The ABC’s of Great Middle School Band Music

I have a confession to make: I absolutely love making lists!  Not only because it reminds me what I have to do during the day, but I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction taking my pen and drawing that horizontal line through my completed tasks.  Whether it be groceries, tasks around the house, or planning concerts for the academic year, I enjoy the organization and reward of creating and completing lists as a way of keeping me organized.

Looking back on my time in school, I can easily see that my love of lists was heavily influenced by my teachers that I hold most dear.  Both of my major conducting teachers, Jack Stamp and Eugene Corporon, shared countless lists of repertoire with me for bands of all ages and abilities.  This attention to detail and intellectual curiosity had a profound influence upon me when I began my teaching career almost 25 years ago, and has inspired me to share this list of repertoire below.

One of the greatest joys that I have had during my career is working with middle school bands.  I find these students and their dedicated teachers to be energetic, motivating, and excited about making music.  When I work with these students, I find myself immediately transported back to my time in junior high as a shy but loud bass clarinet player.  I can still see (and smell) my beat up instrument case, as well as taste that reed right out of the box!  It is almost like I stepped into a time machine and stepped out in 1983.  

This love of middle school bands has led to creation of this list below.  It is a combination of many resources, including several all state adjudication lists, graduate theses and dissertations, conference presentations, and other publications.  This first installment will focus on composers with last names A-M, and the next part will conclude the list.  A few caveats before we begin:

• This list is not meant to be complete, but rather as a living and organically growing collection of repertoire.
• If your favorite piece is not on here – I apologize!  In fact, if you don’t see one of your favorites, immediately email me and I’ll add it!
• The term “middle school” when applied to band repertoire can mean many things to many people.  I found this to be especially true when comparing the ranking of difficulty of several works found on multiple state selective music lists.  It is my hope that this can provide some options for your programming, as well as inspire you to look off the beaten path for some real “gems” that have been lost over time.

 

Enjoy, and I’ll see you next month!

 

Cedric Adderly – Longtown Legacy

Samuel Adler – A Little Night and Day Music 

Douglas Akey – Peregrin

Kenneth Alford – Colonel Bogey March

Fred Allen – Bosnian Folk Songs

Virginia Allen – Sailing

1. Andrews – Hill Songs

Applebaum – Voices from Kaluga

Thoinot Arbeau/Williams – Two French Dances

Balazs Arpad – Hungarian Rondo

 

J.S. Bach/Daehn – Chorale and Fugue in F Minor

Michael Ball – Three Processionals

Andrew Balent – Two Seascapes for Band

Brian Balmages – Moscow 1941

Clarence Barber – An American Ballad

Warren Barker – Fanfare Variations

James Barnes – Spearfish Canyon

Roland Barrett – Silent Stands the Elm

Bela Bartok/Findlayson – Three Pieces for Band

Steven Barton – Cradle Song

Brian Beck – La Madre de los Gatos

Ludwig van Beethoven/Barber – Turkish March

Tracy Behrman – As If On Wings

Jeremy Bell – Havasu Falls

Harold Bennett/Clark – Activity March

Warren Benson – Ginger Marmalade

Hector Berlioz/Brand – The Shepherd’s Farewell

Christopher Bernotas – Boundless

1. Bischmann/Contorno – Big Top Rag

Jerry Bilik – Suite Italienne

William Billings/Osterling – Chester

Black – Two Irish Sketches

Jodie Blackshaw – Whirlwind

Joel Blahnik – Invention No. 1

David Bobrowitz – A Sailor’s Odyssey

Jay Bocook – Lost Mountain

Scott Boema – Shadows

Carl Bohm/Spinney – Still Wie die Nacht

Dmitri Bortniasky/Warren – Cherubim Song

Andrew Boysen – Tricycle

Johannes Brahms/Curnow – Academic Festival Overture

Brings – Variations on a Quiet Theme

Heskel Brisman – Ash Grove

Georges Bizet/Daehn – Farandole

Colin J. Brien – Adventure on Snake River

B.J. Brooks – The Willows of Winter

Anton Bruckner/Gordon – Hymn of Praise

Steven Bryant – The Machine Awakens

Timothy Broege – Rhythm Machine

Chris Brubek – Ghost Walk

Richard Brown – Chinese Folk Rhapsody

Robert Buckley – Windjammer

Daniel Bukvich – Dinosaurs

Steven Bulla/Curnow – Jubiloso

Jack Bullock – Londonderry Air

Patrick Burns – Suspended Animation

William Byrd/Fenske – La Volta

 

