W. Smith has been publishing arrangements of lyrical ballads and hymns for beginning band that utilize beautiful scoring techniques within the range of first year band students and plenty of percussion. Going Home is his latest entry, a spiritual that he incorporated into his 9th symphony. Listen to it here, and check out his other works in the series like Be Still My Soul and Abide With Me.

#023-4235-00

Set - $44

I've been listening to numerous promotional CDs of new music for all levels, so give me a call if you need some suggestions or want some help. I'll be happy to do what I can to find the right pieces for you. My listening is ongoing, so I'll have more suggestions in the weeks ahead.

Next issue we're digging out the big guns - works for the top level college groups, featuring an amazing work by Andrew Boysen that I just listened to and was floored by. Don't miss it!

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.