We are excited to announce these 6 outstanding works for concert band and string orchestra, chosen recently as JWPepper Editor’s Choice! Discover these exceptional compositions and elevate your ensemble’s performance to new heights!
Jingle Jam
If you want to get your audience clapping along, look no further! Jingle Jam is a feelgood holiday celebration that features many of your favorite classics, including “Up on the Housetop,” “Deck the Halls,” “The 12 Days of Christmas”, “O Tannenbaum,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” and of course, “Jingle Bells!” A host of percussion instruments ensures everyone feels the groove and prepares them to embrace the spirit of the season! Jingle Jam is the perfect way to conclude your holiday concert!
Grade 2 | 2:30
Horizons Untold (fanfare for wind band)
Horizons Untold perfectly captures the excitement of possibilities unknown! In crafting this brief concert opener, the goal was to create an inspirational piece that resonates with performers and listeners in various ways. Some may envision a journey, gazing optimistically toward the horizon, while others may feel a sense of celebration. Additionally, the composition may evoke a patriotic sentiment in some. Regardless of personal interpretation, the soaring melodies, bold fanfares, and shimmering flourishes of the piece will captivate and energize the audience, setting the stage for an unforgettable concert experience!
Grade 5 | 1:54
Not So Silent Night
Every child imagines witnessing Santa Claus coming down the chimney, delivering presents under the tree, and enjoying milk and cookies. This programmatic work envisions a movie-like soundtrack to these events… until things take an unexpected turn.
Our scene begins with Santa descending down the chimney, cautiously taking in his new surroundings to avoid waking the home’s sleeping residents. He tiptoes around the house, humming Christmas tunes like “Silent Night,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Up on the Housetop” under his breath. Carefully placing the presents under the tree, he briefly pauses to ensure no one is awakened. As time passes, Santa becomes more comfortable with his surroundings, becoming less conscious of the noise he makes. Eventually, he breaks into full-throated merry singing as he continues his work.
Suddenly, Santa becomes very aware he’s not the only one in the room! Around the corner peers a newly awakened pet dog and not a friendly one! Panic sets in as Santa collects himself, and a full-blown chase breaks out as Santa makes for his exit! After a prolonged chase around the house, Santa makes his way up the chimney and out of the house! With a sense of relief, Santa and his reindeer fly off to the next house, where further antics no doubt await in what has become a Not So Silent Night.
Starting with a clever tango and ending with a cartoon-esque chase scene, this witty work will engage the imagination of your students and audience alike!
Grade 3 | 4:30
Battle Volcano
Battle Volcano is an epic soundtrack encapsulating all that might be heard, seen, and felt when volcanoes attack! With driving rhythms, edgy chromaticism, and intensity throughout, it’s my hope that students will embrace the battle of creating music that embodies the epic nature of a battle between volcanoes.
Grade 2.5 | 2:00
To Dare Greatly
The composer writes: “I’ve always been inspired by a famous speech, titled “The Man in the Arena”, by US President Theodore Roosevelt, delivered shortly after his presidency in 1910. The most famous excerpt from this speech is as follows:
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actuallyin the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
-Theodore Roosevelt; speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, France, April 23, 1910
These words have reverberated and inspired through history in a myriad of spaces; from presidents and politicians to sports figures, musical artists, tv commercials, motivational speakers, and beyond.
As a young person, and even still, the fear of failure is a daunting obstacle for me as it is with many others of all ages. For those at the start of their musical journey, performing in front of an audience can be a major first hurdle on the road to success. In writing To Dare Greatly, it was my aim to provide a vehicle for the beginning band musician to experience a successful first performance. It is my hope that this composition, and the words that inspired it, will serve to embolden young musicians everywhere To Dare Greatly!”
Grade 1.5 | 1:30
Adventure Awaits (string orchestra)
Adventure Awaits captures the excitement felt at the start of something new! The composer writes: “In writing this piece, I found myself imagining the many stories of long journeys told in books, television, movies, and beyond – some fantastical, and some based in reality. In addition to drawing on these sources of inspiration, I hope performers and audience members alike draw on their own adventurous experiences, recalling those positive feelings at the beginning of exciting personal journeys!”
Grade 3 | 2:00
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