Grade .5 - 1 Concert Band Compositions

A Natural Blues is composed in a traditional 12 bar blues form. The use of the A natural is a perfect way to reinforce this note when it is taught.

A Natural Blues     

Your young band is sure to receive high acclaim when they play this nifty two-step march. It is composed of just half notes and quarter notes, but there are several accidentals and a key change to keep things interesting and band members learning. This chipper tune will be an audience favorite!

Acclaim March     

The march style is important to the heritage of the modern concert band. Why not get beginners off to a great start by teaching them this essential band style as early as possible? Achieve uses only the first six notes of the Bb-major scale and utilizes two repeated eighth notes as the most difficult rhythm. It is written in traditional march form and style, but without modulation in the trio.

Achieve March     

Achievement is a chorale and march using the first 7 notes found in most beginning band methods.

Achievement     

Larry Clark's Adamant is strong from the very beginning helping even the youngest of players sound confident and assertive. The work is set in C minor with simple rhythms no more difficult than two repeated eighth notes. With biting dissonances and angular interjections in the flowing main theme, the piece is quite dramatic for beginning band students.

Adamant (Band)     

After just ten weeks of study, you can get your students to play in the march style, which is essential to the band’s heritage. Admiration March has all of the standard trademarks of an American style march -- but with very limited notes and rhythms. Totally tuneful and fun to play!

Admiration March     

Bands that had the great experience of playing Larry Clark’s popular Shockwave can now move on to part two: Aftershock. While a bit more difficult than its predecessor, Aftershock maintains the bold, exciting, and aggressive qualities that made Shockwave such a sparkler.

Aftershock (Band)     

This is a very easy march using only the first six notes students learn in all band method books. It is intended to teach students march form, but remains tuneful and exciting just like the more challenging marches. How does Larry Clark do it year after year!

Ambassador March     

In every great story there is always an antagonist, the character of opposing force who is central to the success of the story. Larry Clark has applied this concept to music in a new beginning band piece, fascinating in sound and an excellent cross-curricular tie with English classes, musically illustrating the structure of a good story. This piece is aggressive and at times, purposely antagonizing. Designed with the youngest of players in mind, it works on simple repeated eighth note patterns as the foundation for the melodic material. As is typical in a Larry Clark piece, interesting parts are provided for all instruments, and everyone gets to play the melody

Antagonist (Band)     

Aspirations is written for the youngest and least experienced of musicians, who have only had a short time on their instruments. This piece uses minimal material, including no more than two repeated eighth notes as the most difficult rhythm. It contains bold fanfare gestures, marcato melodic material, and a contrasting legato theme. Every section of the ensemble is featured in this surprisingly sophisticated, yet very attainable piece.

Aspirations (Band)     

What young person hasn’t looked up at the stars and wondered what is up there in the cold darkness of space? The piece tries to depict this feeling with majestic fanfare-like themes in the winds, and twinkling of the stars depicted in the bells. A dream-like secondary theme is used to add to the musical mystery.

Astral Dreams     

An axiom is a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true. Make your band sound mature with this bold piece that includes fanfare gestures, strong themes and contrasting lyrical music. A strong choice for festival performance.

Axiom     

Imagine, a blade smith in Medieval times hunched over the forge getting the metal for his next sword molten hot, so that he can hammer it into a beautiful weapon for knights to use.  Blades of Steel is meant to depict this process.  The Brake Drum is used to simulate this sound, along with scrapes of a Gong to emulate the sound of the sword once completed. This piece is aggressive and full of thick resonant harmonies and bold melodies that your student will love. Larry Clark does it again!

Blades of Steel - Larry Clark     

Introduce the march style to beginning band students with this delight little march. The piece is tuneful and authentic in style, but within the grasp of very young band musicians. Perfect for your band’s first festival warm up march.

Celebrity March     

Using only the first six notes young players are taught, Larry Clark encourages upright thinking with this aptly titled, somewhat stern piece. The music's seriousness and amazing variety of harmonic sophistication belie the narrow range of the materials involved. An excellent piece for contest and festivals, Character will make a very strong impression whenever it is performed.

Character (Band)     

Larry Clark is known for writing exciting pieces for the youngest of students, and this upbeat concert piece is playable after a very limited amount of study. Chronicles is especially compatible with many of the band methods in use today, and it will pave the way for your students' musical and expressive growth.

Chronicles (Band)     

Fanfare like gestures and a bold rhythmic push characterize this piece. Clark has kept the range between the first 6 notes that players learn and has used simple eighth note patterns that are well within the grasp of first year groups. The piece is much l less involved and less difficult than it sounds. Perfect for the beginning band!

