Now & Forever: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Grant writes marches that feel genuinely contemporary without abandoning what makes the form work. The contemporary orchestration and colorful percussion writing here give your students fresh sounds to balance against the march's structural backbone, making this both accessible for a Grade 2 ensemble and interesting enough to hold their attention through rehearsals.

The piece carries you across open plains with unhurried confidence. Traditional march bones support the journey while contemporary colors and orchestration keep the landscape from feeling familiar or worn. There's dignity in the stride without a hint of nostalgia.

Grade 2 concert bands preparing for festivals or contests will find a piece that checks both boxes: accessible scoring that doesn't talk down to students, and enough musical substance to justify programming it seriously. Directors looking for marches beyond the standard repertoire will appreciate Grant's approach here.

• Reference the Atlanta Wind Symphony recording to lock the march's characteristic energy. Grant's tempo and phrasing choices will anchor your interpretation and save rehearsal time on stylistic questions.
• Balance the contemporary percussion coloring so it enhances rather than overwhelms the melodic lines. These colors should sit underneath the primary voices, not compete with them.
• Shape the stately character through consistent articulation in the brass chorale sections. Even Grade 2 players respond well when you frame this as 'dignified' rather than 'heavy.'

Pair this as the centerpiece of a concert that celebrates American compositional voices at the Grade 2 level. It works equally well as a contest selection where contemporary writing might set your ensemble apart from programs built entirely on standard march repertoire. The three-minute length fits naturally into most festival formats without requiring adjustments to your schedule.

• Sustaining tone quality across long phrase structures characteristic of march form
• Balance and blend in four-part brass voicings
• Reading contemporary percussion parts with pitched and unpitched instrument combinations
• Interpreting stylistic direction that honors tradition while incorporating modern orchestration
• Ensemble articulation and rhythmic precision at concert tempo