66 Festive & Famous Chorales for Band: 1st E-flat Alto Saxophone Book

This collection solves the perpetual rehearsal challenge of finding substantial warm-up material that actually improves musicianship rather than just burning time. The sheer variety means you're not retreading the same harmonic terrain daily, and the flexible instrumentation lets you rotate through different small group combinations while still building the full band sound. Erickson's voicing is transparent enough for early-intermediate saxophones to navigate cleanly but musically sophisticated enough that directors take the work seriously.

Moving through this book feels like discovering a curated hymnal for wind band. You encounter beloved melodies and chorale traditions that lend weight and purpose to rehearsal, yet each arrangement strips away unnecessary complexity so the musicality shines through. The consistent four-part writing creates a stability that lets young players focus on phrasing and blend rather than fighting difficult rhythmic or intervallic terrain.

First alto saxophone players in developing concert bands will find these 66 chorales immediately playable and musically rewarding. The collection works for programs at grades 3-5 level where solid fundamentals are in place but section members are still building confidence and reading fluency.

• Isolate intonation trouble spots by running a few chorales as quartet or sextet before full band rehearsal; the transparency reveals pitch issues that disappear in full band texture.
• Shape phrases across bar lines rather than stopping at cadences; treat each chorale as a single melodic arc even when harmonic sections shift.
• Balance first saxophone lines against tutti sections by having the section mark dynamic targets in their parts beforehand so the lead voice sits naturally without forcing.
• Rotate which saxophones play the melody part across different chorales to build confidence and ensure everyone gets solo voice experience.

Deploy these as your go-to opening material for rehearsals during the first half of the year when you're building ensemble cohesion and tone quality. The 24-page alto sax book supplies enough variety that you can rotate through chorales weekly without repetition across a full semester, and the smaller groupings let you integrate sectionals seamlessly into sectional time.

• Phrasing across longer melodic lines in four-part harmony
• Intonation balance and adjustment within a voiced section
• Reading and executing stylistically consistent dynamics across related passages
• Quick rhythm reading across a wide range of time signatures
• Blending articulation and tone color with section mates