September 11, 2019
A Band Director’s Guide to Choosing Concert Repertoire
Veteran educators share important and practical considerations for music selection.
No two band programs are alike, and there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for choosing music. Yet there are certain overarching topics and themes that steer those decisions and build a foundation for brilliant student performances. In this primer, experienced band directors from across the country, spanning elementary to high-school levels, share their thoughts on what drives the process and makes good sense for programming.
Strategy 1: Variety Matters!
As in so many parts of our lives, balance also plays a key role in musical health. “Providing kids with a diversified program is crucial to building well-rounded musicians,” shares Joe Antonucci, Director of Bands at West Potomac High School in Virginia. For Antonucci and many others, that varied program often includes a march in the fall, to increase understanding of a genre that will return during spring assessments; and a ballad, to build musical sensitivity and balance the equation. In the latter category, Antonucci explains, a melodically focused classic like “Irish Tune From County Derry” or an atmospheric offering with broader color schemes, such as Steven Bryant’s “Dusk,” could fit the bill.
Based on the director’s preference and purpose, an overture, a pop piece, or a solo or section feature may also enter the mix to round out the program and offer greater variety. Joe Devassy, Band Director at the James H. Vernon School in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich CSD in New York, works with much younger students and emphasizes the importance of changing up style and tempo in repertoire from another angle: “At the elementary level, there’s an abundance of minor pieces that are very playable and sound great. [So then, of course,] it’s most important to pick a contrasting major piece.” Devassy notes that he tends to stay away from ballads, choosing a tighter focus on tone, blend and balance in rehearsals through chorale work and/or pieces containing a short lyrical section.
Strategy 2: Flex-Band Scores Save the Day
Bands with ideal instrumentation can comfortably explore almost any level-appropriate material they encounter. But smaller ensembles, groups with serious instrumental imbalances, schools with modern band setups and those that simply don’t fit a mold have a bit more to consider. Fortunately, the rise of flex-band material, accelerated by a broader need during the Covid-19 era, provides options. Flex pieces allow the director to mix and match parts as needed. They are typically scored with only three-to-five parts plus percussion, and usually come with transposed options for almost any instrument to cover any one of those parts. Numerous respected publishing imprints, from Hal Leonard to FJH Music to indie favorite Randall Standridge Music, have all entered this market, expanding possibilities in repertoire selection.
Elizabeth Campbell, Director of Bands and Theatre at CREC Academy of International Studies in Connecticut, oversees an ensemble with hybridized band-orchestra instrumentation and has come to truly appreciate the versatility of these types of charts. “I’m programming more flex pieces that include violin and cello parts,” she says, “because they have bowing directions in them that connect more to what [the string students] know. I also have more electric bass guitars than ever before, and I am grateful when a flex composition has the bass part in tablature.”
“Providing kids with a diversified program is crucial to building well-rounded musicians.”
Jenna Yee, Associate Band Director at Stiles Middle School in the Leander ISD in Texas, never needed to explore flex material due to instrumentation issues, yet she acknowledges another benefit to using those charts: “I will say that post-Covid, I really did like starting the year with flex pieces that have the option to teach every part in unison. This allows you to teach deeper listening skills, as [students] know all of the parts but really are playing glorified quartets.”
No matter how you choose to work with flex music, its ability to provide workable solutions and foster exploration remains a sizable draw. Antonucci sums up the pros: “Flex music gives the director a bit more creative license to alter, add or subtract whatever is needed to come up with a convincing product and provide the right experience.”
Strategy 3: Leave Room for a Challenge
Opinions on tiered repertoire within a single concert cycle vary widely—and they probably should, given the dynamics at play in different programs. But what unites the field in this discussion is a desire to offer both accessibility and opportunities for growth. Mark Portugal, Band Director at Minnesauke Elementary School in the Three Village CSD in New York, favors a multi-planed approach for his combined fifth/sixth-grade band, incorporating what he classifies as “easy, medium and reach” pieces. He specifically cites Michael Story, Mark Williams, Brian Balmages and Michael Sweeney as some of the composers who are most adept at covering these bases for younger students.
Patrick Holen, Director of Bands at Issaquah High School in Washington, sees the benefits of a standout challenge in the mix, often picking one number to really stretch minds and musical abilities. “In each concert I throw a ‘beast’ of a piece into the set,” he says. “Nothing out of reach, mind you, but something just a bit on the edge. If it doesn’t meet expectations [during rehearsals] … then we change it up and put in a replacement selection. No harm done. It’s a learning experience for everyone!”
Strategy 4: Different Seasonal Concerts, Different Repertoire Demands
Veteran band directors almost always have their finger on the pulse of what will be playable for their ensembles at different points throughout the year. For many, it’s a simple winter/spring scenario, where bands work toward two seasonal performances with different yet connected goals in mind. Devassy, for example, notes that the winter concert prep for his elementary students is focused on building confidence through approachable literature, setting things up for a spring stretch that offers greater challenges. And Holen explains that winter leans on the academic side of repertoire and spring continues along those lines while adding “a hint of pop.”
For others there are different demands, with shorter cycles as well as contests, adjudications and assessments to consider. Antonucci notes that his school year for concert band is split into four cycles. After a “moderate push” in the fall, where classic repertoire like a Holst suite or transcription comes into play, the winter offers a chance to drive technique through the works of more modern composers such as Brant Karrick or John Mackey. Then there’s the rigorous lead-up to assessments in March, which includes two graded centerpieces and an ungraded march, and the full bloom of spring, where anything goes—which often means more thoughtful, cerebral compositions, by Andrew David Perkins, Michael Markowski, James M. David and others.
Yee also has something of a quarterly cycle, easing into the fall and emphasizing growth through dynamic literature in late spring. In between she has a winter concert, with holiday material that carefully walks the secular line, and a contest model in April.
Strategy 5: Addressing Diversity Through Repertoire
Concert band music comes from a global range of cultures and traditions—as do the composers who write these materials. Programming from a broad slate of composers of different races, ethnicities, genders and orientations is essential to embracing diversity in the band room.
“Direct input from students adds another layer to the process and enriches the whole experience.”
Certain invaluable resources, like the Institute for Composer Diversity, have made it easier than ever to explore and learn in this area, and band directors are taking it upon themselves to move in a new direction. Holen acknowledges that he’s in the process of diversifying his library, and Antonucci cites incredibly positive experiences working on music by JaRod Hall, Cait Nishimura, Catherine McMichael and Viet Cuong. Beyond simply choosing music with diversity in mind, the topic itself, and how it relates to the world, offers a golden opportunity for productive dialogue and reflection in the classroom.
Strategy 6: Involve Your Students in the Process
Looking past the particulars, just getting students to buy into the music is really the unspoken secret to success. “I’ve learned over the years that students respond to choice,” Holen notes. “With the accessibility of recordings and score previews online, it makes it a little easier to engage with students in choosing literature.”
Allison Scilla, Band Director at Harborfields High School in New York, has students research music for potential selection. Part of a project-based learning approach, it gives these musicians a voice, increasing engagement and investment in the work. “This direct input from students adds another layer to the process and enriches the whole experience,” she shares. “It allows them to develop a deeper understanding of what quality educational band literature is all about.”
In short, the attention that a director puts into the repertoire selection process will determine what everyone gets out of it. As Campbell wisely states, “Directors have endless avenues to pursue to find music that checks off the boxes for both musical learning and [having] a good time!”
