Cissy Strut: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Diane Downs has transformed a funk classic into an arrangement that thrives on ensemble energy without requiring every player to be an advanced technician. The flexible instrumentation lets you adapt the piece to what you have on hand, making it equally playable with a full Latin percussion section or a stripped-down core. It's the kind of arrangement that reminds students why they practice: to feel the groove and deliver it together.

Groovy and infectious. The arrangement breathes the swagger of New Orleans funk while staying accessible enough for younger ensemble musicians to lock into the pocket. You'll hear conversations between the mallet instruments and the rhythm section, punctuated by stabs that snap the band into focus.

Concert bands working at the Grade 3 level who want to inject funk and contemporary energy into their repertoire without abandoning musicality. Directors looking for material that engages the full ensemble and gives mallet and percussion players meaningful solo responsibility.

• Lock the kick drum pattern early in rehearsal and keep it consistent; everything else in the arrangement pivots around that foundation.
• Encourage the mallet players to listen across the ensemble rather than just watching you. The percussion colors need to blend rather than compete for attention.
• Let the drum set player shape the dynamics. Their dynamics will pull the band with them, so rehearse dynamics with the full percussion section as a unit.
• Mark the Latin percussion entries clearly in your score. The clave and congas create the character, so isolate those voices in sectionals if the band is rushing or dragging.

Program this alongside other funk or pop arrangements to show students how groove transcends genre and era. It works especially well as a closer or second-to-last selection when you want the audience leaving with energy. The 2:30 duration makes it ideal for filling a concert slot without requiring a full three-movement arc.

• Funk and pop rhythm feel, including pocket playing and syncopated ensemble hits
• Latin percussion patterns and cross-rhythm reading
• Mallet independence and four-way coordination on percussion instruments
• Ensemble listening and dynamic response without conductor dependency
• Arranging flexibility through optional and substitutable instrumentation