Across the Halfpipe (Mvt. 3 of "Minnesota Portraits"): Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

This movement succeeds because it commits fully to its subject. Hazo doesn't treat skateboard culture as window dressing; instead, he builds the entire musical architecture around the physical sensation of movement, momentum, and risk. The percussion writing is particularly smart: it propels the music forward without drowning out the melodic material that gives the piece shape and purpose.

Kinetic and propulsive. The music captures the speed and focus required for halfpipe riding: there's momentum, there are sharp directional shifts, and underneath it all runs a sense of controlled exhilaration. It's loud and celebratory without feeling bombastic.

Grade 5 bands ready to tackle contemporary repertoire with genuine musical substance. You need an ensemble comfortable with rhythmic independence and secure enough to balance texture; this isn't a piece that plays itself through simple note reading alone.

• Balance the energetic percussion layer against the melodic lines. Your percussionists should drive the pulse, but the band's winds need to be heard clearly. In rehearsal, have the winds play at full volume while you control the percussion dynamics to find the right blend.
• Lock the rhythmic figures early in your rehearsal process. The twisting melodic patterns sit on top of a strong rhythmic foundation, and your section leaders need to feel that floor beneath them before anyone can execute the turns and shifts that Hazo writes.
• Shape the riffs as gestures rather than mere repetition. Even short motivic ideas benefit from subtle dynamic shaping that mirrors the sport itself: acceleration, weight transfer, control.
• Mark your score where the melody passes between sections. This piece has a lot of internal movement, and clarity about who carries the line at each moment prevents the sense of the music getting scattered.

Consider opening a concert with this piece. Its energy and contemporary appeal can immediately engage your audience, and its relatively compact duration makes it an ideal opener that establishes excitement without exhausting your ensemble before the rest of the program. It also pairs well with other modern concert band works that explore non-traditional musical subject matter.

• Balancing dense rhythmic textures with melodic clarity
• Executing syncopated figures with precision
• Dynamic shaping of repeated motifs
• Rhythmic independence within complex ensemble textures
• Reading and performing contemporary concert band scoring