Champions Rising: Score
By Adrian B. Sims
Grade: 1.5
Item: 98-DB1818S
$12.00
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Description
This dynamic work captures the rising champion spirit in all of us. Bold melodic lines and powerful percussion writing convey virtues of persistence, resilience, determination and excellence. After a great deal of melodic and harmonic development, the music comes to a thrilling conclusion. Guaranteed to have your band rising to new heights!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Champions Rising: Score comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
FJH Developing Band
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-DB1818S
More about this title
About the Composer: Adrian B. Sims
Adrian B. Sims (b. 2000) is a composer, conductor, educator, and trombonist based in Seattle, Washington. His works have been performed at The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and earned recognition on the Bandworld Top 100 List. He has won multiple composition competitions, including the Maryland Music Educators Association Young Composers Project and the Make Music Young Composers Contest, and regularly conducts his own music in performances across Maryland schools.
Currently pursuing a dual degree in Music Education and Composition at The University of Maryland, Sims studies composition with Dr. Robert Gibson and has learned from world-renowned composer Brian Balmages. As a trombonist, he performs in the university's top ensembles and has played alongside the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. His development as a musician and composer reflects the mentorship of his high school band directors Christopher Gnagey and Cindy Stevenson.
Why we love this
Sims writes with a clear understanding of what young bands need: accessible voicing paired with genuinely inspiring content. The thematic material stays with players long after rehearsal, and the piece builds momentum naturally without requiring your section leaders to force anything. At grade 1.5, it delivers the emotional payoff and musical substance that makes students feel they're playing something that matters.
What to expect
Champions Rising captures the momentum of personal breakthrough. The piece opens with conviction, develops its themes through rich harmonic shifts, and builds toward a powerful finish that feels earned rather than forced. You hear persistence in the way ideas return and transform, and resilience in the harmonic language that doesn't shy away from complexity even at this accessible level.
Who it's for
This work suits developing concert bands that are ready to tackle material with genuine emotional content and technical substance. It appeals to ensembles preparing for contest or festival settings where you want a piece that impresses adjudicators while remaining playable at the 1.5 level.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the melodic lines with clear phrase direction; the bold lines deserve room to breathe rather than a rigid march-like approach.
- Balance the percussion writing so it punctuates without overwhelming the band. Let the developed sections shine through the rhythmic accompaniment.
- Build the final conclusion deliberately, bringing all sections together gradually to create the thrilling finish the piece promises.
How to use it
Program this as a centerpiece in a concert focused on growth and achievement, pairing it with lighter openers and contrasting chamber works to showcase the band's range. Its contest-ready nature and uplifting character also make it ideal for spring festival performances or as a vehicle for demonstrating ensemble development to parents and administrators.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and sustaining flowing melodic lines across full band voicing
- Maintaining independent rhythmic precision within percussion-driven accompaniment
- Balancing blend and projection during harmonic development sections
- Building momentum and energy through layered dynamic growth
- Listening for harmonic color and sonority in mid-range difficulty writing