Cimarron (Band)     

What a stunning composition for bands at this level! If ever there was a piece that sounded more difficult that it was technically, this is it. Larry Clark's original is very active rhythmically, but is built on just six notes! And musically, he manages to create more excitement, more drama and more vitality than many a more difficult piece.

Clarion Call     

Larry Clark creates the feeling of dancing on a cloud through this whimsical piece for beginning bands. The core of the piece hovers around lush harmonies, providing a beautiful base for the floating melodic material. It is memorably tuneful, flowing, and gives every section of the band a moment to shine.

Cloud Dancing (Band)     

A fanfare-like piece that makes even the youngest of players sound advanced beyond their abilities. Its technical demands are very limited, but the music is daring and exciting for the players and audience alike.

Colossus (Band)     

A simple straightforward march, that demonstrates the march form to best advantage with memorable tunes that employ only half notes and quarter notes in the winds and a break strain featuring the lower-voiced instruments.

Confidence March     

Contrasting a slow, expressive opening with a vigorous aggressive "Allegro con fuoco," both based on the same modal/minor idea, Larry Clark created a remarkably effective piece using the six notes that are first introduced in all beginning methods. A great piece to introduce minor/modal sounds to the young band.

Conflict     

A true "contest" style piece for the beginning band that uses limited note and rhythm resources, but is very creatively written. Your youngest students will feel like they are playing serious music, as the piece is bold, aggressive and sounds more difficult than it plays. This is the type of exceptional music you have come to expect from two of the most popular composers of beginning band music. This piece is correlated to The Yamaha Advantage band method book 1, but can be used with any band program of study.

Conquest     

Using only six notes (Bb, C, D, Eb, F and G), Larry Clark has fashioned a powerful concert opener ideal for the beginning band. Though there is limited rhythmic difficulty, the piece does employ some syncopation, along with contemporary harmonies that will appeal to young students and colorful, active percussion writing.

Consensus (Band)     

As the title implies, this piece is written in a contemplative manner for beginning students.  It is a good piece to demonstrate basic compositional techniques that the students will be able identify easily in the piece. It begins with a lush opening section with an elegant melody to work on musicianship. This is contrasted by the uptempo section of the piece based on the same basic musical material, but in a varied style and frolicking feel. A very satisfying piece for beginning wind players.

Contemplation     

For several years, Larry Clark's music for beginning band has set the standard for musical excellence. He always finds a way to make his pieces fresh and sophisticated, incorporating contemporary harmonies with tuneful melodies that students love to play. He is also a master at knowing exactly what this level is capable of and writes technically easy music that still makes any band sound and feel great!

Conviction     

Take a look at this powerful original work for your beginning band. It uses only six notes, but is brash and forceful, with many exciting eighth-note rhythms and bold harmonies. The limited amount of notes will allow you to concentrate on preparing a more musical and decisive performance. Declaration And Dance is a great choice for festival use, but it's also superb for concerts...parents will be amazed at how advanced the band sounds!

Declaration and Dance (Band)     

This tasteful new lyrical work for beginning band is perfect for any concert performance. Introduce your students to delicate releases and light articulation. Reinforce musical playing and style in this renaissance-reminiscent work.

Distant Shadows - Larry Clark     

In Greek, the word ethos is used to describe the character and guiding beliefs or ideals that distinguish a community, nation or idea. The Greeks also used the word to refer to the power of music to influence its listener's emotions, behaviors, and morals. This is a strong statement for the power of music. Larry Clark's dynamic new composition in a distinctive American style will have a positive affect on your students' musical ethos.

Ethos (Band)     

Expectations is dedicated to Larry Clark's young son. It was written with thoughts of his playful nature, which can be heard throughout the piece, while the lush, emotional opening depicts the composer's awe at being a parent to a wonderful little boy. This touching piece may stretch the musicianship of young band students, but it will be worth the journey.

Expectations (Band)     

Open your beginning band's very first concert with this bold new fanfare by popular composer Larry Clark. Like a supernova, your band will explode right from the start with this forceful new piece that sounds much more difficult than it is to play. Fanfare Supernova contains biting fanfare-like harmonies, though it only contains the first six notes of the Bb scale and the most difficult rhythms in the winds are quarter notes.

Fanfare Supernova     

Festival Chorale and March is design to reinforce newly learned eighth note rhythms and to give students a contest/festival style piece that will improve their musicianship.

Festival Chorale & March     

With a pronounced Native American flavor, this characteristically well-wrought Larry Clark piece alternates slow reflective music with an aggressive Allegro that includes rhythmic shouting and stamping. The return of the slow opening music at measure 35 leads to an accelerando and crescendo into the climactic return of the Allegro material and the exciting conclusion that may have the audience stamping and shouting!

