Ready to Rock: Score
By Timothy Loest
Grade: 0.5;1
Item: 98-DB1623S
$5.00
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Description
Remember when rock was BIG and the arenas were even BIGGER? Electrify your audience with this original rock 'n' roll anthem reminiscent of the 1970s and '80s. The heart-pounding beat and gritty bass line are sure to captivate the crowd, and the optional drum set part is guaranteed to bring down the house. Put on your black concert t-shirt . . . GET READY TO ROCK!
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Additional Details
Series:
FJH MOS Performance
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-DB1623S
More about this title
About the Composer: Timothy Loest
Timothy Loest has spent over three decades in the classroom while building a national reputation as a composer whose works combine accessibility with musical substance. His compositions have reached audiences far beyond the concert hall, appearing on network television programs including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Good Morning America, while major performances like Cloud Gate at Chicago's Millennium Park have drawn thousands of listeners. In 2017, he received the Illinois Grade School Music Association's Cloyd Myers Memorial Award for Excellence in Music Education, recognizing his impact on both young musicians and music educators.
Loest's prolific career spans multiple publishers including C.L. Barnhouse, The FJH Music Company, and his own Fanfare Music Press, which he founded in 2022 to continue publishing high-quality band repertoire. He has contributed to several widely used pedagogical resources, among them the Measures of Success band method series. A graduate of Illinois State University and Northwestern University, Loest holds ASCAP membership and regularly accepts commissions. His work reflects the perspective of someone who understands the middle school musician intimately.
Why we love this
Loest captures the raw energy of arena rock while respecting the technical limitations and musical growth of early-level band students. The optional drum set part gives you flexibility in instrumentation while the core arrangement remains accessible, and that gritty bass line provides exactly the kind of visceral musical moment young musicians remember playing for years afterward.
What to expect
Stadium lights, leather and attitude, the unmistakable thump of bass that you feel in your chest. This piece evokes the unabashed confidence of 1970s and 1980s rock without irony or apology, letting your band step into that world for a few thrilling minutes.
Who it's for
This piece fits early-level concert bands (Grades 1/2 equivalent) hungry for contemporary energy. Directors seeking novelty programming that connects with young musicians' actual musical interests will find a genuine crowd-pleaser here.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the groove in sectional rehearsals before full ensemble work. Lock the rhythm section (low brass and percussion) into a solid pocket first, then layer woodwinds on top.
- If using the optional drum set part, rehearse that player separately to ensure independence from the concert bass drum and snare. The drum set carries attitude in this arrangement.
- Push the dynamics in the climactic sections. Early-level bands often play conservatively; this piece thrives when students commit fully to the forte passages and the punch of the beat.
- Balance the gritty quality of the bass line against clarity in the upper woodwind parts. The low-end drive shouldn't bury the melody.
How to use it
Program this as an opening number to immediately establish energy and engagement, or use it as a concert closer to send your audience out exhilarated. The novelty element works well on pops concerts, spring concerts, or community performances where you want to break from traditional formal band repertoire.
Skills your students will build
- Maintaining a steady rock groove across multiple phrases
- Balancing between supporting bass lines and principal melodies
- Dynamic control and commitment to full-bodied forte playing
- Stylistic interpretation of rock articulation and phrasing