Clarinets Packing Up Early: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$65.00 USD

Clarinets Packing Up Early: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Clarinets Packing Up Early: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-41945
Price: 65.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Clarinet Section Feature

By Gary Fagan

Grade: 2 (Medium Easy)

Item: 00-41945

Need it now?

Buy Digital Version

$65.00

Shipped

One moment…

This novelty piece in rondo form features the clarinet section removing one section of their instrument at a time. As the piece progresses, the instruments become smaller and smaller until the main theme they carry is totally absent from the accompaniment part played by the rest of the ensemble. The creative possibilities with this piece are limited only to the director's imagination! (2:10)

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Clarinets Packing Up Early: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

Open in the Player

Jump straight in and assign it today.

Start Your Free Trial

Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.

No sample videos found.

Series: Young Symphonic

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 128

ISBN10: 1-4706-5328-1

ISBN13: 978-1-4706-5328-6

UPC: 038081482033

SKU: 00-41945

More about this title

About the Composer: Gary Fagan

Gary Fagan brings over three decades of band directing experience to his compositional work, having shaped music programs across Albemarle County schools before stepping into university mentorship. His students and colleagues have recognized his impact through multiple educator awards, including honors from the University of Virginia's Phi Delta Kappa chapter and the Virginia Governor's School for the Visual and Performing Arts.

Beyond the classroom, Fagan's compositions and arrangements have reached audiences at prestigious venues including the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and the White House. He remains active as a clinician, adjudicator, and percussionist with the Charlottesville Band, where he serves as Assistant Director, while contributing to the broader music education community through his work with the Music Educators National Conference and the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association.

Show moreShow less

Why we love this

This piece gives your clarinet section genuine ownership of a musical joke. Rather than playing it straight, your students become co-conspirators in the humor, which builds investment in their parts and keeps audiences genuinely entertained. The rondo form and Grade 2 accessibility mean younger ensembles can pull off something theatrically ambitious without sacrificing musical quality.

What to expect

Playful mischief wrapped in solid musicianship. The rondo form lets you settle into a catchy theme, then watch it vanish piece by piece with wry inevitability. There's a lightness to it, but the underlying writing keeps things musically grounded.

Who it's for

Concert bands in grades 2-4 looking to program something that entertains without sacrificing musicianship. Your clarinet section gets a chance to be the feature, and the whole ensemble learns how orchestration and texture create both comedy and musical interest.

How to get the most out of it

Coordinate with your clarinetist about the timing and visual clarity of each disassembly so the audience can follow what's happening. The physical action is part of the music.
Ensure the accompaniment section maintains steady, clean support throughout, especially as the clarinet line gradually thins. The contrast depends on the rest of the band staying solid.
Consider staging: position your clarinet players where the audience has a clear sightline to the instrument changes without blocking conductor visibility.
Rehearse the final reduction carefully. When the clarinets fade to nothing, the band's texture shift must feel intentional, not accidental.

How to use it

Save this for a concert moment where you want to shift mood and reset audience energy. It works especially well mid-program or as a brief palate cleanser between heavier pieces. Spring or end-of-year concerts benefit most from the novelty appeal and the goodwill it builds with families.

Skills your students will build

Maintaining musical continuity and tone as instrumentation changes
Understanding rondo form and sectional repetition
Listening to ensemble balance when a feature section is progressively reduced
Rhythmic precision in accompanimental parts while visual action occurs elsewhere