Bill Calhoun – Chant, Chorale, and Dance

Campra/Watson – Rigaudon

John Alan Carnahan – ..;and the antelope play

Fergal Carroll – Dance of the Fir Darrig

Charles Carter – Polyphonic Suite

1. Caruso – Short Prelude With Perspectives

Jim Andy Caudill – Folklore for Band

Cavacas – 17th Century Italian Suite

Franco Cesarini – Alpina Fanfare

Carol Brittin Chambers – Sunchaser

Jay Chattaway – Mazama

Brad Ciechomski – Grasp the Dream

1. Chisholm – Wind Turbines

Larry Clark – Canticle of the Sun

1. Coakley – Lyric Essay

Michael Colgrass – Old Churches

Jim Colonna – Portraits

Matthew Conaway – Eventide

David Compello – Gypsy Dance

Lloyd Conley – Bashana Haba’ Ah

Paul Cook – Crestar Overture

Aaron Copland/Moss – Old American Songs

Douglas Court – New Frontiers

Corelli/Siennicki – Adagio and Allegro

Travis Cross – Tribute

Walter Cummings – Aspen Song

Joseph Curiale – Double Happiness

James Curnow – Nathan Hale Trilogy

Calvin Custer – Variations on Scarborough Fair

 

Albert Oliver Davis – Songs of Wales

Larry Daehn – British Isles Suite

Greg Danner – Walls of Zion

Jay Dawson – American Cameos

Steve Danyew – Goodnight, Goodnight

Nathan Daughtrey – Downtown Dash

Albert Oliver Davis – Rhenish Folk Festival

Claude Debussy/Henderson – Claire de Lune

Rob Deemer – DreamCircus

Elliot Del Borgo – Chorale and Canon

David Del Tredici/Spede – Acrostic Song

Leo Deliebes/Osterling – March and Procession of Bacchus

Orlando di Lasso/DeHann – Orlando Suite

Thomas Doss – Romantic Ballad

Thomas Duffy – Crystals

Duncombe/Ployhar – Fanfare, Air, and Trumpet Tune

Antonin Dvorak/Daehn – Symphony No. 9

 

Donald Erb – Stargazing

John Edmundson – Tribute

Joseph Eidson – Full Moon

Edward Elgar/Welsch – Ave Verum

Chuck Elledge – British Isles Suite

Frank Erickson – Rhythm of the Winds

Dennis Eveland – Four Short Festive Dances

 

Gary Fagan – Gates of Destiny

Ronald Fallas – Breakstone

John Fannin – Falling Leaves

George Farmer – The Whispering Tree

Orin Farrar/Balent – Bombasto

Feldstein/Clark – Outback Rhapsody

Nathan Ferrell – All Aboard

Kathryn Fenske – Dances from Terpsichore

Zdenek Fibich/Spinney – Poem

Henry Fillmore/Balent – Americans We

Walter Finlayson – Early English Suite

Tim Fisher – Conquest

Mike Flannickel – The Great Highland Pipes

Dan Forrest – A Basque Lullaby

Leland Forsblad – Four Freedoms Overture

Robert Foster – Benediction Chorales

Victor Flowers – March of the Buccaneers

Arthur Frackenpohl – Prelude and March

Bruce Fraser – The King Across the Water

Ryan Frayley – Butterfly’s Ball

Greg Fritze – Set Free To Go Home

 

Michael Gandolfi – Steps Ahead

Gary Gazlay – Pathway March

Ryan George – Autobahn

Jay Gilbert – Suite Divertimento

David Gillingham – At Morning’s First Light

Ralph Gingery – Two Russian Folksongs

Gary P. Gilroy – The Sphinx

Ceasar Giovannini – Overture in Bb (scored by Robinson)

