Modal Menagerie: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Brown's pairing of modal harmony with animal imagery makes modal theory tangible rather than abstract. Each movement gives students a genuine musical reason to hear and internalize the characteristic sound of each mode, and the alliterative titles make the suite memorable for young musicians.

A playful musical menagerie where each animal's personality emerges through its own harmonic flavor. The Lydian brightness contrasts with Phrygian darkness; Dorian's minor-major ambiguity dances against Mixolydian's bluesy swagger.

Grade 2 concert bands ready to explore modal harmony in a context that feels musical rather than academic. This works equally well for bands beginning their journey into music literacy and those deepening their harmonic vocabulary.

• Isolate each movement during rehearsal to establish the unique sound world of that mode before running the full suite. This deepens students' ear training and makes the modal contrasts more pronounced in performance.
• Balance the orchestration carefully in the Dorian Donkeys movement to ensure the lower voices project the minor-inflected melody without overshadowing the band.
• Use the contrasting character of each animal as a directional tool: the lions can be bold and assertive, the pheasants graceful and almost delicate, the donkeys grounded and steady, and the monkeys playful and unpredictable.

Program this suite as a standalone concert feature or as part of a thematic concert exploring modes, animals in music, or imaginative composition. The four short movements make excellent festival or contest selections and can be performed independently if needed.

• Aural recognition of modal sonorities (Lydian, Phrygian, Dorian, Mixolydian)
• Reading in multiple keys and modal contexts
• Balancing melody and harmony across the ensemble
• Articulation and style changes across contrasting musical characters