Sleigh Ride: Score
By Leroy Anderson / arr. Mike Story
Grade: 1 (Easy)
Item: 00-PR-0005776
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Description
The classic holiday tune scored for young band accessibility. "Sleigh Ride" arranged by Mike Story includes written melodic solos for alto and tenor sax, easy brass ranges, simple rhythms, and all the optional parts to include flute, clarinet, and vibraphone. Ride on! (2:13) This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Sleigh Ride: Score 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:
First Year Charts for Jazz Ensemble
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
82
SKU:
00-PR-0005776
More about this title
About the Composer: Leroy Anderson
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) was an American composer and conductor who became one of the most performed composers of light orchestral music in the twentieth century. His gift for orchestration and infectious melodic writing made him a favorite of both professional orchestras and educational ensembles. Anderson's catalog includes over 140 works, many of which have become seasonal standards and staples of young band and jazz ensemble repertoire.
Why we love this
Mike Story's arrangement captures everything that makes Sleigh Ride a joy to perform while respecting the realities of first-year jazz ensembles. The written alto and tenor sax solos give students a genuine taste of jazz style without requiring advanced improvisation skills, and the optional instrumentation means you can build the piece around whoever shows up on rehearsal day.
What to expect
Crisp, cheerful, and lighthearted. The familiar melody rides over steady swing rhythms, and the written solos give students moments to shine with personality and warmth. There's an infectious energy to this arrangement that makes even early learners sound like they belong in a real jazz band.
Who it's for
First-year jazz ensemble students and mixed ability groups looking for an approachable holiday standard that doesn't sacrifice musicality or style. This works equally well as a concert opener, holiday performance piece, or fun sectional reading that builds confidence in jazz idioms.
How to get the most out of it
- Keep the tempo steady and buoyant throughout. The humor and charm of Sleigh Ride comes from its rhythmic precision, not from rushing the syncopation or dragging the groove.
- Balance the melody between sections. This arrangement includes opportunities for different instruments to carry the tune, so make sure each soloist is heard clearly without overpowering the supporting voices.
- Articulate the rhythmic figures cleanly. Even at an easy grade level, crisp attacks on repeated figures and syncopated rhythms will bring the arrangement to life and maintain clarity across the ensemble.
- Use the optional parts strategically. Adding vibraphone, flute, and extra clarinet voices can shift the character and color of different sections; experiment with which parts you double to find your ensemble's best sound.
How to use it
Perfect for December concerts, holiday assemblies, or as a confident closer to a winter concert. You can also program it earlier in the season as a morale-building sectional piece or use it to introduce jazz style concepts to developing musicians without overwhelming them with complexity.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and performing swing rhythms and syncopation
- Executing written jazz melodies and solo lines
- Balancing ensemble sound with featured soloists
- Articulation and phrasing in a jazz context
- Sight-reading chord symbols and optional parts