Hambone: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
By Libby Larsen
Grade: 3
Item: 35-PK00425589
$60.00
Pickup currently not available
Buy Extra Parts (Digital PDF Download)
| Product | Price | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Hambone - Full Score | $10.00 | |
| Hambone - Piccolo | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Flute | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Oboe | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bassoon | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bb Clarinet 1 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bb Clarinet 2 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bb Clarinet 3 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bb Bass Clarinet | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Eb Alto Sax 1 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Eb Alto Sax 2 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bb Tenor Saxophone | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Eb Baritone Saxophone | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bb Trumpet 1 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bb Trumpet 2 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Bb Trumpet 3 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - F Horn | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Trombone 1 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Trombone 2 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Euphonium in Bass Clef | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Euphonium in Treble Clef | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Tuba | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - String Bass | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Percussion 1 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Percussion 2 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Percussion 3 | $3.99 | |
| Hambone - Percussion 4 | $3.99 |
Parts Added to Cart!
Description
Libby Larsen used three inspirations from her life to write Hambone. First, she was inspired by early rock 'n roll rhythms, particularly those written by Bo Diddley, from her high school days when she had her own rock band. The second inspiration is the African-American tradition of hamboning -- clapping and slapping to create fun, new rhythms, and finally the melodies of the traditional cakewalk, reminiscent of Debussy's "Golliwog's Cakewalk." The curriculum explores all three of these inspirations with various musical and visual examples, and explains African American oral traditions, linking this piece to places all over the world, from Ghana and the Ivory Coast to Paris, France. A free downloadable interdisciplinary curriculum for teaching Hambone is available at www.BandQuest.org: https://composersforum.org/bq-compositions/hambone/
Learn more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ComposersForum/search?query=libby+larsen
BandQuest, an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band, is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new, fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Every BandQuest project includes a residency component in which the composer works collaboratively with a middle school as they create their new piece. Many BandQuest pieces are accompanied by an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to assist students as they learn the music and to integrate each piece with non-music studies. Visit www.bandquest.org to learn more about this innovative series, and email bandquest@composersforum.org to request a free downloadable audio catalog.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00425589
More about this title
About the Composer: Libby Larsen
Libby Larsen is one of America's most performed living composers, with a catalog spanning opera, symphonic works, and chamber music across multiple genres. Her compositional voice draws from American vernacular traditions, folk idioms, and modernist techniques, making her work particularly accessible to student musicians while maintaining artistic substance.
Why we love this
Larsen has crafted something genuinely rare: a piece that honors authentic American musical traditions (Bo Diddley's rock rhythms, the African-American practice of hamboning, the cakewalk) while remaining wholly fresh and engaging for young musicians. The curriculum integration transforms this from a concert piece into a teaching tool that connects vernacular music, world traditions, and art music history in ways that resonate with students.
What to expect
Infectious, rhythmically propulsive, and rooted in joy. The piece bounces with the infectious energy of early rock and roll, punctuated by the playful, hand-clapping vitality of hamboning. Beneath that contemporary surface runs the elegant, ragtime-tinged grace of the cakewalk tradition.
Who it's for
Grade 3 bands with solid fundamentals and an appetite for music that connects to cultural history. This works equally well for groups seeking contemporary concert repertoire and for teachers who want to weave African-American traditions and world music into their curriculum.
How to get the most out of it
- Emphasize the Bo Diddley rhythm as the structural backbone. Once your sections lock into that driving, syncopated pulse, the hamboning effects and cakewalk melodies land with much greater impact.
- Investigate recordings of actual hamboning and early rock and roll to let your students hear the source material. Hearing the real thing changes how they approach the articulation and rhythmic precision.
- Use the curriculum materials to deepen your band's understanding before rehearsals begin. Students who know why they're playing these specific rhythms and melodies perform with more ownership and clarity.
How to use it
Feature this on a concert exploring American musical roots, pairing it with spirituals, jazz selections, or other pieces grounded in vernacular traditions. Its length and accessibility make it ideal for opening a program with energy, or for demonstrating to your community how band repertoire has evolved beyond marches and classical transcriptions.
Skills your students will build
- Syncopated rhythm reading and execution (Bo Diddley beat patterns)
- Articulation and staccato control (hamboning effects)
- Understanding of African-American oral and musical traditions
- Cross-cultural musical literacy (connections between American, African, and European idioms)
- Ensemble precision with complex rhythmic layers