Recommended Repertoire
My tastes in band music for the middle school level tend to be quite narrow. The works listed in these recommendations have all been rehearsed and performed by the McCracken Middle School Bands.
Highlighted works are those that I consider to be the "core" of the young band repertoire. While the others may or may not have the same degree of musical depth, they are all pieces that I have enjoyed preparing and performing with my students.
Want to ensure quality programing for your students? Only select music in which the musical difficulty meets or exceeds the technical difficulty.
| TITLE | COMPOSER | ARRANGER | GR | PUBLISHER |
| King's Feast, The | Ken Singleton | 1+ | Grand Mesa Music | |
| Canarios Fantasia | Akey, Douglas | 4 | Alfred Publishing Company | |
| Pirates | Akey, Douglas | 3+ | Queenwood/Kjos | |
| Introduction and Rondo | Akey, Douglas | 3 | Queenwood/Kjos | |
| Tallis Prelude, A | Akey, Douglas | 3- | Queenwood/Kjos | |
| Cascade River Overture | Akey, Douglas | 3 | Queenwood/Kjos | |
| Tales of the Emerald Isle | Akey, Douglas | 3 | Hal Leonard Corporation | |
| Joy Fantastique | Akey, Douglas | 3 | manuscript | |
| Farnaby Prelude, A | Akey, Douglas | 3 | Daehn Publications | |
| Spirit! | Akey, Douglas | 3 | Queenwood/Kjos | |
| Peregrin (A Traveler's Tale) | Akey, Douglas | 3- | Queenwood/Kjos | |
| When the Stars Began to Fall | Allen, Fred | 2+ | TRN | |
| Whip and Spur | Allen, Thomas | Ray Cramer | 4 | TRN Music, Inc. |
| Belle Qui Tiens Ma Vie | Arbeau, Thoinot | Bob Margolis | 2- | Manhattan Beach Music |
| Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo | Arnold, Malcolm | John P. Paynter | 4 | Carl Fischer, Inc. |
| Chorale and Fugue | Bach, J. S. | Larry Daehn | 3 | Daehn Publications |
| Prelude and Fugue in Bb | Bach, J. S. | Roland Moehlmann | 3 | Warner Brothers Pub. |
| Prelude and Fugue in D minor | Bach, J. S. | Roland Moehlmann | 3 | Alfred Publishing Co. |
| Pirates of the Caribbean (Soundtrack Highlights) | Badelt, Klaus | Ted Ricketts | 3 | Hal Leonard Corporation |
| Midnight Sky | Balmages, Brian | 1 | FJH | |
| Majestica | Balmages, Brian | 1+ | FJH | |
| Midnight Mission | Balmages, Brian | 1 | FJH | |
| Yorkshire Ballad | Barnes, James | 2+ | Southern Music Company | |
| Sailor's Odyssey, A | Bobrowitz, David | 2+ | Grand Mesa Music | |
| Symphony No. 4 | Boysen, Andrew | 3 | Neil A. Kjos Music Company | |
| Tricycle | Boysen, Andrew | 3 | Neil A. Kjos Music Company | |
| Unraveling | Boysen, Andrew | 3 | Neil A. Kjos Music Company | |
| Peace Song | Broege, Timothy | 3 | Bourne Company | |
| Sinfonia XIX | Broege, Timothy | 3 | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Dinosaurs | Bukvich, Daniel | 2+ | Phoebus Publications | |
| Ancient Dialogue | Burns, Patrick | 3- | Daehn Publications | |
| Praeludium | Buxtehude, Dietrich | Chip De Stefano | 4 | DeStefanoMusic.com |
| Ciacona in C minor | Buxtehude, Dietrich | Chip De Stefano | 4 | manuscript |
| Wolsey's Wilde | Byrd, William | Doug Hartzell | 2 | Grand Mesa Music |
| Overture for Winds | Carter, Charles | 3 | Bourne Company | |
| Variations on a Korean Folk Song | Chance, John Barnes | 4 | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Royal Procession | Collins-Dowden, Michael | 1 | manuscript | |
| A Copland Tribute | Copland, Aaron | Clare Grundmann | 4 | Boosey and Hawkes |
| Sarabanda and Gavotta | Corelli, Arcangelo | Johnson | 2+ | Rubank, Inc. |
| Andante and Allegro | Corelli, Arcangelo | Phillip Gordon | 2- | Alfred Publishing Company |
| Song for the Winter Moon | Cummings, Walter | 1 | Grand Mesa Music | |
| Nottingham Castle | Daehn, Larry | 1 | Daehn Publications | |
| British Isles Suite | Daehn, Larry | 2 | Daehn Publications | |
| Song for Friends, A | Daehn, Larry | 1 | Daehn Publications | |
| Alligator Alley | Daugherty, Michael | 4- | Bandquest | |
