The Enchanted Dancing Frog: Score
By Randy Navarre (BMI)
Level:.5
Item: 00-PR-0007941
$12.00
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Description
The Enchanted Dancing Frog, by Randy Navarre, is a composition for students to play at their first concert. It is very easy and an easy introduction to 3/4 time, using only the first few notes of the Bb scale. Everyone gets to play the melody, including the tuba. The rhythms are dotted half notes and quarter notes. Only the percussion plays eighth notes. It is an excellent composition for introducing students to dotted half notes, which are simple but not often encountered in the early stages of learning.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, The Enchanted Dancing Frog: 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:
Belwin Very Beginning Band
Publisher:
Alfred Music
SKU:
00-PR-0007941
More about this title
About the Composer: Randy Navarre
Randy Navarre has built a reputation as a composer who understands the realities of the beginning band classroom. His work prioritizes accessibility without sacrificing musical interest, creating pieces that give young musicians genuine success while introducing foundational concepts they'll build on for years.
Why we love this
Randy Navarre understands what beginning band students need: immediate success and a genuine melody to play. Every student gets the tune here, including tuba players who are often relegated to rhythmic accompaniment at this level. The introduction of dotted half notes through an actual composition, not an exercise, makes this pedagogically sound and musically rewarding.
What to expect
A gentle, whimsical march with a lightness that comes from the 3/4 waltz feel. The dotted rhythms give it a lilting quality, and the orchestration ensures that no player sits idle; everyone participates in the story of the enchanted frog.
Who it's for
Beginning band students in their first semester who need a real concert vehicle that introduces new rhythmic concepts without overwhelming them. This works especially well for groups ready to move beyond unison exercises but not yet secure in traditional 4/4 time signatures.
How to get the most out of it
- Conduct in a clear, steady three; help students feel the pulse of 3/4 by conducting through the first rehearsals before they settle into the meter independently.
- Balance the melody across the full band since everyone carries it at different points. Listen for blend rather than volume dominance from any one section.
- Give the percussion section intentional cues for their eighth-note figures so they sit comfortably in the groove rather than rushing ahead of the dotted half-note pulse.
- Mark breath points clearly in the score and parts; beginning musicians often over-breathe or breathe in awkward places, and written guidance prevents stops mid-phrase.
How to use it
Reserve this for an early-season or first-concert program where you want to celebrate students' progress and build their confidence. Its approachability makes it ideal for a large audience that includes families and community members unfamiliar with band conventions; they hear a complete, charming piece rather than a technical exercise.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and performing in 3/4 meter
- Understanding and executing dotted half notes
- Playing from a Bb scale using only the first few notes
- Sustaining and phrasing whole-note and half-note values
- Blending melody across multiple instruments and sections
- Counting and performing alongside rhythmic accompaniment figures