Cool wind ensemble pieces?

Hey everyone,

I've just been appointed conductor of a student band this school year, and I'm looking for suitable, "cool" music for us to play. Grade 2-5, maybe...big range, I know. But yeah, if anyone knows any interesting pieces for wind band, let me know!

I think I'll be doing Ticheli's "Vesuvius", since we already own it; no more Ticheli for the year, thanks!

Maybe something like Grainger's Shepherd's Hey? That's kind of a little 'oldschool' cool.

Themes from Green Bushes is a pretty cool little tune.

Robert W. Smith has a great selection...I can think of Inchon and Africa off the top of my head.

If you're in need of something slow, Eric Whitacre's Lux Aurumque is very pretty and modern.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night - by Elliot Del Borgo is interesting.

Ghost Train, Eric Whitacre. People knock on Whitacre for being excessively "pretty" - this piece is the argument against that. If you don't mind pretty, go with October also by him.

Bali, by Michael Colgrass if you have good (extensive) percussion resources. And I mean the instruments, not players.

Jack Stamp is a good composer to look into, I did Gavorkna Fanfare (I think that's spelled right) and it was enjoyable.

Alfred Reed, Russian Christmas Music - like 15 minutes long. But worth it.

I'll think of more later, probably.

EDIT: Hey here's something you might enjoy: http://www.musicdirectltd.com/concertbandbycom.html

And I might finish something here in a few months, so you can just premiere something of mine! Seriously, I've got like 3 in the works.

Thanks you guys, for this! I appreciate it a LOT!

I like Grainger. (Even though he was a psychotic asshole...) I'm thinking of doing his Children's March, actually! Sorry, I'm not a Smith fan, though. Most of his music sounds the same. -.-''

That's a good Del Borgo piece, one of his better ones, I'll say!

I really really want to do a Whitacre piece that's really OUT THERE, like Godzilla Eats Las Vegas or Ghost Train, but they're all really tough and you have to rent them (according to my band director). Plus they're expensive, and as a student-run band, we don't have loads of money...

Jack Stamp stuff is tough. Especially Gavorkna, goodness.

Gavorkna isn't too bad. We played that pretty well, and our band was far from really talented.

I'd definitely recommend October if that's possible, that is such a beautiful piece. Love it. Also, Vesuvius is a nice choice!

I know Holst has some suites for wind band, those are pretty fun. We played a movement from one and it was a success.

Samuel Hazo's "Perthshire Majesty" is also really beautiful.

Bali, by Michael Colgrass if you have good (extensive) percussion resources. And I mean the instruments, not players.

I've played that piece...it's a real pain to work up with so many solo sections, but it's a very strange and enticing work.

Gvorkna Fanfare is an awesome piece, but all of your trumpets and trombones must be able to double tongue to get it to work not to mention other things that I can't think of right now because I played it a long time ago (as a horn). That's exceedingly hard with a HS ensemble - but I don't know, maybe you have all good players. Unless... you mean these is for a college band. Might be worth a shot, then.

, but they're all really tough and you have to rent them (according to my band director).

I've never heard that, and I personally have purchased a copy of the score to Ghost Train so I'm not sure if it's true. Of course it may be different for the full score and parts, but I think you can buy online. Try JWPepper.

And yes, Ghost Train is ridiculous. October should be relatively easy, but then again you seem to think Gavorkna is really difficult and my high school wind ensemble had no real problems with it.

Gvorkna Fanfare is an awesome piece, but all of your trumpets and trombones must be able to double tongue to get it to work not to mention other things that I can't think of right now because I played it a long time ago (as a horn). That's exceedingly hard with a HS ensemble - but I don't know, maybe you have all good players. Unless... you mean these is for a college band. Might be worth a shot, then.

Gvorkna Fanfare isn't hard, at all. Middle schools play it, bad high schools play it, it's a pretty standard "whatever" piece. If we want to talk about actual hard pieces, see Joseph Schwantner's wind ensemble works, or Karel Husa. Any Husa stuff for wind ensemble is phenomenal. Don't get fooled by people on here, if you want a decent piece that isn't hard, whip out Gvorkna or a Clifton Williams work.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night - by Elliot Del Borgo is interesting.

Ahahaha.

Poor Del Borgo - he writes the same thing over and over.

Oh yeah, also Trittico by Vaclav Nelhybel

Illyren Dances-Woolfenden

Shenendowa-Tichell

Lincolnshire Posy-Granger

October-Wildace

Folk Dances-Shostakovitch

Overture to Candide- Bernstein

Purge of 1968- Husa

Country Band March-Ives

Variations on America-Ives

Ghost Train-Wildace

Armenian Dances (Part1)-Reed

Rhapsody in Blue-Gershwin

Endurance-Tim Mahr

Puszta-Jan Van der Roost

Gavorkna Fanfare-Jack Stamp

Short Ride in a Fast Machine-Adams

Windsprints- Saucedo

Night On Bald Mountain-Modeste Moussorgsky

First Suite in E Flat for Military Band-Gustav Holst

March from Symphonic Metamorphosis-Paul Hindemith

Ride-Samuel Hazo

Sleep w/Chorus -Eric Whitacre

These are the highlights of what I did in HS. Hope you find something.

How about some of the pieces written for children/educational purposes by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies?

Short Ride on a Fast Machine-John Adams: fun piece that's only difficult until you see the patterns.

Overture to Candide-Bernstein, very fun.

Any action movie suite. Bolt, King Kong, Incredibles 3 good ones I enjoy. They're usually pretty easy, but also fun for players and audiences.

Ghost Train-Wildace

Did...did you mean Whitacre?

You've already mentioned that you don't particularly care for Robert W. Smith, but his Symphony of Souls is very interesting.

Child's Garden of Dreams by Maslanka is amazing.

I don't know if it falls into levels 2-5 though

I don't know that much about the grading system.

Anything by Maslanka is amazing.

Is "Anything" the name of a piece, or are you just using the word "anything"?

Pretty much anything by* ;)

Now that I think about it (and I'm not trying to judge, to each his own), but isn't the term "cool wind ensemble piece" a bit of an oxymoron :P

To reinforce what's already been said, I'd suggest Puszta (Jan Van Der Roost), Overture to Candide (Bernstein), and Children's March (Grainger). I've played them all, and love them.

Children's March is wonderful. It never fails to get stuck in my head.

Some other cool pieces:

Any piece by John Mackey (Welcome to Osti Music)

Windsprints and the "sequel" Whirlwinds by Richard Saucedo

Ride by Samuel Hazo

Any piece by David Holsinger

Mambo Furioso by Brant Karrick

Mackey is good! Saucedo is alright, although sometimes his music sounds like marching band/field show music. ><

Children's March is absolutely fantastic.