Gently Touch the Sky: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$60.00 USD

Gently Touch the Sky: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Gently Touch the Sky: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-20244
Price: 60.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Robert Sheldon

Grade: 2 (Medium Easy)

Item: 00-20244

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Gently Touch the Sky will gently touch your heart. Rhythmically simple, this work allows for the teaching of expression and sensitive playing. This gentle, charming piece for young band is an excellent change-of-pace addition to any concert program.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Gently Touch the Sky: 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: Young Symphonic

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 112

UPC: 038081191744

SKU: 00-20244

More about this title

About the Composer: Robert Sheldon

Robert Sheldon stands among the most widely programmed composers in wind band literature. His works appear on festival and contest schedules across the globe, and his music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Boston Symphony Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the Kennedy Center. Beyond composing, Sheldon serves as a frequent clinician and guest conductor for All-State and Regional Honor Bands, bringing his pedagogical insights to ensembles nationwide and internationally.

Sheldon's contributions to music education extend to his role as lead author of Sound Innovations for Concert Band. He has earned recognition from the American School Band Director's Association, Phi Beta Mu, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. In 2020, VanderCook College of Music awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his sustained impact on wind band composition and education.

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Why we love this

Sheldon delivers exactly what young bands need at Grade 2: a piece that teaches musicianship through simplicity rather than technical complexity. The rhythmic accessibility means your students can focus entirely on shaping phrases, responding to dynamic contrasts, and connecting with the emotional arc of the work. This is the kind of repertoire that builds confident, expressive players.

What to expect

The piece unfolds with quiet warmth and gentle forward motion. Its charm lies in simplicity and transparency, allowing each section to be heard clearly while the overall arc feels unhurried and contemplative. The title captures the essence: it reaches upward with grace but never strains.

Who it's for

Grade 2 concert bands seeking a lyrical, confidence-building piece that teaches expressive playing without overwhelming rhythm sections or upper woodwinds. Directors programming a concert that needs breathing room between heavier works will find this an ideal palate cleanser. It also serves well for festival entries where musicianship and tone quality matter as much as technical display.

How to get the most out of it

Shape each phrase with intention even though the rhythmic demands are light. Young players often equate "easy" with "straight," so model the breath and release points that give the melodic line its gentle character.
Balance the harmonic palette carefully in the middle voices. The charm of this piece depends on clean voice leading, so ensure clarinets and saxophones lock together without covering the principal melody.
Resist rushing. The simplicity invites a slower tempo, and young ensembles need explicit reminders to maintain stillness and space in slower music.

How to use it

Place this between two pieces with greater technical or dynamic demands. Its reflective quality offers an emotional counterweight in a concert program and helps audiences experience the range of which your band is capable. It also works beautifully in community concerts, pep band contexts where approachability matters, or as an opening number that establishes an intimate tone.

Skills your students will build

Shaping melodic phrases with dynamic contour rather than technical facility
Balancing ensemble harmony in slower, exposed textures
Maintaining steady tempo and intonation without rhythmic complexity as a reference point
Responding to expressive gesture and conducting nuance