A Touch of Honey: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts
By Victor López
Grade: 0.5 (Very Easy)
Item: 00-PK-0002513
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Description
Here's a great opportunity to discuss and teach balance, expression, phrasing, and dynamics to your very beginning jazz students. You can hear it for yourself in this superb chart by master arranger Victor López. No improvised solos, but a haunting written solo by trumpet or optional flute starts things off and it gets even more lyrical with simple and easy-to-play moving lines. Fast preparation, minimal technical demands, and plenty of optional parts make this the ideal ballad chart for any performance setting. This melody will stick with you for weeks - the title says it all.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, A Touch of Honey: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
Jazz Beginnings Series
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
44
SKU:
00-PK-0002513
More about this title
About the Composer: Victor Lopez
Victor López is a prolific composer and arranger whose work has become foundational to jazz education at every level. His ability to craft musically satisfying pieces without overwhelming young players has earned him recognition across thousands of school programs, where his charts are standards in beginning and intermediate jazz curricula.
Why we love this
López writes with genuine understanding of what beginning jazz ensembles can accomplish. The piece delivers real musical sophistication—lyrical phrasing, clear harmonic movement, a compelling written solo—while staying within the technical reach of players who are still finding their way. You'll spend rehearsal time on musicianship and expression, not scrambling to simplify overly complex material.
What to expect
Warm and reflective, with a melodic line that lingers in memory long after rehearsal ends. The arrangement unfolds as a slow ballad with gentle sophistication—no pyrotechnics, just honest jazz lyricism that feels adult without demanding adult-level chops.
Who it's for
Beginning jazz ensembles ready to move beyond head charts and play written big band arrangements. This works equally well for middle school jazz bands, high school programs in their first year, and adult community ensembles that value accessibility without sacrifice.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the opening trumpet or flute solo with rubato and dynamic shaping; this is your hook, so let it breathe rather than locking it into strict time.
- Balance the moving lines in the ensemble sections carefully during rehearsal. López keeps them simple but they can easily blur together if the sections don't listen to each other.
- Use the optional parts strategically. A smaller ensemble makes the accompaniment cleaner and the solo more prominent; a fuller version deepens the harmonic cushion.
- Bring out the melody when it passes between voices. Mark the phrase peaks so students understand where the song is going, not just what their own line does.
How to use it
Program this as an anchor ballad in your winter or spring concert, paired alongside a medium-tempo swing tune and an up-tempo closer. It's also effective as an early-season teaching vehicle during the first months of jazz ensemble when you're establishing the culture of listening, balance, and phrasing that defines good ensemble playing.
Skills your students will build
- Balancing and blending within an ensemble texture
- Reading and executing dynamic shapes and phrase contours
- Playing from a full conductor score arrangement
- Sustaining tone and line in a slow tempo
- Hearing harmonic movement and chord changes without improvising