Hedgehog, Monkey and Waffles!: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Your students already know these songs. That familiarity is gold in the rehearsal room; it means they'll come in ready to engage with the material rather than needing to build connection to unfamiliar melodies. Michael Story's arrangements preserve the irreverent charm and melodic hooks that made these tracks internet sensations while remaining accessible for Grade 2 bands. Programming a suite like this energizes a concert and reminds audiences that band music can be fun.

Expect irreverent humor, bouncy rhythms, and melodies that stick in your head immediately. These three pieces maintain the lighthearted, absurdist spirit of their online origins while delivering the energy and momentum that keeps young ensembles motivated and audiences entertained.

This suite is built for Grade 2 concert bands that want to program something their students recognize and enjoy playing. It works equally well for teachers introducing pop arrangements to beginning ensembles or for experienced bands looking to diversify a concert program. Any director seeking to demonstrate that band music extends beyond traditional classical repertoire will find value here.

• Lean into the comedy. These pieces work best when the band commits fully to the quirky character of each song rather than playing it safe or embarrassed.
• Balance clarity with groove. The catchy melodies need to cut through, but the rhythmic drive underneath should feel loose and playful, not metronomic.
• Use the conductor score and parts to establish consistent articulation across sections. Young players often need visual cues to match their neighbors' tonguing style in upbeat material like this.

Open a pops concert with one of these titles to establish a fun, approachable tone. Use the suite as a transition piece between longer classical works to refresh audience and ensemble energy, or close a concert program with all three songs back-to-back for a satisfying, high-energy finale.

• Playing rhythmic figures with consistent articulation across wind and percussion sections
• Responding to conducting in upbeat, contemporary idioms
• Balancing independent parts while maintaining ensemble cohesion in homophonic textures
• Sustaining energy and precision in repetitive, hook-driven melodic material