March America: B-flat Tenor Saxophone
By Keith Christopher
Grade: 3 (Medium)
Item: 00-PC-0017055_TX1
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Description
Full of rhythmic energy and contrasts, you will find this pairing of two popular patriotic songs, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" and "America the Beautiful," appealing to players and audiences. Eventually, every section gets to play the melody, and it is full of passages which lend to teaching stylistic march technique. Whether a concert, festival, or patriotic event, this march provides material that will engage players and listeners with a flag-waving moment. (2:50)
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, March America: B-flat Tenor Saxophone comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Concert Band
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
256
SKU:
00-PC-0017055_TX1
More about this title
About the Composer: Keith Christopher
Keith Christopher has composed, arranged, and authored music across every major ensemble type: choir, band, and orchestra. His catalog includes hundreds of published works performed internationally, and he has earned consistent recognition through ASCAP awards since 1992, a Gold Record Award for "A Merry Christmas with Brass" with The Dallas Brass, and a Dove Award for the choral collection More Songs for Praise and Worship.
Beyond composition, Christopher has produced over a thousand recordings for music publishers and authored The First Christmas Night, a children's book. He and his wife, Tammy, are based in the Nashville area and continue to contribute substantially to the published music available to educators and performers.
Why we love this
Christopher writes with a gift for accessibility without sacrificing musicality. Every section gets a turn with the melody, which means no one sits on filler parts, and the march idiom itself teaches articulation, phrasing, and ensemble balance naturally. For a patriotic program, you get two recognizable melodies woven together with enough structural interest to hold your audience and enough teaching moments to justify rehearsal time.
What to expect
Energetic and familiar. The march form gives the piece propulsive momentum, and the two patriotic melodies land with immediate recognition. Yet the writing avoids bombast; instead, it creates moments of warmth and reflection between the rhythmic drive, letting the music breathe without losing forward motion.
Who it's for
Concert bands at the Grade 3 level will find this accessible without feeling juvenile. Bands preparing for patriotic events, summer concerts, or Fourth of July programs have a ready-made crowd pleaser that also offers genuine pedagogical value beyond novelty programming.
How to get the most out of it
- Emphasize the rhythmic precision that defines march style; these patriotic melodies can feel sentimental if tempo lags or attacks blur together.
- Balance the melody carefully as it passes between sections. The strength of this arrangement is that everyone gets a featured line, so resist the impulse to let one section dominate.
- Use the key changes and textural contrasts to build excitement. The pairing of these two melodies creates natural swell moments that reward a conductor's attention to pacing and dynamic shape.
- Listen for clarity in the accompanying figures, especially in the lower reeds and brass. Supporting voices need rhythmic precision to make the melody passages sing.
How to use it
This works brilliantly as a concert finale or as the centerpiece of a patriotic-themed program. Its length (2:50) pairs well with other Grade 3 selections, and the march idiom provides stylistic contrast if you're programming lyrical or contemporary pieces elsewhere on the concert. It's also an ideal choice for outdoor summer performances where the familiar melodies and energetic character connect with audiences of all ages.
Skills your students will build
- March articulation and phrasing conventions
- Melodic balance when the theme passes between sections
- Rhythmic precision in coordinated ensemble passages
- Dynamic control and sectional blend in supporting figures
- Stylistic interpretation of patriotic material