An American In Paris: Concert Band Conductor Score

This arrangement captures all the rhythmic energy and orchestral personality of Gershwin's original without demanding the resources of a full orchestra. Jerry Brubaker's setting keeps the iconic taxi horn effects and propulsive syncopation intact while making the piece genuinely playable by a solid Grade 4 band. Directors will appreciate that this scores big on concert programs: audiences know the title, the music is visually engaging (those horns!), and it sits at exactly the difficulty level where students feel challenged but not overwhelmed.

Witty, urbane, and relentlessly energetic. The opening has a languorous, observant quality as if strolling through Paris neighborhoods, but once the famous taxi horns arrive, the music tumbles forward with irresistible momentum. There's joy in the orchestration and genuine humor in the rhythmic interplay; playing this piece should feel like riding a wave of brass and color that captures the exhilaration of a great city.

Concert bands at the high school or advanced middle school level, or college/university bands looking for a substantial twentieth-century American masterwork that doesn't require a massive instrumentation. Directors preparing a diverse concert that includes both classical warhorses and American concert staples will find this essential. The piece sits perfectly in the middle ground: musically sophisticated and utterly reliable in performance.

• Shape the melodic lines with a singer's phrasing even in the wind parts; Gershwin's primary gift was melody, and over-emphasizing the rhythmic character will flatten the lyricism underneath.
• Balance the taxi horns carefully during their prominent moments. They should punctuate the texture without drowning out the ensemble, and coordinate them with precision so they register as designed musical gestures rather than chaos.
• Differentiate the tempos and characters within the piece. The opening is contemplative and walking; the midsection accelerates into the famous careening section. Mark these transitions clearly in rehearsal and let the band feel the dramatic sweep.
• Secure the syncopated rhythms in the accompaniment figures early. The jazz-inflected harmonies and off-beat articulations need rhythmic confidence from the full ensemble to lock together.

Program this as the anchor of a twentieth-century American concert alongside shorter works by Copland or Barber. Its length and dramatic arc make it a natural closer for a pops-styled concert or a centerpiece for a program exploring American concert music. The piece also works well as a transition from classical and romantic repertoire into contemporary concert band literature.

• Syncopated rhythmic accuracy in jazz-inflected ensemble contexts
• Balancing melody with active accompaniment figures
• Coordinate ensemble precision with rhythmic independence (taxi horn effects)
• Phrasing and shaping in twentieth-century tonal language
• Reading and executing orchestral transpositions specific to concert band voicing