Courage: 3rd Violin (Viola [TC])

Brubaker captures something rare in Grade 3.5 repertoire: genuine emotional depth without sacrificing playability. The piece honors a specific life while speaking universally to young musicians about resilience and community, making it a meaningful choice when your ensemble is ready for music that asks them to care about what they're playing.

The piece opens with quiet dignity and gradually builds a sense of communal warmth and support. Passages of hope emerge alongside moments of reflection, creating a musical narrative that feels both tender and affirming, ultimately leaving audiences moved by the resilience expressed through the ensemble's sound.

This work suits intermediate orchestras ready to engage with material that carries emotional substance and requires thoughtful ensemble listening. Directors seeking repertoire that honors real human experience while remaining accessible to Grade 3.5 ensembles will find this piece serves both musical and curricular purposes.

• Attend carefully to the balance between the woodwinds and brass in the middle section; these instruments need to blend rather than compete, which requires sensitive dynamic control from both sections.
• Work the fermatas deliberately during rehearsal so the ensemble understands the emotional weight of those moments and holds them with confidence rather than uncertainty.
• The piece benefits from a conductor who shapes longer phrases with clear intent; mark your score with phrase breath points and guide the orchestra through the arc rather than conducting mechanically through passages.
• Give the string section time to develop the warmth of the opening material; their tone sets the emotional foundation for the entire work.

Program this as a concert centerpiece when you want a moment of genuine connection with your audience. It pairs well with lighter opening selections and works effectively alongside other memorial or inspirational repertoire, or as a standalone piece that elevates an entire concert.

• Sustaining long phrases with consistent dynamic support
• Ensemble balance when multiple sections carry melodic material simultaneously
• Controlling and communicating through fermatas and structural pauses
• Responding to expressive conducting gestures that shape emotional arc
• Listening across the orchestra to maintain cohesion in slower, more transparent textures