The First Noel: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

$42.00 USD

The First Noel: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Name: The First Noel: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-41109
Price: 42.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Traditional / arr. Peter Blair

Grade: 1 (Easy)

Item: 00-41109

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This beautiful holiday waltz contains great harmony and texture. Easily performable by Grade 1 players at around 96 BPM, it even sounds terrific with reduced instrumentation and includes lots of optional parts. The lead trumpet range goes to written E top space. (2:42) 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, The First Noel: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Series: First Year Charts for Jazz Ensemble

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 48

UPC: 038081465319

SKU: 00-41109

More about this title

About the Arranger: Peter Blair

Peter Blair trained as a music educator at Carroll University and earned his master's degree from the University of Wisconsin. His 12-year teaching career across multiple grade levels gave him deep insight into what works in real classrooms and rehearsal spaces.

As a composer and arranger, Blair has published over 70 works and received commissions from college, high school, and middle school ensembles nationwide. His arrangements consistently balance accessibility with musical substance, making them a fixture in programs looking for repertoire that students genuinely enjoy playing.

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Why we love this

This arrangement meets Grade 1 jazz ensembles exactly where they are. The harmonic richness and textural sophistication sound fully realized even with minimal forces, and the optional parts mean you can use it whether you're fully staffed or not. Blair's experience teaching young musicians shines through in writing that builds confidence without oversimplifying the jazz idiom.

What to expect

A holiday melody transformed into something contemporary and sophisticated. The jazz waltz context gives it swing and sophistication while the familiar tune keeps it grounded and approachable. The interplay of harmony and texture creates warmth without sentimentality.

Who it's for

Grade 1 jazz ensembles ready to expand beyond swing into waltz time and contemporary harmonic language. This is ideal for programs that need repertoire flexible enough to work with partial instrumentation and students seeking their first real experience with jazz arranging that doesn't sacrifice musicality for simplicity.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the waltz pulse gently rather than driving it hard; the 96 BPM tempo and triple meter ask for a floating quality that lets the harmony breathe.
Balance the lead trumpet line carefully with the supporting voices. At Grade 1, the written E top space sits right at the comfort ceiling for many players, so support from the section makes the passage sit naturally in the ensemble sound.
Experiment with reduced instrumentation during rehearsal to hear what the arrangement can do with fewer parts; knowing the sound with optional voices out helps you shape texture intentionally.

How to use it

Place this on a winter concert where you want to bridge traditional holiday repertoire and modern jazz arranging. It works particularly well sandwiched between a classical instrumental selection and a more uptempo swing number, showing audiences the range of your ensemble's voices. At under three minutes, it also pairs naturally with other short seasonal pieces in a medley format.