By THAT Much: Concert Band Conductor Score

This score gives you permission to celebrate what every rehearsal room knows: mistakes happen, and they're often funnier than perfection. Smallman's wit is sharp enough to entertain your entire section, not just the conductor, and the musical writing beneath the humor is genuinely clever. You'll spend rehearsal laughing while your musicians actually improve their technique through the very mistakes the piece invites them to explore.

A musical conversation between conductor and ensemble where everyone is in on the joke. The piece bounces along with lightness and charm, then lands perfectly timed comic moments that feel both spontaneous and inevitable once you know them.

Directors seeking a Grade 3 piece that entertains both ensemble and audience while reinforcing fundamental musicianship. Bands ready to laugh at themselves and use humor as a teaching tool will find this score especially rewarding.

• Balance your dynamics carefully in the sections where intentional errors occur; the humor lands hardest when the ensemble commits fully to the musical statement before the "mistake" lands.
• Rehearse the passages with deliberate wrong notes separately so your band knows exactly which players carry each gag and can execute it with precision.
• Give yourself permission to conduct this with exaggerated expressions; the piece thrives on the conductor's visible reaction to the ensemble's planned mishaps.
• Bring specific attention to intonation and style in the sections that are played "correctly" to sharpen the contrast when things go delightfully wrong.

Program this as a second-half opener on a concert where you want to shift the energy and build audience connection before moving into your more serious repertoire. It works beautifully as a palate cleanser between a dramatic opening work and a closing march or lyrical piece.

• Executing rhythmic patterns with precision despite intentional harmonic disruptions
• Responding to conductor cues during planned ensemble mistakes
• Distinguishing between authentic musical expression and deliberate stylistic deviation
• Building confidence in performance by understanding humor as a valid musical tool