Angry Beavers!: E-flat Alto Saxophone
By Brian Beck
Grade: 3 (Medium)
Item: 00-PC-0017871_AX1
$3.00
Pickup currently not available
Description
Prepare yourself because things are about to get weird! Multiple changes of time signatures, funky rhythms, and unexpected jazz harmonies are all set to an ultra-cool, fast-rock backbeat. This will definitely make an impression on any concert. This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Angry Beavers!: E-flat Alto Saxophone comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Sample Audio
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Additional Details
Series:
Young Symphonic
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
280
SKU:
00-PC-0017871_AX1
More about this title
About the Composer: Brian Beck
Brian Beck is a composer and arranger whose band music has earned recognition across regional and national platforms. His works have received "Reviewer's Choice" honors from The Instrumentalist and J. W. Pepper, appeared in Teaching Music Through Performance In Band, and landed spots on prescribed music lists including UIL Texas, Ohio Band List, and the Western International Clinic Program. Beck has directed bands at both Faubion Middle School and Byrd Middle School in the Dallas area, where his ensembles consistently earned Superior ratings at UIL contests, competed as TMEA State Honor Band finalists, and were selected for performances at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago.
Holding degrees from Texas A&M University-Commerce and the University of Houston, Beck brings classroom experience together with active work as a clinician for instrumental and vocal ensembles. His catalog spans concert band, marching band, and choral music, reflecting a deep understanding of what works in rehearsal and what resonates with audiences at festivals and concerts.
Why we love this
Angry Beavers! delivers genuine personality without sacrificing musicality. The shifting meters and jazz harmonies feel organic rather than contrived, and the fast-rock drive gives students something genuinely fun to lock into while learning real rhythmic complexity. This is the kind of piece that gets a laugh during rehearsal and a standing ovation in performance.
What to expect
Weird and wonderful in the best way. The piece bounces between oddball time signatures and slick jazz harmonies over a rock-solid backbeat, creating music that feels unpredictable and playful but never loses its groove. You get the sense something slightly off-kilter is happening, and that's entirely intentional.
Who it's for
Grade 3 concert bands ready for metric and harmonic challenge wrapped in accessible, high-energy music. This works for programs that want to program something memorable and fun without sacrificing musical substance.
How to get the most out of it
- Lock the meter changes into muscle memory before touching tempo. Have the band speak the time signature aloud at each shift during early rehearsals so the transition feels inevitable rather than disruptive.
- Emphasize the jazz voicings in the harmony sections. Those unexpected chord colors are where the piece gets its personality; let them ring clearly rather than rushing through them.
- Nail the rhythmic precision in the rock backbeat sections. Tight, grooving rhythm section work transforms the novelty elements into genuine swagger.
- Use the title's energy as a rehearsal tool. This piece thrives on commitment and attitude; conductors who embrace the weird humor tend to get performances that land hardest.
How to use it
Program Angry Beavers! as a highlight piece in a concert built around contemporary band music or as a festival entry that breaks the mold. The novelty elements and contest appeal make it ideal for spring concert programming when audiences are ready to smile, or as a statement piece that shows your band's range and musicianship.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and executing multiple time signature changes (focus on transitions and metric modulation)
- Jazz harmony voicing and voice leading in a concert band context
- Rhythmic precision in syncopated, rock-influenced passages
- Style awareness across rock, jazz, and contemporary concert music idioms
- Collaborative listening in ensemble settings with unexpected harmonic and rhythmic twists