| Touch of Baroque, A | Feldstein, Sandy & O'Reilly, John | 1 | Alfred Publishing Co. | |
| March Ahead | Feldstein, Sandy & O'Reilly, John | 1 | Alfred Publishing Co. | |
| Orange Bowl | Fillmore, Henry | 3 | Carl Fischer, Inc. | |
| Footlifter, The | Fillmore, Henry | 3 | Carl Fischer | |
| Men of Ohio | Fillmore, Henry | 3 | Carl Fischer/BandMusicPDF.org | |
| Korean Folk Rhapsody | Folk Song | James Curnow | 2 | Hal Leonard Corporation |
| King Across the Water, The | Fraser, Bruce | 3+ | G&M Brand | |
| Renaissance Festival, A | Gervaise, Claude | Ken Singleton | 3 | Grand Mesa Music |
| Overture in Bb | Giovaninni, Ceasar | Wayne Robinson | 4 | RBC Publications |
| Chorale and Capriccio | Giovannini, Ceasar | Wayne Robinson | 4 | Dorabet Music |
| Parade of the Wooden Warriors | Gorb, Adam | 3+ | G & M Brand | |
| British Waterside | Grainger, Percy | John Moss | 2+ | G. Schirmer, Inc |
| Themes from Green Bushes | Grainger, Percy | Larry Daehn | 4 | Daehn Publications |
| Shepherd's Hey | Grainger, Percy | Chip De Stefano | 1 | FJH |
| Spoon River | Grainger, Percy Aldridge | Glenn Cliffe Bainum | 4 | G. Schirmer, Inc |
| Fantasy on American Sailing Songs | Grundman, Clare | 4 | Boosey & Hawkes | |
| Kentucky 1800 | Grundman, Clare | 2 | Boosey & Hawkes | |
| American Folk Rhapsody #3 | Grundman, Clare | 3 | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Little Suite for Band | Grundman, Clare | 2 | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Irish Rhapsody, An | Grundman, Clare | 3+ | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Albanian Dance | Hanson, Shelley | 4 | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Ascend | Hazo, Sam | 3 | Hal Leonard Corporation | |
| As Winds Dance | Hazo, Samuel | 2 | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Our Kingsland Spring | Hazo, Samuel | 2 | Hal Leonard | |
| Novo Lenio | Hazo, Samuel | 3 | Wingert-Jones | |
| Psalm 42 | Hazo, Samuel | 2 | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Star Spangled Banner | Key, Francis Scott | John Kinyon | 2 | Luverne Publications |
| Rough Riders | King, Karl | James Swearington | 3 | Alfred Publishing Company |
| Torch of Liberty | King, Karl | James Swearingen | 3 | C. L. Barnhouse |
| Prestissimo | King, Karl | 3- | C. L. Barnhouse | |
| Circus Days | King, Karl | Loras Schissel | 3 | C. L. Barnhouse |
| Hosts of Freedom | King, Karl | John P. Paynter | 3 | C. L. Barnhouse |
| American Riversongs | La Plante, Pierre | 3 | Daehn Publications | |
| Prospect | La Plante, Pierre | 2+ | Bourne Company | |
| Undertow | Mackey, John | 3+ | Ostimusic | |
| Foundry | Mackey, John | 3 | Ostimusic | |
| Fantasy on a Bell Carol | Madden, Edward | 4 | Carl Fischer, Inc. | |
| Fanfare, Ode, and Festival | Margolis, Bob | 2+ | Manhattan Beach Music | |
| African Folk Trilogy | McGinty, Anne | 1 | Queenwood/Kjos | |
| Stony Creek March | McGinty, Anne | 1 | Queenwood/Kjos | |
| Alleluia | Mozart, W. A. | John O'Reilly | 1+ | Alfred Publishing Company |
| Suite from Bohemia | Nelhybel, Vaclav | 2 | E. C. Kerby | |
| Glengary Hills | Nelson, David | 3 | Lorenz Corporation | |
| Courtly Airs and Dances | Nelson, Ron | 3+ | Ludwig Music Company | |
| Onafade Noslo | Owens, Don | 3 | manuscript | |
| Pageant | Persichetti, Vincent | 4 | Carl Fischer, Inc. | |
| Music for Queen Mary | Purcell, Henry | Robert Garofalo | 2 | Grand Mesa Music |
| Sesame Street Theme | Raposo, Joe | Paul Murtha | 2 | Hal Leonard Corporation |
| Slavonic Folk Suite | Reed, Alfred | 3 | Hal Leonard Corporation | |
| "Mass" from La Fiesta Mexicana | Reed, H. Owen | 3+ | Alfred | |
| Polly Oliver | Root, Thomas | 3- | Neil A. Kjos Music Co. | |
| Garlandstone | Root, Thomas | 2+ | Alfred Publishing Company | |
| Music from Les Miserables | Schoenberg | Johnnie Vinson | 3 | Hal Leonard Corporation |
