Countdown!: Bassoon
By Brant Karrick
Grade: 2.5
Item: 00-PC-0019760_B1
$3.00
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Description
Get ready for an exhilarating piece that demands precision from your students. Countdown, by Brant Karrick invites players into a rhythmic adventure, especially with its challenging eighth notes and rests that require diligent counting and subdivision. Its blend of harmonic and melodic elements with abundant syncopation gives the piece a distinctive jazz-rock character. It's compelling from the very first measure!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Countdown!: Bassoon 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:
Young Symphonic Series
Publisher:
Alfred Music
SKU:
00-PC-0019760_B1
More about this title
About the Composer: Brant Karrick
Brant Karrick has shaped band programs across three decades as both an educator and a prolific composer. Since 2003, he has served as Director of Bands at Northern Kentucky University, where he oversees the full band curriculum, teaches conducting and orchestration, and mentors future music teachers. His teaching career also includes nine years at the University of Toledo and seven years in Kentucky public schools, grounding his compositional work in the real needs of student ensembles.
Karrick holds a doctorate in music education from Louisiana State University (1994) and studied composition with David Livingston, Steve Beck, and Cecil Karrick. His band works have been performed internationally across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, he remains a member of ASCAP, the College Band Directors National Association, and other professional organizations.
Why we love this
Countdown delivers the kind of rhythmic engagement that keeps a Grade 2.5 ensemble focused and energized without overwhelming them. The syncopation and jazz-rock character give it genuine musical personality, while the precision required in those eighth-note passages and rests builds counting discipline that transfers across your entire rehearsal. It's a piece that feels contemporary and fun to play, making it ideal for festivals where you want to showcase both technical control and musicality.
What to expect
Countdown pulses with energy and urgency from the start, powered by syncopated rhythms that feel contemporary and propulsive. The blend of harmonic support with active melodic writing creates forward momentum, while the jazz-rock character gives the piece a personality that feels distinct from traditional concert band fare.
Who it's for
This piece speaks to middle school and early high school concert bands ready for material with rhythmic sophistication and style. It works especially well for ensembles that have developed secure counting habits and are prepared to engage with syncopation and articulation details that define its character.
How to get the most out of it
- Isolate the rhythmic figures in small groups during early rehearsals. The syncopation reads easily on the page but locks in better when your section leaders can hear the pattern in context before full ensemble run-throughs.
- Mark subdivisions clearly in the parts, especially through the passages with rests. Students at this level often rush into silence; explicit beat notation (or light pencil marks) prevents that.
- Balance the harmonic foundation with the melodic line. The jazz-rock character depends on the rhythm section locking in solidly while the melody sings through without overwhelming the texture.
- Use the opening measures to establish the groove. Getting that first measure to feel propulsive sets the tone for the entire piece and makes everything that follows feel intentional rather than rushed.
How to use it
Program this as a contest or festival selection where you want to demonstrate both precision and musicality in a compact package. Its energetic opening and modern sensibility also make it effective as a concert closer before intermission or as a bridge piece between a classical program segment and more contemporary works.
Skills your students will build
- Counting and performing mixed rhythmic patterns with precision, particularly eighth-note figures paired with rests
- Reading and executing syncopated rhythms within a jazz-rock idiom
- Balancing rhythmic clarity with harmonic support
- Ensemble entrances after rests and subdivisions
- Articulation control to define syncopated figures