Brick House: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Murtha's arrangement captures the irresistible swagger of the original without losing any of the Commodores' signature horn punch. The arrangement sits at Grade 3, which means students get to play genuinely funky material with real rhythmic sophistication rather than a watered-down approximation. Your audience will recognize this immediately, and your students will feel the difference between playing a chart and performing a groove.

Sleek, confident, and irrepressibly fun. This arrangement swaggers from the downbeat, with horn lines that punch and a rhythm section that locks into a groove so deep it feels inevitable. The 2:40 duration keeps the energy coiled tight, leaving the audience wanting more.

Concert bands at the intermediate level looking for repertoire that engages students and audiences alike. Directors who want to program something students actually recognize and care about, without sacrificing musical substance.

• Nail the horn section rhythms first. The brass riffs ARE the song, so lock those parts together before you address anything else in the ensemble.
• Keep the tempo steady and confident. Brick House demands forward momentum; anything tentative kills the funk.
• Balance the rhythm section so the bass line cuts through. The pocket between bass and drums is what makes this arrangement work.
• Let the dynamics breathe. The swells and pulls in the arrangement create the energy shift; don't smooth them out.

Place this in a concert that mixes classical and contemporary work to anchor the lighter half of your program. It pairs well with other pop or soul-influenced pieces and gives you an opportunity to celebrate the musicianship in funk and disco without apology.

• Funk and disco rhythmic phrasing and articulation
• Horn section blend and synchronization in riff-based writing
• Steady groove playing within a fixed tempo
• Balancing volume and definition across rhythm section voices
• Stylistic interpretation beyond classical context