| Music from Wicked | Schwartz, Stephen | Michael Sweeney | 3- | Hal Leonard |
| Coldwater Creek | Sheldon, Robert | 1 | C. L. Barnhouse | |
| Longford Legend, A | Sheldon, Robert | 4 | Alfred Publishing Co. | |
| Lydian Lullaby | Sheldon, Robert | 1 | Alfred Publishing Co. | |
| Emperata Overture | Smith, Claude T. | 4 | Wingert-Jones | |
| Thunderer, The | Sousa, John Phillip | 3 | ||
| Pride of the Wolverines | Sousa, John Phillip | Fredreick Fennell | 4 | Warner Brothers Pub. |
| Ere the World Began to Be | Stamp, Jack | 2+ | Daehn Publications | |
| Three Ayres from Gloucester | Stuart | 3 | Shawnee Press | |
| Renaissance Revel, A | Susato, Teilman | Ken Singleton | 2+ | Grand Mesa Music |
| Battle Pavane, The | Susato, Tielman | Bob Margolis | 2 | Manhattan Beach Music |
| Baywood Overture | Swearington, James | 1+ | C. L. Barnhouse | |
| Ancient Voices | Sweeney, Michael | 2 | Hal Leonard Corporation | |
| Celtic Air and Dance | Sweeney, Michael | 2 | Hal Leonard | |
| Cajun Folk Songs | Ticheli, Frank | 3+ | Manhattan Beach Music | |
| Amazing Grace | Ticheli, Frank | 4 | Manhattan Beach Music | |
| Portrait of a Clown | Ticheli, Frank | 2 | Manhattan Beach Music | |
| Shenandoah | Ticheli, Frank | 3+ | Manhattan Beach Music | |
| Simple Gifts | Ticheli, Frank | 3+ | Manhattan Beach Music | |
| This Old Man | Traditioinal | Peter Reynolds | 2 | Luverne Publications |
| Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon | Traditional | Michael Sweeney | 1 | Hal Leonard |
| When Johnny Comes Marching Home | Traditional | Frank Erickson | 3 | Carl Fischer? |
| African Festival | Traditional | Bruce Pearson | 2 | Neil A. Kjos Music Company |
| Salvation is Created | Tschesnokoff, Pavel | Bruce Houseknecht | 3+ | Neil A. Kjos Music Company |
| Suite on Greek Love Songs | van Lijnschooten, Henk | 4 | Molenaar Editions | |
| English Folk Song Suite | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | 4 | Boosey & Hawkes | |
| Flourish for Wind Band | Vaughan-Williams, Ralph | 3 | Boosey and Hawkes | |
| Fa Una Canzona | Vecchi, Orazio | Larry Daehn | 2+ | Daehn Publications |
| Ancient City of Stone | Vogel, Kirk | 1+ | Grand Mesa Music | |
| Polka from Schwanda the Bagpiper | Weinberger, Jaromir | Glenn C. Bainum | 4 | Associated Music Publishers |
| Sunrise | Will, Andrew | 1 | Willscore Publications | |
| Variation Overture | Williams, Clifton | 3- | Ludwig Music Company | |
| Olympic Fanfare and Theme | Williams, John | James Curnow | 3+ | Hal Leonard Corporation |
| Cascade Festival Overture | Williams, Mark | 2 | Alfred Publishing Company | |
| Rainbow Connection, The | Williams, Paul | John Moss | 2 | Hal Leonard Corporation |
| Chorale and Shaker Dance | Zdecklik, John | 4 | Carl Fischer, Inc. |
Other Repertoire Resources
Standard Repertoire for Young Band by Douglas
Akey
This list, without a doubt, is the best young band repertoire list
out there. I lived off this list my first two years teaching and still
refer to it frequently. The Arizona Band and Orcherstra Directors Association has posted it on their website.
Best Music for Young Band by
Thomas Dvorak
A selective guide to young band repertoire published by Manhattan Beach
Music. Each entry includes a description including the technical and
musical considerations of the work.
Best Music for Beginning Band by
Thomas Dvorak and Richard Floyd
A selective guide to beginning band repertoire published by Manhattan
Beach Music. Each entry includes a description including the technical
and musical considerations of the work.
National Band Association Recommended Literature
List
Make sure that you join the National
Band Association. This organization does a tremendous amount each
year to advance the cause of music and bands in this country. You get
a subscription to the Instrumentalist, the fantastic NBA Journal, and
this repertoire list.