Sound Innovations: Ensemble Development for Young Concert Band is a complete curriculum for beginning band students to help them grow as ensemble musicians. The series complements any band method and supplements any performance music. It contains 167 exercises, including more than 100 chorales by some of today's most renowned young band composers. Various exercises at the grade 1/2, 1, and 1 1/2 levels are grouped by key, including: * Long Tones* Passing the Tonic* Pitch Matching* Scale Builders* Interval Builders* Expanding Intervals* Chord Builders* Moving Chord Tones* Diatonic Harmony* Rhythmic Subdivision* 5-Note Scales* Scale Canons (5-, 6-, or 8-Note Scales)* Scale Chorales (5-, 6-, and 8-Note Scales) * ChoralesThe compositions were written by Roland Barrett, Chris Bernotas, Jodie Blackshaw, Matt Conaway, Ralph Ford, Tyler S. Grant, Rob Grice, John O'Reilly, Robert Sheldon, Todd Stalter, Randall Standridge, Michael Story, and Scott Watson. Whether your students are progressing through exercises to better their technical facility, or improving their musicianship with beautiful chorales, we are confident your performers will be excited, motivated, and inspired by using Sound Innovations: Ensemble Development for Young Concert Band. / Concert Band

(Concert Opener)-We Meet Again is a regal overture for developing bands that evolves from a powerful fanfare into a fugue-like allegro section building to a glorious ending. This concise concert opener will excite young musicians the firsttime through the piece and keep them intrigued with each repetition. Commissioned by the Waller (TX) Jr. High Band and premiered at the 2009 National Concert Band Festival. Dur: 1:50 (Grade 2.5)

Bringing to mind the scenic majesty of the northern forests Michael's fresh-sounding overture for young players opens with a powerful fanfare before introducing the energetic main theme in 5/4. Carefully using repetitive patternscombined with a unique harmonic treatment and brief lyric section this work provides musical depth in a framework that is easy to teach. (Grade 2.5) Dur: 4:00

Durkle Bandrydge is the name of the composers imaginary world but it could very well be anyones invisible dream world with a different name. In this very versatile suite by Bruce Fraser 8 characters are featured each with its ownpeculiarities making Durkle Bandrydge such a colourful place. Do these characters differ that much from us? That is for you to find out! In the last part all characters come together in a special way.Durkle Bandrydge exists at the end ofyour street. It is invisible to humans but Durkle Bandrygators can watch us with great interest. The music will introduce you to some of the characters who live in this unusual place. The parts: Somnanbulyss who is a giant trollguarding the entrance to Durkle Bandryde. At least he is supposed to but he tends to sleep most of the time. His music is therefore very slow moving and sleepy. Long Gwysteen is a tall mysterious and somehow sophisticated character who walls around with a shell on his back. His music glides along rather gracefully. Squelfitch is a rather unpleasant and smelly character who lives in a bog which is why his music sounds rather slimy and a bit like trying to walkthrough quicksand. Perfydlia is a meddling old woman who gossips about everybody and squeals with sudden delight at the small exciting bits of tittletattle about others in the village. In the music you can hear her sudden little squealsof delight. Maryann Lovely is a beautiful young lady graceful gorgeous absolutely devine and her music is obviously just the same. Thistledoo Nicely is a lively character who spends and spends and spends with her credit card buying the latest fashion and never worries about having to pay the bills. Her music reflects her excitement when shopping and het ‘happy go lucky’ approach to life. Marsyn Edginton is the Lord of the manor the richest man in town the‘big cheese’ the man with all the power and of course the biggest house. He is very grand and his music like he could be a king. Jimmy McScotsmyn is a red haired scotsman wearing tartan cap. He misses his home country terribly and eatslots of shortbread oatcakes scotch eggs porridge and drinks an enormous amount of Scotch Wisky which helps him to have fond memories of the kind of music he would like to dance to when he was a younger man. His favourite dance is a Jig andthis is the music he remembers. Grand March of the Durkle Bandrydgators. We hope that you have enjoyed meeting these characters from Drukle Bandrydge and would invite you to listen to all the villagers now march along in a grand parade -it is a pity that you can not see them what is a wonderful sight. If you listen carefully you will hear the melodies which belong to the characters as they march past. Oh what a grand spectacle!

Sometimes though it?s hard to find performance literature that lets us continue teaching the basics while we prepare the beginning band for a concert. We need easy performance music that helps make basic techniques come alive for the students. Composed by a full-time ?young band? director Abaco Beach Vacation is designed to do just that. There are a lot of great suggestions included in the ?Notes to the Director ? which will help get them playing the way you?d like them to.Let them have fun while they learn!

Characteristic of Richard's distinctive style this impressive piece features a rhythmic vitality throughout along with fresh harmonies and skilled orchestrational devices. Amid the powerful fanfare-like phrases Richard creates a brief calm section using the woodwinds and a unique layering effect before building to the dynamic ending. Great sounds for young players - all in one tempo throughout!

