Dragon Slayer: Score
By Rob Grice
Grade: 1
Item: 98-DB1232S
$13.00
Pickup currently not available
Description
Using only six notes and note values no smaller than a quarter note, Rob Grice has managed to compose a piece that every beginning band student will want to play. Brake drum and gong contribute to the overall effect as your band embarks on its adventurous journey to a world where dragons roam free and no one is safe. Mild dissonance is approached very well - if you're looking to fire up your youngest players, this is your answer!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Dragon Slayer: Score 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.
Sample Audio
1
Audio File
--:--
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series:
FJH Beginning Band
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-DB1232S
More about this title
About the Composer: Rob Grice
Rob Grice has built a reputation as a composer whose works appear regularly on state, national, and international contest lists. His music has been performed across North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, with premieres at venues including Carnegie Hall and the Midwest Clinic. His compositions and arrangements reflect deep experience teaching at multiple levels, from elementary through community college.
Grice received the Secondary Teacher of the Year award from the Enterprise City School System in Alabama and was honored with WDHN-TV18's Golden Apple Award for educational excellence. He remains active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, bringing his practical knowledge of ensemble pedagogy to the pieces he writes. His gift lies in crafting music that sounds ambitious while remaining genuinely accessible to young musicians.
Why we love this
Grice respects the intelligence of beginning players without overwhelming them. Dragon Slayer proves that a limited harmonic and rhythmic palette can still deliver genuine excitement: the brake drum and gong create drama, the carefully introduced dissonance teaches students to hear beyond the familiar, and the narrative hook keeps young musicians engaged from downbeat to final note.
What to expect
Adventurous and slightly edgy. The piece carries the spirit of a quest, with percussion colors suggesting danger and mystery. Underneath runs a steady harmonic foundation that never lets the band lose its footing, even as mild dissonance keeps listeners alert.
Who it's for
Beginning band students ready to play repertoire with genuine character and narrative interest. This works for any first-year ensemble hungry for material that sounds like real concert band music, not a training exercise.
How to get the most out of it
- Bring out the brake drum and gong cues by cueing them visibly and allowing the band to breathe before their moments. These colors matter in a piece this straightforward.
- Shape the mild dissonance with clarity. Because the harmonic language is mostly consonant, unexpected moments stand out; let students hear where tension lives.
- Maintain forward momentum through the quarter-note passages so the piece feels like adventure, not a march through a static landscape.
How to use it
Open a concert with this piece to signal that your young band takes repertoire seriously and can handle color, dissonance, and storytelling. It also works well in a festival or contest setting where judges expect to hear thoughtful writing at the Grade 1 level.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and sustaining notes from a limited pitch set with confidence
- Responding to percussion cues and ensemble balance with non-pitched percussion
- Hearing and performing mild dissonance without losing intonation
- Maintaining rhythmic precision with note values no smaller than a quarter note