Concert Works

Free sheet music! No really, free. The following concert band pieces were written for the Beta Omicron Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi Call for Scores. The goal of the event is to produce more grade 2 and 3 works for middle school bands, and to donate the works for free use to all bands. Links to Google Drive folders containing full score and parts can be found by each work's description.

Yankee's Doodle

Grade Level: 3

Duration: 4 min 48 sec

One of America’s oddest and hokiest patriotic tunes gains new life in this arrangement for concert band. Opening with the traditional sounds of fife and drum, Yankee Doodle soon becomes more interesting in a canon which changes the mood from major to minor. The Shostakovich-like angst is abruptly shifted to the sounds of Chicago jazz, in a boisterous and high energy arrangement featuring solo trumpet and clarinet. The piece then slows down into separate woodwind and brass chorales, styled in a more contemporary American concert band atmosphere. The piece comes to a triumphant close in a march that is reminiscent of John William’s Olympic Theme.

The goal of this piece was to take a well known and mildly annoying piece of music and make it enjoyable and interesting to perform and to listen to. My hope is to introduce great composers to young musicians with a more recognizable melody.

Milky Way March

Grade Level: 3

Duration: 3 min 45 sec

A fun little march, this piece is a great melodic way to help students become comfortable with dotted-eighth sixteenth note rhythms. The opening and “A” melodies introduce themes of joy and innocence, inspired by the child-like wonder the cosmos bring to people across cultures, young and old. As we move into the trio, the French horns bring in a new melody filled with adventure and exploration. As the band joins in, the exploration turns into a moment of awe, looking out into the great unknown and appreciating its simple beauty. An optionally solo trumpet brings us back to our first motifs, now with a sense of pride and triumph, for we are a part of this wondrous cosmic ecosystem. A final extension ramps up the energy to a powerful ending, a great way to open a concert set.

More Pieces for Concert Band

An Adventure Begins!

Originally written for six trombones, An Adventure Begins! takes the listener on an imaginary journey of a legendary hero. The challenging piece pushes the ensemble to perform with high technical achievement and cohesive energy to create a thrilling performance.

Tales in Time: Overture

Written for my close friend and mentor in college, Jason Oritz.

"If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music." - Gustav Mahler