Julie Giroux – The Bonsai Tree

Glazounov/Gordon – Italian Masters Suite

Reinhold Gliere/Williams – Russian Sailors Dance

Adam Gorb – A Little Tango Music

Adoniram Gordan/Allen – They Led My Lord Away

Philip Gordon – English Masters Suite

Gossec/Hubbell – Military Symphony 

Yo Goto – Dancing in Rain

Morton Gould – Mini Suite

Percy Grainger/Krienes – Two Grainger Melodies

John Gibson – Radio Flyer

Gary P. Gilroy – The Sphinx

Michael Golemo – English Suite

1. Lope Gonzalo – Gallito

David Gorham – Dorian Dance

Charles Gounod/Balent – Funeral March of a Marionette

Michael Grady – Perseus and the Sea Monster

Tyler Grant – Chant and Fire Ritual

Robert Grice – Acclaim

Edvard Grieg/Beck – March of the Trolls

Clare Grundman – Fantasy on American Sailing Songs

 

Jacob de Hann – Ammerland

William Harbinson – Appalachian Folk Song Suite
Samuel R. Hazo – Psalm 42

Adolphus Hailstork – New Wade ‘N Water

Ralph and Jack Hale – Circus Suite

G.F. Handel/Daehn – Sarabande

Mike Hannickel – At the Cuzco Market

Howard Hanson – Variations on an Ancient Hymn

Shelly Hanson – Albanian Dance

Walter S. Hartley – Present Joys

Brent Heisinger – Hymn for Band

1. Hermann – Arlington Overture

Jennifer Higdon – Rhythm Stand

John Higgins – Overture on a Shaker Tune

Quincy Hilliard – African Festival

Greg Hillis – Alpha Squadron

William Himes – Caprice

Steve Hodges – Waters Edge

William Himes – Amazing Grace

James Hosay – Appomattox

Carl Holmquist – Cradle Moon

David Holsinger – A Childhood Hymn

Gustav Holst (various arrangers)

Brian Hogg – Llwyn Onn

Hook/Shaefer – Suite for Band

Alan Hovaness – Hymn to Yerevan

Ed Huckeby – Acclamations

Ralph Hultgren – With Trumpets Sounding

1. Hull – Variations
2. Humperdinck/Cowherd – Hansel and Gretel

Donald Hunsberger – Folk Legend

 

Anthony Iannacone – Plymouth Trilogy

 

Louis Jadin – Symphonie for Band

Robert Jager – Carpathian Sketches

Paul Jennings – A Prehistoric Suite

Norman Dello Joio – Caccia

1. Jones – Interlochen Variations

Jeff Jordan – and a time

Timothy Johnson – Lincoln Johnson

 

Dmitri Kabalevsky/Hull – Kabalevsky Suite

Brant Karrick – The Old Red Mill

Marta Keen/Karrick – Homeward Bound

Larry Kerchner – Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming

Nelson Keyes – Bandances

Bryan Kidd – Blue Ridge Summit

Ed Kiefer – An Irish Legend

Karl King/Swearingen – Rough Riders March

John Kinyon – Shenandoah Valley

Ken Kirby – Celtic Dragon Fantasy

Rick Kirby – Different Voices

Cyrill Kistler/Barr – Prelude to Act III of “Kunihild”

Soichi Konagaya – Japanese Tune

Barry Kopetz – The Pillars of Phrygia

Joseph Kreines – American Folk Song Settings No. 2 “Skip to My Lou”

