Symbiopholie!: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Dagenais constructs a piece that genuinely feels different from typical Grade 4 fare. The slow march foundation gives students something to anchor on, then the double-time section arrives with real structural purpose rather than as a gimmick. Colorful percussion writing and the deliberate clash of styles create momentum and color without demanding extreme technical facility.

The piece opens with the ceremonial confidence of a military march, deliberate and unified. Then it fractures into something looser and more playful, like the march has abandoned its formality and let its hair down. Throughout, there's a sense of the ensemble operating as one organism; the title alone signals that the parts exist because of and for each other.

Grade 4 bands that want concert or festival repertoire with genuine personality and structural interest. Students need solid fundamentals and ensemble balance skills, but the work rewards clean playing and thoughtful interpretation rather than virtuosity.

• Shape the first section with deliberate weight on the downbeats; the slow march gains its power through ensemble precision rather than volume.
• When you hit the double-time section, resist the temptation to rush. Lock the pulse with your percussion section first, then let the horns and woodwinds settle into the new energy.
• Highlight the percussion parts. They carry much of the character and style mixing Dagenais intends; make sure they're audible without dominating.
• Use the contrast between sections as a rehearsal tool. Have students understand the shift as a change in emotional temperature, not just a tempo change.

Place this as a centerpiece on a concert program where you want to demonstrate your band's range and character. It pairs well with both classical and contemporary works because its stylistic blend doesn't demand thematic coherence from neighboring pieces. In festival season, it reads as fresh without sacrificing musical substance.

• Balancing ensemble sound across contrasting tempos
• Executing dynamic control in a march context
• Ensemble precision in syncopated and complex rhythmic figures
• Listening to and blending with percussion as an integrated voice
• Interpreting compositional intent through stylistic shifts