Apparitions: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$65.00 USD

Apparitions: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Apparitions: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 98-B1470
Price: 65.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Brian Balmages

Grade: 2

Item: 98-B1470

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This serious lyrical work paints a picture of lonely apparitions that constantly appear and then fade away. Designed as an excellent introduction to expressive playing with more complex harmonies, all ranges are intentionally conservative, allowing students to explore the musical depth and various contemporary textures. Unique percussion effects include placing a cymbal upside down on a timpani and bowing it while fluttering the pedal, creating a supernatural effect toward the end of the work. Suspenseful and innovative.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Apparitions: Concert Band 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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Series: FJH Young Band

Publisher: The FJH Music Company, Inc.

UPC: 674398228621

SKU: 98-B1470

More about this title

About the Composer: Brian Balmages

Brian Balmages has built a career composing and conducting across orchestral, band, and chamber music at the highest levels. His works have been heard at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Sydney Opera House, performed by ensembles ranging from professional orchestras to school groups. He received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association and won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest for Love and Light.

As an elected member of the American Bandmasters Association, Balmages maintains an active conducting schedule with all-state ensembles, university groups, and professional orchestras worldwide. He has guest conducted at major conferences including the Midwest Clinic and Western International Band Clinic, and his music was performed during the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service. Currently serving as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic, Balmages continues to shape music education through both composition and leadership.

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Why we love this

Balmages crafts a piece that treats Grade 2 students as serious musicians capable of nuance and atmosphere. The conservative ranges free players to focus on phrasing and tone color rather than technical survival, while the harmonies challenge ears accustomed to simpler tonal writing. That inverted cymbal effect on timpani creates genuine wonder in the ensemble and audience alike, turning a special technique into an unforgettable moment.

What to expect

Lonely, haunting, and oddly beautiful. Apparitions drifts in and out of focus like memories you can't quite hold, with harmonies that feel slightly unsettling in the best way. The final percussion moment arrives like a chill down the spine.

Who it's for

Band directors seeking Grade 2 repertoire that doesn't settle for simplicity. Students ready to explore expressive playing and contemporary sonorities without being overwhelmed by technical demands.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the long tones as if they're always moving, even when the notation sits still. This keeps the apparition imagery alive rather than letting phrases feel static.
Balance the contemporary harmonies by having students listen across sections. The unusual chords land harder if each voice can hear how it sits within the whole.
Rehearse the cymbal-on-timpani effect early so the physics become second nature. Fluttering the pedal while bowing requires coordination that pays off when it finally sounds supernatural in context.

How to use it

Pair this as a contrasting moment in a concert where it can breathe between more energetic selections. Its theatrical quality and specialized percussion effects make it ideal for festival programming or as an opener that sets a reflective tone for the entire evening.

Skills your students will build

Sustaining long tones with dynamic shape and consistency
Listening to and balancing contemporary harmonic language
Playing with expressive intent rather than mechanical accuracy
Creating special percussion effects (inverted cymbal technique, flutter pedal coordination)
Responding to programmatic imagery through musical phrasing