Michael Kruger – For Patrick

Pierre LaPlante – Nordic Sketches

William P. Latham – Dodecaphonic Suite

Pierre Leemans/Wiley – March of the Belgian Paratroopers

Andrew Lesser – Snow Through a Window

Cifford Lillya – Concert Overture in G minor

Leonard Mark Lewis – Short Stories

Liadov/Mahaffey – Letters from Liadov

Henk van Lijnschooten – Rhapsody from the Low Countries

Bob Lipton – Bucimis

1. Locklear – Chattahoochee

Timothy Loest – Friends of Freedom

Victor Lopez – Espanola

Robert Lowry/Standridge – …In Endless Song

Lotti/Singleton – The Glory of Venice

Elana Roussanova Lucas – Harvesting the Fields of Russia

Ray Luke – Prelude and March

Lully/Barr – The King’s Musicians

Witold Lutoslawski – Miniature Suite

John Mackey – Sheltering Sky

Timothy Mahr – Daydream

Robert Margolis – The Battle Pavane

Michael Markowski – Brooklyn Air

James MacBeth (John Kinyon) – Meadowlands

David Magunsson/Hall – From the Land of Fire and Ice

1. Francis McBeth – Canto

Aaron Meacham – Colors of a New Day

Richard Meyer – In a French Garden

Anne McGinty – The Red Balloon

Catherine McMichael – Pax

Aaron Meacham – Colors of a New Day

1. Meyer – Coronado

Dwayne Milburn – Meditation

Timothy Miles – Lauda

Gene Milford – American Sailing Songs

1. Miller – Festivity!

Milner – In Honor of the Fallen

Rex Mitchell – Chorale and Processional

Aakash Mittal – Three Songs of Bengal

Kevin Mixon – Natya

Claudio Monteverdi/Trya – Two Seventeenth Century Italian Songs

John Moss – British Masters Suite

Erik Morales – Aztec

1. A. Mozart/Schissel – Trauermusik

Muffat/Osterling – Serenade and Fantasia

Gabriel Musella – Chorale Prelude for June

Modest Mussorgsky/Williams – Night on Bald Mountain

1. Myers – From an 18th Century Album

 

Valclav Nehlybel – Suite from Bohemia

Larry Neeck – Under an Irish Sky

Sammy Nestico – All Through the Night

Johan Nija – Don Pedro

Yukiko Nishimura – Star Ship

Norred – Fantasy on an Irish Tune

Jerry Nowak – Seascape

Ryan Nowlin – Legacy Fanfare

 

Tom O’Connor – Lyric Essay

Sean O’Loughlin – Beyone the Crest

John O’Reilly – North Star Overture

Michael Oare – Portsmouth Reflections

Chester Osborne – Connemara Sketches

Leroy Osman – Hebrew Folk Song Suite No. 3

Eric Osterling – The Harmonius Blacksmith

William Owens – Maesong

 

Carter Pann – Hold This Boy and Listen

Carmine Pastore – Call of Courage

Stephen Paulus – Mosaic

Bruce Pearson – Canticle

Andrew David Perkins – Gradients

Aaron Perrine – Life Painting

Pfaffman – Country Dances No. 1

Henry Purcell/Gordon – Air and March

Piccini/Osterling – The Good Daughter Overture

William Pitts – Flutter

James Ployhar – Korean Folk Song Melody

Kevin Puts – Charm

Michael Praetorius/Fenske – Dances from Terpsichore

John Prescott – Triumph Celebration

Bruce Preuninger – Prarie Schooner

 

Chalon Ragsdale – A Tribute to Grainger

Maurice Ravel/Cray – Mother Goose Excerpts

Alfred Reed – Slavonic Folk Suite

Reiche/Dietmeyer – Sonatina and Fugue

Steve Reinecke – River of Life

Rhoads – Two Novellas for Band

Ted Ricketts – And the Fire Raged

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov/Bocook – Russian Easter Overture

Karen Kachelmeier Robertson – Into the Unknown

Rob Romeyn – At Sunrise

Jan van der Roost – Dublin Dances

Thomas Root – Polly Oliver

1. Rossini/Mahaffey – Ballet Suite from “La Boutique Fantastique”

Steve Rouse – Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Gregory B. Rudgers – Flight

