Temptation: Marching Band Conductor Score

Jerry Burns has taken a classic standard and made it speak directly to young marching ensembles without sacrificing the tune's inherent swing and Latin heat. At Grade 1.5, students get to play a recognizable, genuinely fun chart that feels like a real arrangement rather than a simplified version. The Latin style gives your program stylistic variety and lets early-level students experience authentic groove.

Immediate sunshine and movement. The Latin rhythm propels the band forward with light, dancing energy, while the familiar melody sits comfortably in young musicians' hands. It's the kind of chart that makes a crowd move and gives students the satisfaction of playing something people actually want to hear.

Directors programming for early-season marching competitions or warm-weather shows who want accessible music with real personality. Students in their first or second year of marching band experience repertoire that sounds mature and energetic without demanding high technical ability.

• Lock the Latin rhythm with your percussion section first. Have the bass drum, snare, and keyboard learn the clave figure together before adding winds, so the whole ensemble can feel the groove anchored.
• Balance the melody against the rhythmic accompaniment. Since the chart is Grade 1.5, front-ensemble and low-brass parts likely carry harmonic support; bring out the solo line without letting the texture get muddy.
• Commit fully to the Latin feel from the opening beat. This style demands slightly behind-the-beat placement and a relaxed pulse, not a crisp march tempo. Conductor and ensemble must be unified on swing.

Open a show with this, or place it strategically in the first half to establish early momentum and audience connection. Its short runtime (seven pages) makes it ideal for a tight program sequence, and the stylistic contrast works well adjacent to more traditional march or contemporary pieces.

• Reading and executing Latin rhythmic patterns (clave and tumbao figures)
• Balancing independent melodic lines against rhythmic accompaniment
• Coordinating ensemble pulse in a groove-based style, not march tempo
• Sustaining and releasing phrases with attention to phrasing rather than counting