Havana: Marching Band Conductor Score

From the first measure, you're in Havana, warm, rhythmic, and impossible to sit still through. The arrangement layers bright brass against grooving rhythms and smooth melodic curves, building from intimate verses into moments of pure ensemble power. There's a sophisticated ease to this piece; it feels like a celebration rather than a technical gauntlet.

Marching bands and pep bands looking to program something current and immediately recognizable to their audiences. This works equally well for indoor percussion ensemble or full marching season, and the Grade 2.5 level means your entire section can participate meaningfully.

• Lock the Latin clave rhythm in the percussion section before rehearsing with winds; once that pocket is solid, the horns and melody will fall into place naturally.
• Push the low brass to sustain their counterlines underneath the melody. They're not filler; López wrote them to drive the harmonic motion.
• Balance the syncopated hits across sections. These accents only land if every player commits to the exact same articulation and release.
• Lean into the contrast between the verses and the full-ensemble sections. The restraint in the quieter passages makes the climax feel earned.

Open a concert with energy, or use this as a pep band showstopper at football games and rallies. It also pairs beautifully in a set that contrasts contemporary pop with traditional march repertoire, showing audiences the full range of what modern marching bands can do.

• Latin rhythmic subdivision and syncopation (clave patterns in different meters)
• Balancing melodic lines against sustained harmonic support
• Articulation clarity on syncopated rhythms and accented figures
• Listening to and locking into groove-based arrangements
• Dynamic control in contrasting sections (restrained verses to full ensemble climaxes)