Forever...: Trombone
By Brian Balmages
Grade: 1.5;2
Item: 98-PC-DB1586_TN1
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Description
This powerful and contemplative lyrical work explores a wealth of emotions. Beginning in a very subdued manner, the music slowly and steadily builds, becoming more and more uplifting throughout. Deceptive key changes lead into actual ones, shattering the perception of the listener and leaving nothing but raw emotion.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Forever...: Trombone comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
FJH Developing Band
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-PC-DB1586_TN1
More about this title
About the Composer: Brian Balmages
Brian Balmages has built an international reputation as a composer and conductor whose work spans orchestral, band, and chamber music with equal fluency. His compositions have been performed by ensembles at every level, from elementary school groups to professional orchestras, in venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Sydney Opera House. He received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association and won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest for Love and Light. As a guest conductor, he regularly appears at major conferences and festivals worldwide, from the Midwest Clinic to regional all-state ensembles.
Balmages holds degrees from James Madison University and the University of Miami, and received the inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award from JMU's School of Visual and Performing Arts. In 2013, his music was performed as part of the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service attended by President Obama and Vice President Biden. He currently serves as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic, and holds membership in the American Bandmasters Association.
Why we love this
Forever... captures that rare quality of emotional authenticity that resonates with young musicians without requiring technical pyrotechnics. The deceptive harmonic turns genuinely surprise listeners and players alike, teaching ensemble members that expectation and resolution are tools as powerful as any technical skill. It's a piece that performs beautifully at contest while leaving audiences moved rather than merely impressed.
What to expect
The piece begins in stillness, almost hesitant, before embarking on a slow ascent toward something more luminous. Harmonic shifts pull the listener in unexpected directions, creating moments of disorientation that feel authentic rather than gimmicky. By the time fuller textures emerge, the transformation feels earned, leaving the ensemble and audience in a state of quiet reflection.
Who it's for
Grade 1.5-2 concert bands seeking repertoire that explores emotion and harmonic language without overwhelming young ensembles. Directors programming contests or festivals will find this piece delivers artistic substance alongside accessibility. Players new to expressive conducting and dynamic shaping benefit from the piece's clear emotional architecture.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the opening's subdued character by focusing on air support rather than tone projection; the music needs space to breathe before it grows.
- Mark the key changes clearly in rehearsal, helping the band hear how Balmages uses harmonic surprise to shift the emotional landscape rather than treating each key shift as merely technical.
- Allow the gradual dynamic and textural buildup to unfold across multiple rehearsals; rushing the arc will diminish the emotional payoff.
- Balance transparency in the early measures with clarity in the ensemble's voice leading, so the lyrical content carries through before the fuller textures arrive.
How to use it
Program Forever... as a concert centerpiece where you want to shift the energy toward introspection; it works powerfully after an upbeat opener or as a standalone showcase for an ensemble's interpretive maturity. The contest-festival designation makes it ideal for festivals emphasizing musicianship over difficulty, or for directors building a season that values emotional range alongside technical growth.
Skills your students will build
- Sustaining soft dynamic levels with consistent tone quality
- Tracking harmonic motion and responding to unexpected key changes
- Building cumulative intensity through gradual dynamic and textural layering
- Balancing individual voice clarity with ensemble blend in lyrical contexts