A Touch of Christmas: Suite 2: Concert Band Conductor Score

Applebaum's ear for orchestration shines throughout this suite. Each carol gets its own personality without losing the integrity of the original melodies, and the Spanish inflection on Ukrainian Bell Carol shows how a familiar tune can become fresh again with smart arranging choices. Your band will enjoy the variety, and audiences consistently respond well to holiday pops with this level of musical polish.

Festive and warm without being saccharine. The arrangement honors each carol's essential character while adding just enough color and rhythmic lift to keep it fresh. You'll hear Spanish guitar colors, toy-march charm, gentle oboe solos, and finally a joyride finale that leaves audiences smiling.

Concert bands at the intermediate level (Grade 3) looking for holiday repertoire with genuine musical substance. This suite works equally well for winter concerts, pops nights, or community performances where you need accessible but polished material.

• Balance the Spanish color in the opening carol. The castanets should sit on top of the texture without overwhelming the bell tones underneath; rehearse separately from the full ensemble first.
• The oboe solo in The First Noel deserves careful dynamic shaping. Even with the cue in alto saxophone, let the principal oboe take the lead and shape the phrase with breathing, not just by note.
• Maintain energy through the meter and tempo shifts between March of the Toys and the final Jingle Bells medley. Clear conduct through transitions so the band stays confident.
• Check your castanets player's rhythm against the full accompaniment. Holiday arrangements live or die by rhythmic precision in the percussion section.

Program this as a complete suite in the second half of a winter concert to shift into a lighter mood after more serious repertoire. The variety within the medley holds attention for six or seven minutes, and the closing energy works beautifully as a concert closer or as a lead-in to an encore.

• Balancing solo lines over accompaniment textures
• Performing with Spanish/Latin rhythmic inflection (castanets, syncopation)
• Shaping lyrical passages with controlled dynamics and phrase direction
• Ensemble precision in fast, energetic sections with shifting rhythmic figures