John Rutter/Dawson – Candlelight Carol

Camille Saint-Saens/Curnow – Carnival of the Animals

Kathryn Salfelder – Reminiscence

Richard Saucedo – Pulsation

Scarmolin – Lithuanian Rhapsody No. 2

Matthew Schoendorff – Artifact

Nolan Schmidt – Flatwater Sketches

Robert Schumann/Hartzell – Little Schumann Set

Gerald Sebesky – Ode and Julibation

David Shaffer – An Almighty Fortress

Alex Shapiro – Paper Cut

Chris Sharp – Dance Antiqua

Robert Sheldon – Sandcastle Sketches

Melvin Shelton – Air for Winds

Dmitri Shostkovich/Curnow – Fire of Eternal Gloruy

Alan Lee Silva – Winter on Emerald Bay

Ken Singleton – Echoes of a Russian Cathedral

Joseph Skonnica – Overture Eroica

Slocum – Swedish Melody

John Philip Sousa/Story – Fairest of the Fair

Frederick Speck – Childgrove

Robert Spittal – Celestial Song

Todd Stalter – Sketches on a Kentucky Hymn Tune

1. Smith – Bulgarian Folk Dance

Claude T. Smith – Anthem for Winds and Percussion

Robert W. Smith –  Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Joseph T. Spaniola – Akatonbo

Philip Sparke – Shalom!

Gay Holmes Spears – London Town

Jared Spears – Adventures

Charles Spinney – The Battle of Jericho

Jack Stamp – Fanfare, Song, and Fugue

Randall Standridge – The Rowan Tree

Robert Starer – Fanfare, Pastorale, and Serenade

John Stevens – Benediction

Stone/Boyd – Three English Dances

Michael Story – Aztec Dance

Allesandro Stradella/Fraschillo – Aria de Chiesa

Carl Strommen – Cumberland Cross

Hugh Stuart – Three Ayres from Gloucester

Tielman Susato/Curnow – Renaissance Suite

Anthony Suter – Dancing at Stonehenge

Jim Swearingen – Covington Square

Michael Sweeney – Ancient Voices

 

Tatgenhorst – Canterbury Suite

1. Taylor – First Fugue
2. Taylor – Crystal Street Ragtime March
3. I. Tchaikovsky/Curnow – Album for the Young, Op. 39

Pavel Tchesnokoff/Houseknecht – Salvation is Created

Telemann/Gordon – Danses Elegantes

Christopher Theofanidis – Sweet Like That

Frank Ticheli – Portrait of a Clown

Akiro Toda – Kago-me, Kago-me

Christopher Tucker – Gulf Breezes

Joseph Turrin – Lullaby for Noah

Tyra – Two Gaelic Folk Songs

 

Van Beringen – Melodia d’ Amore

Ralph Vaughan Williams/Stout – Linden Lea

Orazio Vecchi/Daehn – Fa Una Canzona

1. Verdi/Falcone – Prelude to Act I of “La Traviata”

Johnnie Vinson – Nettleton

Vlak – The Highlands

Antonio Vivaldi/Cavacas – Spring from “Four Seasons”

Von Suppe/Lake/Whear – Das Pensioat Overture

 

Naoya Wada – As the Dawn Breaks

Douglas Wagner – Annabel Lee

Kevin M. Walczyk – Children’s Folksong Suite

Tom Wallace – Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head

1. Walters – Civil War Suite

Scott Watson – Ghosts in the Graveyard

Norman Ward – Two Hebrew Folk Songs

Peter Warlock/Beeler – Capriol Suite

Travis Weller – Irish Jig for Young Feet

Brian West – City Life

Hugh Whaley – Twinkle Variants “Alla Marcia”

Paul Whear – Kensington

Maurice Whitney – Prelude

Jack Wilds – Scenes from the American West

Charles A. Wiley – Old Scottish Melody

Clifton Williams – Variation Overture

Mark Williams – Songs of Heritage

Dana Wilson – Odysseus and the Sirens

 

Satoshi Yagisawa – Largo

Bruce Yurko – Night Dances

Charles Rochester Young – In the Quiet Evening

 

Judith Lang Zaimont – City Rain

John Zdechlik – Chorale and Shaker Dance II

Luigi Zianelli – Danzetta

 

Additional Resources

Teaching Music Through Performance in Band

Teaching Music Through Performance in Middle School Band

Pennsylvania Music Education Association MPA List

Florida Music Educators Association

Michigan Music Educators Association

Texas Music Educators Association

Kentucky Music Educators Association

Iowa Music Educators Association