Cheap Thrills: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

This arrangement captures the infectious energy of a chart hit while respecting the instrumentation of a concert band. The reggae inflection adds genuine rhythmic interest without requiring students to master unfamiliar time signatures, and watching the melody travel across your sections keeps everyone engaged and accountable.

Laid back but never lazy. The moderate tempo and reggae groove create a relaxed pocket, yet the interplay between sections keeps the piece propulsive and engaging from start to finish.

Concert bands at the Grade 3 level looking for contemporary pop material that still demands musicality and section awareness. Directors programming a concert that needs energy and familiarity without sacrificing musical substance.

• Keep the reggae feel grounded in the rhythm section; the offbeat harmonic hits should snap crisply without rushing the overall pulse.
• Balance the melodic line across sections as it passes from brass to woodwinds. Mark entrances clearly so students recognize when the spotlight shifts to them.
• Let the percussion arrangement breathe. The scoring is minimal and intentional, so clean articulation and precise timing make the biggest impact.

Program this as a second-half opener to reset the room's energy after a heavier classical work, or use it as a closing number to send the audience out smiling. The 2:20 duration makes it ideal for a three-piece pop mini-suite alongside other contemporary arrangements.

• Maintaining steady tempo in a groove-based style
• Balancing melody transfer between instrumental choirs
• Interpreting reggae rhythmic feel and articulation
• Listening to percussion to lock harmonic hits