Encore!: Concert Band Conductor Score

Story writes music that actually sounds like a real piece rather than an educational exercise, which means your students will feel the pride of performing something genuinely musical. The articulation work embedded throughout teaches without preaching, and the two-minute runtime makes it an ideal closer that leaves audiences impressed rather than restless.

Encore! opens with immediate character and energy, feeling far more elaborate than its Grade 1 difficulty suggests. The writing sparkles with a sense of celebration and pageantry that carries through to its satisfying conclusion.

This conductor score is built for directors working with Grade 1 concert bands who want a polished, substantial piece that plays longer than most beginning repertoire but remains fully accessible. Newly formed ensembles will sound confident and professional performing this work.

• Establish the articulation patterns during sectionals before the first full rehearsal; the precision of tonguing and releases drives the grandiose character Story intends.
• Balance the tutti passages by checking that your lower voices anchor the harmony without covering the melodic lines in upper woodwinds and brass.
• Give careful attention to any dynamic shifts marked in the score; they're economical but essential to the piece's forward momentum.
• Use the full two minutes to shape phrases with small crescendos and releases rather than playing at a flat dynamic level throughout.

Program this as a concert finale to close your concert on a high note, or place it as a bold opening statement that signals to the audience that something impressive is about to unfold. At two minutes, it pairs efficiently with longer works on the same program.

• Precise articulation control and release coordination
• Balance and blend in tutti sections with mixed instrumentation
• Reading and executing dynamic nuance in simple structures
• Sustaining focus and ensemble cohesion across a complete musical thought