Jingle Bells - beginning band
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This is a simple, straight-forward arrangement of Jingle Bells for beginning band. I wrote this to align with first year player's abilities around the time of the first Winter/Holiday Concert. The abilities needed won't stretch young players, AND it is a full-length beginner piece. The low brass/reeds also gets a chance at the MELODY! Check it out... a great festive tune for the youngest of players 🔔🎊
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Jolly Old St. Nicholas - beginning band
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Jolly Old St. Nicholas is so catchy, probably because it's strikingly similar to Pachelbel's Canon. This version is arranged to be played by beginning/young band musicians (so not quite Pachelbel style). The music is tutti throughout, but the low voices get the melody for part of the second time through. The harmonies are SAB throughout to allow for a great sound with varying instrumentation. To facilitate the beginners, the notes required are Concert Bb to Concert Ab, aligning with the progression of most beginning band books. This piece would be a fun addition to a first holiday concert!
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Up on the Housetop - beginning band
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Up on the Housetop is great because it is so flexible in arranging for different levels (i.e. scroll to the bottom to see an advanced version). The melody is fun and accessible and it's able to be accomplished with minimal notes...not even a full octave! This would be a great addition to a holiday concert or just playing in class/sight-reading. Enjoy!
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A Christmas Fantasy - Easy
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A Christmas Fantasy is a fantasia on several Christmas tunes for young concert band. The piece features the famed Bell Carol, God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, O Come O Come Emmanuel, and even quotes some others like Jingle Bells and What Child is This. This piece was premiered in 2012 as an exciting holiday concert closer for a combined 7th and 8th grade band in a gym that was boomy and really loud (but also epic).
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Holiday Mash-Up - (easy)
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This is a mash-up of a plethora of tunes from the Holiday Season! And they're all mashed-up together. Seamlessly transitioning from one to another... playing ON TOP of each other... AND Jingle Bells and Good King Wenceslas literally get in a fight. Who wins? Who knows.. you'll have to play the piece to find out. Full (I think) tunes list includes: Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels, Ding Dong Merrily On High, O Come All Ye Faithful, Good King Wenceslas, Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, Up on the Housetop, First Noel, Silent Night, O Christmas Tree, Jolly Old Saint Nick, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Angels We Have Heard On High. When I first performed this (back in 2012?? Where has time gone??), I included a "fill in the blank" portion of the program for attendees to try and guess all the tunes as we played it... lots of fun!
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From Wintry Darkness-Light! (medium/medium-easy)
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"From Wintry Darkness-Light!" is a piece for concert band. It takes several of the minor key Christmas tunes (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Ukrainian Bell Carol) and mashes them all together. Most of the piece revolves around these minor keys, building intensity until it releases (the light part!) at the end. The piece would probably fall into the "medium" category, possibly medium-easy. Just take a look through the score to see if it's the right fit. I definitely wrote this to be a flashy and exciting piece. I love my film scores, so it definitely has a cinematic component.
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Up on the Housetop - Medium(ish)
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This is an arrangement of the popular holiday tune, Up on the Housetop. Throughout the piece, idiomatic devices are used to give the classic holiday sound, including woodwind trills, bright metallic percussion parts, and harmonies that highlight the joyousness of the season. This piece also serves as an optional sing-along. There are three variations of the tune and each can be repeated as desired. Just print up some lyrics and let the audience sing!
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Jingle Bells - Medium(ish)
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This is a straight-forward, lively arrangement of the holiday classic Jingle Bells. It would be great for an advanced middle school band or higher, even a solid choice for a community band. It's not particularly long, but takes you through the verse and chorus twice, with an intro and a brief coda.
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Angels Medley - Medium (3.5)
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(features Angels We Have Heard on High, Angels in the Realms of Glory, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing)
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Epic Bell Carol - Youtube Play Along
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For now, all I have is this play-along video. I have an arrangement for full band similar to this, but it needs way more editing than I have time to do at the moment. If you're wanting it for a peformance this year, send me a note and I'll see what I can do. If not, I'll have a published arrangement out for 2021. Hopefully, this play along can offer some good entertain for musicians!
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Tunes not published yet, read description if interested. (advanced)
If you would like to play one of these, just send me an email. I'll see about getting you a copy. These didn't end up being played for their intended purpose and are just hanging out.
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