In Storm And Sunshine: Concert Band Conductor Score

The piece tosses you between dramatic weather imagery and jubilant release. Horns rumble and push forward as nature roars; then suddenly the texture clears into bright, almost playful writing that feels like the sun breaking through clouds. It's theatrical without being overwrought.

Directors programming concert band festivals, adjudication events, or spring concerts who want a showpiece with genuine musicality and character. Grade 4 bands with solid fundamentals in their brass section and reliable section leadership in woodwinds.

• Balance the horns prominently during storm sections; they carry the harmonic weight while maintaining the march's forward momentum.
• Shape the sunshine passages with clarity in the upper woodwinds, letting articulation and dynamic contrast define the mood shift rather than tempo changes.
• Conduct the underlying march pulse consistently even when thematic material becomes elaborate; students will stay grounded in what could otherwise feel scattered.
• Record a section run-through early; the contrast between storm and sunshine reads better when players hear the recording in context.

Pair this with a contrasting lyrical work to show range in a single concert. The march's distinctive character also makes it a strong opener or closer, giving audiences an immediate sense of personality and keeping them engaged through whatever follows.

• Sustaining long dynamic shapes across entire phrases
• Responding to dramatic mood shifts within consistent pulse
• Balance and blend in thick homophonic textures (storm sections)
• Articulation control in rapid scalar passages (sunshine sections)
• Listening across sections to track thematic material through re-orchestrations