Flaming Arrow     

This is a very easy march using only the first six notes students learn in all band method books. It is intended to still teach students about march form and style even with limited technical demands. Composer Larry Clark continues to find new ways to create very easy marches that are still tuneful and fun.

Fortis March     

Geology: The Study of Rock combines a rock bass line, percussion groove and a melody with a little twist into a fun to play crowd-pleasing composition.

Geology     

Larry Clark does it again, with a bold new piece for young students, using only the first 6 notes of the Bb scale and two eighth notes on the same pitch as the most difficult rhythm. The piece is meant to depict the struggle that firefighters go through when trying to tame an out of control brush fire. The piece goes right into the main theme without introduction and then moves into a more subdued second theme, in contrast. After a short development of the themes with interplay between the winds and percussion, the piece builds to a strong coda; a great way to showcase your beginning band at a concert or festival.

Inferno in the Lost Pines     

Intuition is a march for the youngest of students that uses only the first six notes of the Bb scale and the most difficult rhythm is two repeated eighth-notes. Even with limited technical demands, you won’t believe how much this sounds like a more involved march. It has all of the hallmarks of an American march in form with three strains with different melodic material.  The only difference is there is no modulation at the trio. It is a perfect vehicle to introduce this important form to beginning students, and its exceptionally tuneful as well!

Intuition - Larry Clark     

Larry Clark does it again. This is the piece your students will ask to play again and again. It has all of Larry's signature feature: bold and aggressive sounds and contemporary harmonies. You won't believe this only uses the first 6 notes Bb-G and the winds most difficult rhythm is a quarter note - Outstanding!

Magma (Band)     

This new work for beginning band is a great introduction to simple syncopation. Using only the first 6 notes of the Bb scale, Larry’s Majestic is perfect for reinforcing note lengths and sonorous playing. Embolden your audiences with this “majestic” new work by Larry Clark.

Majestic - Larry Clark     

A simple but effective beginning band march. The title is derived from Monmouth, New Jersey where an important Revolutionary war battle took place. The trio of the march uses the popular folk song "Aura Lee".

Monmouth March     

Listen to this work before you look at the score, and you won't believe it contains only the first six notes that are taught in most beginning method books! The crowning achievement is the harmonic and rhythmic content that 'stretches' the young player, drives the enthusiasm in your rehearsals and ultimately thrills the audience. Your musicians will beg to play this piece every day!

Mystic Legacy     

In this bold piece built on fanfare gestures for the youngest of band musicians, Larry Clark has managed to write interesting and sophisticated music using only six notes. With as little as ten weeks of study on an instrument students will find that this piece is well within their grasp. Teachers can get them started right away on a style of music they will be playing for years to come.

Oath of Honor     

An excellent teaching piece, this will give your students valuable experience with the pentatonic scale, yet it has plenty of melodic variety and dynamic contrast to keep it interesting all the way!

Penta     

Prestige is designed to introduce March style and form to the young band. Although it only contains the first 7 notes found in most band methods, Concert A to G, it provides a meaningful march experience.

Prestige March     

Consisting of only five notes, this fast-moving minor-key piece has some nice give and take between the woodwinds and brass to keep things interesting!

Primus     

Recognition March is a tuneful original march in standard form, written with beginning bands in mind. It contains only notes in B-flat major scale (plus A-flat) and no rhythm more advanced than two scale-wise eighth notes. This one is designed as an introduction to the march form and style for the beginning band and is a great pick for festivals.

Recognition March     

Ever wonder what Santa does the rest of the year? Give your students something fun to play with this clever combination of popular carols with Vivaldi’s famous Spring movement from his piece The Four Seasons. Of course, the piece is intended to be fun, and make the audience smile, but also a great way to introduce younger students to the famous Vivaldi work.

Santa's Spring Break     

Larry Clark delivers yet again with an energetic and aggressive piece that your students will want to play over and over. The sound is bold, brash and confident, which is exactly how your groups will feel when they perform this piece.

Shockwave (Band)     

Twilight Smiling is a standout piece for its uniquely sensitive nature at this grade level.  Larry Clark’s new lyrical work offers wonderful opportunities to teach expressive playing and phrasing, and will surely be a hit at any concert throughout the school year.

Twilight Smiling - Larry Clark     

Easy, tuneful and standard in form, Valor has all of the makings of a new standard for very young bands to play as a warm-up march at contest/festival. The rhythmic values are limited, but the march contains the standard modulation at the Trio and is stylistically on par with some of the great American marches.

Valor March