Santa Goes Wild West: 2nd E-flat Alto Saxophone
Arr. Rob Grice
Grade: 1.5 (Easy)
Item: 00-PC-0001793_AX2
$3.00
Pickup currently not available
Description
Imagine spending the Christmas holidays in an old "wild west" town, with Cowboys and Indians, wagon rides, gunfights, and of course a visit from Old St. Nick. Santa Goes Wild West is sure to make the audience smile as they experience Christmas and the Old West in a new way!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Santa Goes Wild West: 2nd E-flat Alto 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:
Challenger Band Series
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
122
SKU:
00-PC-0001793_AX2
More about this title
About the Arranger: Rob Grice
Rob Grice has built a career writing music that works in real rehearsal rooms. His compositions and arrangements have traveled from state festivals to international stages, performed everywhere from Australia to Japan, and featured at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and the Midwest Clinic. His success stems from decades spent teaching at multiple levels: elementary and secondary schools plus community college, which gave him an intimate understanding of what young musicians can accomplish.
Grice's contributions to music education have been recognized through awards including his selection as Secondary Teacher of the Year for Enterprise City Schools and a Golden Apple Award for educational excellence. He remains active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for concert bands and percussion ensembles. His gift lies in crafting pieces that are both pedagogically sound and genuinely engaging for students and audiences alike.
Why we love this
Grice captures that rare quality in Grade 1.5 writing: genuine fun without condescension. The wild west concept gives your students a memorable narrative to inhabit while they play, and the novelty element guarantees audience engagement at a winter concert. This arrangement delivers spectacle and accessibility in equal measure, letting younger players sound far more accomplished than their experience level suggests.
What to expect
Picture saloon pianos and harmonica melodies mixed with sleigh bells and jovial Christmas cheer. The energy bounces between rollicking Old West scenes (complete with programmatic percussion effects) and warm, recognizable holiday moments. It's quirky, good-natured, and genuinely fun to play.
Who it's for
Grade 1.5 concert bands ready for something beyond standard holiday fare. This works equally well for programs with younger or smaller ensembles, since Grice's accessibility doesn't require advanced technique or large section numbers.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the wild west soundscape early by letting the percussion section rehearse its rhythm foundation independently. Those gunshots and wagon sounds need rhythmic precision to land effectively.
- Balance the humor with musicality. The arrangement works best when players commit fully to the character moments rather than winking at the audience. Straight-faced delivery of silly ideas plays bigger.
- Pay attention to the dynamic contrasts between Old West scenes and the Santa arrival. Make sure softer passages cut through clearly in your performance space, so the audience hears the structural shift when St. Nick enters.
How to use it
Use this as your show-stopper novelty closer in a winter concert, where it can cap off a program of traditional holiday music with something that catches the audience off guard and keeps them smiling. The thematic clarity and short duration also make it ideal for community events, nursing home performances, or contest programs where a crowd-pleaser lands well after more serious selections.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and executing straightforward rhythmic figures with clear articulation
- Responding to character and program music cues in ensemble playing
- Balancing melodic lines with rhythmic accompaniment patterns
- Executing special percussion effects and programmatic sound effects with ensemble coordination