Interstate 90: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Interstate 90 captures the energy and forward momentum of a cross-country journey without relying on bombastic orchestration or tired programmatic clichés. Shulman's harmonic language remains engaging at Grade 4, offering the band genuine musical substance while keeping part-writing accessible. The piece programs beautifully in a concert of American works or as a contrast to classical European repertoire.

This is driving, purposeful music that unfolds with the steady confidence of a well-planned road trip. The piece maintains forward momentum and optimism throughout, with harmonic colors that suggest the landscape passing outside the window rather than telling a literal story.

Concert bands at the high school level and advanced middle school ensembles will find Interstate 90 rewarding both to learn and to perform. The Grade 4 scoring allows serious students to engage with a work of genuine artistic merit while developing ensemble control and musical independence.

• Establish a steady, driving pulse from the opening. This piece depends on rhythmic clarity and forward momentum; any hesitation in the tempo foundation undermines the journey narrative.
• Balance the melodic material across sections rather than concentrating it in one voice. Shulman distributes thematic content deliberately, and rotating the spotlight keeps the texture alive.
• Listen carefully to the harmonic color in transitions. Shulman's voice leading creates harmonic interest even at moderate difficulty; allow chord changes time to register without rushing through them.
• Shape phrases by considering the overall arc rather than individual measures. This piece works best when conducted with long-line phrasing that mirrors the steady progress of travel.

Program Interstate 90 as a contemporary American accent in a concert built around mid-20th-century band works, or pair it with other Shulman symphonic wind compositions to spotlight a single composer's voice. The three-minute duration and energetic character make it an excellent opener or transition piece between larger works.

• Maintaining steady tempo and rhythmic precision in a piece built on forward momentum
• Balancing melodic material across distributed section parts
• Interpreting harmonic color and voice-leading intent in mid-century American composition
• Phrasing longer musical lines and resisting the impulse to break phrases at obvious sectional boundaries