Carry On: Marching Band Conductor Score

Nick Baratta's arrangement captures the soulful depth and bluesy character of this hit without sacrificing the energy that makes it compelling for marching ensembles. At Grade 3, the voicing remains playable for developing bands while retaining the emotional weight of the original. Programs looking for contemporary material that resonates with students and audiences alike will find this delivers on both fronts.

Bluesy and soulful, this arrangement wraps the listener in warm harmonic colors and a groove-centered rhythm section. The emotional center feels introspective yet energetic, inviting both intensity and vulnerability from the performers.

This score is for marching band directors seeking contemporary repertoire that connects with modern audiences and student musicians. Grade 3 bands with solid fundamentals and some experience reading pop-influenced voicings will find it accessible and rewarding to learn and perform.

• Balance the bluesy harmonic language carefully across the winds; the soulful quality depends on supporting voices being heard distinctly, not buried.
• Attend to the rhythmic precision in passages where the band locks into the signature groove. Lock-step accuracy here will make the arrangement shine.
• Shape the melodic line with sensitivity to dynamic contours. This arrangement rewards expressive phrasing, not just volume.
• Use the conductor score to track sectional entrances and to identify where supporting figures drop in and out, which helps maintain textural clarity.

Program this in the second half of a concert where you want to shift the mood toward something contemporary and emotionally resonant. It pairs well with a mix of classical and modern selections and signals to audiences that your band engages with music beyond the traditional canon.

• Interpreting bluesy and soulful harmonic language in a contemporary context
• Balancing independent voice parts within a groove-oriented texture
• Executing rhythmic precision in syncopated, pop-influenced idioms
• Responding to expressive conducting in passages that require dynamic shape and phrasing control