“The next best thing to holding the baton myself is to help other directors produce great bands through great literature.”
Canadian Drew Parker conducted award winning middle school, high school and community bands for 13 years before he entered the music industry. He quickly gained a fine reputation in the band literature area, combining his understanding of what works in the band room and his association with major publishers, writers and arrangers. Check out Drew’s Gold Series for the best Band and Jazz Music.
Drew’s Gold Series BEST SELECTION OF LITERATURE FOR YOU & YOUR STUDENTS
Drew was a tough award-winning director and his standards in picking literature for your ensemble is just as hard-nosed.
Drew’s rating is is as follows:
A: Quite exceptional, very very few works achieve this level and to do so, must contain elements that challenge and excite while still being accessible. The piece needs to be musically memorable for the performers, the conductor and the audience!
B+: Strong composition with equal elements of technical challenges and musical intensity. these selections often sound far more difficult than they are.
Drew welcomes your comments and questions at dparker@separkmusic.comand hopes these pieces bring you and your students great joy and success!
Band Music
Tidings of Joy | Robert W. Smith | Grade ½ | B+
What a wonderful little gem this is for a grade 1/2 piece! Young players will love to perform this arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. Thank you, Robert for renewing my faith in creativity.
As Twilight Falls | Robert Sheldon | Grade 1 | B+
There is so much teaching in this piece for this level, it should be required curriculum for every young band. The textures, lyrical phrasing, expression and dynamics are all lessons that, if addressed at this stage, will make your musicians soar as they reach more difficult literature. Beautiful in its simplicity, this would be a must-have for me.
Airforce One | Chris Bernotas | Grade 1 | B+
This exciting new Grade one piece sizzles from the first bar. Exciting rhythms and excellent use of instrument ranges with non-stop color from the percussion section. Certainly a good choice for contest, this piece sounds and feels more like a grade 2 composition. Watch for more from this engaging, creative new composer.
Sidetracked | Matt Conaway | Grade 2 | B+
The composer’s motivation for this piece was the 2008 stock market crash when the Dow Jones dropped 778 points in one day. The repetition of 7 and 8 note patterns drives this piece along with some very good percussion writing for this level. This is a barn burner for a young band and, to pull it off, some very exaggerated dynamics are needed. Good choice for concert or contest!
Spontaneous Combustion | Robert Sheldon | Grade 3 | B+
This exciting opener explodes from bar 1 as the title might suggest. There is no contrasting middle section and the pace never diminishes. Every player is challenged and the tuneful melodies and bombastic percussion are well-matched. This is one of those pieces that will become your band’s favorite this year. I always look forward to this composer’s musical ideas and am seldom disappointed.
Ignition | Todd Stalter | Grade 4 | B+
If you are looking for a technical challenge for your ensemble this year, this certainly has the testosterone you need. Truly an amazing piece for this level, it may be too full of bear traps for contest lists but I’d certainly like to have this piece on hand in that rare year when my ensemble was up to the task. Give this a listen and decide for yourself.
Invocation and Psalm | Vince Gassi | Grade 4 | B+
This wonderful concert opener soars from its majestic fanfare through racing woodwind passages and driving rhythms. The middle theme, the Psalm, has a simple lushly harmonized melody leading back to the initial theme and a strong ending. It’s been interesting to watch this young Canadian writer mature over the past few years and I’m sure there is much more of this to come. Well done!