Diary of a Grumpy Elf: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$55.00 USD

Diary of a Grumpy Elf: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Diary of a Grumpy Elf: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 98-B1482
Price: 55.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Timothy Loest

Level:.5

Item: 98-B1482

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One moment…

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through Santa's workshop were busy elves. Among them is Leon, an ornery elf who turns to his diary to cope with each difficult day. Combining humor ous prose with favorite carols, this creative holiday work will be the best gift your audience ever received! From wooden soldiers who break rank and fight to defective reindeer harnesses that accidentally come with cowbells, this work is sure to delight! Perfect to feature an administrator or student as narrator. Easy to put together and fun to perform!

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

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Series: FJH Starter Series

Publisher: The FJH Music Company, Inc.

UPC: 674398229116

SKU: 98-B1482

More about this title

About the Composer: Timothy Loest

Timothy Loest has built a career on writing music that works in the classroom. His compositions for young band appear on stages worldwide, and his contributions to pedagogical methods like Measures of Success and Warm-ups and Beyond have shaped how thousands of students learn. In 2017, his concert work Cloud Gate drew over 5,000 listeners at Chicago's Millennium Park, and that same year he earned the Illinois Grade School Music Association's Cloyd Myers Memorial Award.

With thirty-plus years teaching at the middle school level, Loest understands what students need to play and what audiences want to hear. His work has been featured on national television, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Good Morning America. He holds degrees from Illinois State University and Northwestern University, maintains ASCAP membership, and founded Fanfare Music Press in 2022 to publish high-quality band compositions and arrangements.

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Why we love this

A grumpy elf's diary entries woven between familiar carols gives this piece a narrative thread that keeps audiences laughing while staying musically engaged. The humor is genuinely funny, not forced, and the narrator role opens doors for featuring an administrator, parent, or confident student who might not otherwise have a solo moment. It's the kind of holiday concert piece that people still talk about in January.

What to expect

A backstage peek at Christmas chaos told by someone who's absolutely done with it all. The music bounces between genuine carols and comedic moments, building a world where broken toys and frazzled elves feel genuinely lived-in. It's lighthearted without being saccharine.

Who it's for

Bands at the very beginning of their concert repertoire who want something engaging and fun without technical demands. This works beautifully for mixed-ability ensembles where some students are still building fundamentals while others are ready for slightly more sophisticated arrangements.

How to get the most out of it

Let the narrator drive the pacing. This piece lives in the space between music and storytelling, so the ensemble should breathe with the narrator's rhythm rather than locking to a metronomic pulse.
Highlight the orchestration surprises (cowbells on defective reindeer harnesses, wooden soldiers breaking rank) by letting those colors cut through. They're the punchlines.
Cast your narrator carefully. A deadpan delivery works best; the humor comes from contrast, not from the narrator selling the joke.

How to use it

This anchors a holiday concert's second half, offering relief after a set of traditional or reverent pieces. It also pairs well with other novelty or pops selections; audiences settle in expecting uplift and find themselves laughing instead. Consider placing it late enough that your ensemble has warmed up but early enough that energy stays high through the final pieces.