A Touch of Honey: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score

López gives you a ballad that teaches without feeling like a lesson. The written solo sits front and center, letting students hear what a lyrical, shaped melodic statement sounds like in jazz without the pressure of improvisation—perfect for groups still building their jazz vocabulary. The optional parts mean you can perform this with whatever instrumentation you have on any given day.

A quiet moment in a crowded room. The melody has a gentle, lingering quality that lives up to its title, and the simple forward motion of the supporting lines creates a sense of calm inevitability rather than tension.

Beginning jazz ensembles and young students encountering jazz for the first time. This works equally well for mixed-ability sections since optional parts let you include everyone, and the minimal technical demands keep focus on musicality rather than mechanics.

• Shape the trumpet (or flute) solo with deliberate dynamic contours. Even though it's written, treat it as a vehicle for teaching phrasing and breath placement.
• Lock the rhythm section into a pocket that feels unhurried. Beginning students often rush ballads; use rehearsal time to establish a comfortable, swinging half-time feel.
• Balance the ensemble behind the solo trumpet carefully. The moving lines should support, not compete with, the written melody.
• Pay attention to how the chart opens and closes. Use dynamics and ensemble unity to frame the haunting quality López built into this arrangement.

Place this on a concert where you're introducing audiences to jazz, or use it as a bridge between concert band and jazz band repertoire. Its lyrical nature also makes it effective as a closer to a shorter set or as a palate-cleansing contrast between uptempo charts.

• Listening for and responding to solo melody within an ensemble texture
• Shaping a ballad line with dynamic intention and phrasing
• Maintaining rhythmic independence in a jazz ensemble while supporting ensemble sound
• Reading jazz chord symbols and understanding harmonic movement
• Playing simple ostinato patterns with swing feel