Don't Start Now (arr. Tom Stanford): Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Tom Stanford's arrangement transforms a track that defined early 2020s pop radio into a vehicle that actually sits beautifully in a concert band context. The disco foundation gives your ensemble something genuinely fun to sink their teeth into, and the contemporary source material means your students arrive at rehearsal already knowing the tune.

Propulsive and shimmering, with that particular late-night disco gleam that Future Nostalgia perfected. The arrangement captures the song's central tension: a confident brush-off delivered with infectious energy, so your ensemble will feel both celebratory and sharp-edged.

Bands looking to program contemporary pop that connects with student musicians and audiences alike. This works for groups at the middle school through early college level who want repertoire with immediate cultural resonance.

• Keep the groove locked tight in the rhythm section. The propulsive beat is what sells disco, so anchor your percussion and low reeds to a click or rehearsal recording until that pocket becomes second nature.
• Balance the horn section texture carefully; these voicings were written to sit in a mix, not to dominate. Dial back the volume if the melody gets buried.
• Shape the dynamic arc around the energy curve rather than treating forte sections as walls. Disco breathes, even at high energy, so let phrases taper slightly before the next swell.

Slot this into a pops or crossover concert where you want to demonstrate that concert band can tackle current popular music without losing sophistication. It also works as a second-half energy shift on a mixed program, puncturing any heaviness that precedes it.

• Maintaining a steady groove across extended passages
• Reading syncopated rhythms in a pop context
• Balancing melodic clarity against rhythmic texture
• Dynamic control at high energy levels
• Ensemble blend in horn section voicings