Preludio and Andante in Swing for Flugel Horn or Trumpet and Concert Band-Raffaello Sanzio better known simply as Raphael was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His paintings have been admired and imitated for centuries and his architectural works have had a considerable influence. He is seen as one of the finest painters in the history of Western art as well the supreme master of preliminary drawings for his numerous projects. Raphael’s works have always been appreciated and studied and are regarded as jewels of academic art.This composition is inspired by the great painter and his dazzling works but also the composer’s own brother Rafael or Rafa to who this piece is dedicated. With its entertaining Andante inSwing and peaceful Preludio we have a rich picture of a generous understanding and loving person wholly dedicated to music teaching particularly to younger children. Thanks to his many qualities the young pupils enrich their musical faculties and broaden their knowledge.Like a well chosen metaphor Raphael is dedicated to Rafa whose great achievement is in stimulating and educating the young - and not so young - through his remarkable work at the Allegro Centro Musical (Valencia Spain) with the aim of providing them with a solid musical training in order to become good musicians and well-adjusted people.

Written to depict the small town life and scenic beauty of a New England village Monmouth Overture features a single reoccurring theme that winds its way throughout this composition in a modified theme and variation form.A musical rewarding work for younger players it once again demonstrates Michael Sweeney's command of the young band idiom. Recorder parts are optional.

Grade 0.5 - Score and Parts-Perfect for that first festival experience or as a graduation processional/recessional the regal quality of Heroic Fanfare and March fits the young wind ensemble to a T. Appropriate ranges and a stately tempo mean you will be able to prepare this majestic statement in a reasonable amount of time even if like so many young bands you get only one or two rehearsals per week.

Julius Fucik (1872-1916) was born in Prague Czech Republic. He studied under Antonin Dvorák and at a young age played in military bands and later became bandmaster a profession he practiced in various cities with many bands. In 1913 he settled in Berlin where he started his own music publishing house. As a composer Fucik is known for his light entertaining music however he also wrote chamber music songs choral works a mass a requiem and an unfinished opera. Many of his works have fallen into oblivion but many of his marches such as Einzug der Gladiatoren Regimentskinder and Florentiner Marsch are still often played. With the concert overture Marinarella Fucik takes us toan imaginary seaside resort on a beautiful spring day. Marinarella a girl of the sea accompanies us on our stroll. Leisurely walking couples on the boulevard the murmur of the sea fragments of a waltz melody from a café and a concert band performing a promenade concert pass you by. A fantastic opening work for any concert.

It would be difficult to find another grade 2 selection with as much drama and musical depth as this impressive work from young band master Michael Sweeney. Depicting the momentous events of the final day of battle at Gettysburgin the Civil War this composition paints vivid musical images including the early morning church bells the artillery duel between the two armies the parade-like advance of Confederate troops in Pickett's charge and ultimatelythe crucial final battle. Included are extensive historical notes to help make this a complete and meaningful experience for performers and listeners alike. A one-of-a-kind composition!

Letter from Sado is an exciting new piece for young band based on a Japanese haiku of the same name. Sado refers to Sado Island in Japan in which various artists religious and military leaders were sent in exile many years ago. The island hashistorically had a strong community of taiko drummers and as such the piece incorporates optional homemade taiko drums. Blackshaw writes: ?To capture the idea of interpretation and the concept of reading between the lines the students are invitedto become decision makers about particular sections in the music. For example the opening and closing sections of the piece use the same material which is a selection of repeated melodic figures. The students themselves decide how to play thesefigures as individuals in small teams and then as a whole band. Their decisions include ideas regarding tempo (how fast?) dynamics (how loud?) and articulation (smooth short or hard?). To inspire them we use the haiku poem; i.e. the openingsection invites the students to play the material as if it were a stormy wild sea and the closing section invites the students to play the same melodic figures but this time draw their inspiration from Heavens River or as we know it the MilkyWay. In-between there is an elaborate heavily textured section that becomes increasingly powerful. The music doesnt rest harmonically until the whole band plays in unison. These multiple layers of sound represent the many thoughts and ideas thatwould have surrounded those individuals sent to Sado Island in exile the final unison is representative of their own breakthrough experience sending them on a pathway to inner peace and acceptance.? Embrace your players creativity offer them yourtrust and see how far Letter from Sado can take your band!

Michael again demonstrates his ability to develop unique and powerful-sounding music for the grade 1 level. Through the careful use of dissonances strong rhythmic themes and creative handling of the percussion section he bringsus a striking piece of music that is very attainable by young players.

for Multi-level Combined Bands-Combining a district-wide extravaganza for players of all levels creates an exciting spectacle for parents while providing much needed incentives for the younger players. Shorewood Overture is specifically designed to beperformed by multi-level bands and rather than the typical massed band number where everyone plays at once this ingenious overture allows each level to be featured briefly by itself along with sections where everyone playstogether. In addition the “Level 3” parts include cues (also in the Level 3 score) which allows the piece to be performed by a single ensemble. Dur: 4:20 Note: Level 2/Level 1 versions are not playableseparately