Breaking Point: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$100.00 USD

Breaking Point: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Breaking Point: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 98-B1788
Price: 100.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Brian Balmages

Grade: 4

Item: 98-B1788

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One moment…

Written over a several month period when the composer's father was dying, the composer states: "Throughout this entire experience, I have reached my own breaking point. Over and over again. So I fall apart, put myself together, and am then broken all over again." One of the most emotional and powerful pieces Balmages has ever written, there are moments of untamed beauty, anger, rage, hope, despair, and frustration. Once you perform this one, you will never forget it.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Breaking Point: 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 Symphonic Band

Publisher: The FJH Music Company, Inc.

UPC: 241444405390

SKU: 98-B1788

More about this title

About the Composer: Brian Balmages

Brian Balmages has built an international reputation as both composer and conductor, with works performed by ensembles ranging from professional orchestras to school bands at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Sydney Opera House. He received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association, won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest for Love and Light, and holds membership in the American Bandmasters Association.

As a guest conductor, Balmages regularly works with all-state ensembles, university groups, and professional orchestras worldwide, including appearances at the Midwest Clinic, Western International Band Clinic, and numerous regional conferences. He currently serves as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic. His alma maters, James Madison University and the University of Miami, have both honored his contributions to music through distinguished awards and significant commissions.

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Why we love this

Breaking Point transcends the typical emotional arc because it charts a specific, deeply personal journey: collapse, reconstruction, collapse again. For conductors looking to program something that genuinely moves audiences rather than merely entertains them, this piece delivers raw power without sacrificing musicality. The Grade 4 scoring ensures advanced high school and community bands can access material usually reserved for much larger ensembles.

What to expect

Breaking Point moves through psychological territory most concert band literature avoids: it doesn't resolve neatly or offer comfortable closure. The music captures moments of startling beauty alongside anger and despair, creating an experience that lingers after the final note.

Who it's for

Grade 4 concert bands with strong musicianship and emotional maturity. This work suits competitive festival circuits and concert programming aimed at sophisticated audiences who expect depth from their band repertoire.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the contrasting sections as distinct emotional states rather than treating the piece as a single narrative sweep. Mark tempo changes clearly in parts so the band understands when the music shifts from rage to hope to despair.
Invest rehearsal time in balancing the moments of "untamed beauty" so they register as genuine reprieve rather than simply quieter passages. These moments need careful voicing and dynamic control to land emotionally.
Prepare your ensemble for the demands of this piece intellectually as well as musically. Sharing the composer's context with your musicians helps them access the emotional authenticity the work requires.

How to use it

Program this as a centerpiece work on a concert where audiences expect the band to tackle substantive material. Its emotional weight makes it ideal for spring concerts or festival competitions where impact matters more than novelty. Pair it with lighter repertoire to give audiences breathing room rather than doubling down on intensity.

Skills your students will build

Interpreting nuanced emotional content through dynamics, articulation, and tone color
Executing precise tempo changes that reflect shifts in emotional state
Balancing complex textures to highlight soloistic moments within the ensemble
Sustaining musical focus through extended passages of varying intensity
Responding to conducting that communicates dramatic arc rather than just technical information