Down by the Salley Gardens - Medium Easy

Quick story... My young arranging self used to search for great folk melodies that would work well as band pieces. My goal was actually to find one that an arranger hadn't ready done. So my searching led me to "Down by the Salley Gardens" and Eureka! I started arranging it and was super excited. Then I went to All State Band and they were doing Michael Sweeney's version (which is awesome btw). So my plans were foiled and that arrangement sat unfinished for a while. However, now that I'm on an "adaptable arrangement" kick, I decided to go ahead and arrange it myself. Y'all.. I love this tune. I could just sit at the piano and plunk away at it for hours. I'll note that this arrangement isn't trying to do anything unique or special.. just a lush and simple setting of a beautiful melody.

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Alouette (Easy)

This is a light and fun arrangement of the famous French-Canadian Folk Song "Alouette." It falls in the easy category and should be able to be accomplished by players as young as first, maybe second year. It goes through a few iterations of the melody and passes it around many times from each instrument to the next. You can choose to swing all or part of it in order to sound more like the original. I didn't choose to notate that to make it more accessible to younger players. Hope you enjoy!

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Slumber My Darling (Easy+)

This is an arrangement of Stephen Foster's "Slumber My Darling." I've always enjoyed this tune since I first came across an arrangement of Alison Krauss singing it (accompanied by Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Conner). I've included a video here if you haven't heard this version.. it's SO good. Also, if you're having students play the tune, it can be a good chance to listen and learn. Such a great tune, hope you make some great music with this arrangement.

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Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór (Medium Easy)

I have been obsessed with this tune since the first time i heard it. It has such a profound "longing" quality to it, and the melody is sweeping and gorgeous. It was written by the traveling harpist Turlough O'Carolan.  When arranging It, I made sure that it would work for brass quintet, despite some challenges for range. Woodwinds will have an easier time with this arrangement, but decent brass players (high school+) should be able to make it sound great as well. When performing I recommend taking as many liberties and freedoms tempo, dynamics, even some ad lib embellishments if you feel comfortable. Percussion can definitely do some ad-libbing--and feel free to go beyond the parts for snare/bass/tambourine. 

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RECOMMENDED LISTENING 
Here's a version of the tune I found long ago on Youtube. This group is absolutely killin' it. And the uilleann pipes are awesome! Give it a listen, then grab your friends and recreate it yourself!

Sailor's Hornpipe (ME)

This is an adaptable quintet arrangement of the famed "Sailor's Hornpipe." Rather than have the highest pitch instrument play the melody the entire time, it passes from instrument to instrument throughout. This is meant to make it a bit more interesting to play for the performers, but also add variety to a tune that's been arranged in so many settings. This will also make it more achievable by younger players by breaking it up some. 

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Skip To My Lou (VE)

This is a fun and easy arrangement of the famed folk tune. Written to be achieved by first/second year players, the range (in the main parts) stays basically within the first octave of learned notes. The melody goes through a few iterations and everybody gets either the full thing or some melodic elements. This would be a GREAT intro to chamber music for young players. It would also work as a flexible instrumentation tune for a Spring Concert!

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Amazing Grace (ME)

This is an arrangement of the famous "Amazing Grace." It has been set for adaptable wind quintet and goes through several arrangements and interactions of the melody, with a mixture of different harmonies and key centers. This would work well as a set during a wind quintet performance, especially as incidental music. ​As with everything, it would also work well as a flexible instrumentation concert band piece. 

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