The Road Unknown: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$58.00 USD

The Road Unknown: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Name: The Road Unknown: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-19529
Price: 58.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Richard Meyer

Grade: 2 (Medium Easy)

Item: 00-19529

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Deriving its subtitle from a Civil War poem by Walt Whitman, this original tone poem by Richard Meyer is full of emotion and energy. The work is divided into four sections entitled "Home," "Recruitment," "Departure," and "Into Battle." It begins with a recurring theme introduced by solo trumpet that represents a young man. This segues into the next theme, which features George Roots's stirring "Battle Cry of Freedom." Flutes and drums are widely used to convey a strong feeling of patriotism. The Road Unknown is a thoughtful, well-written work that is sure to stand out at your next concert!

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, The Road Unknown: Concert Band 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: Young Symphonic

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 258

UPC: 038081182384

SKU: 00-19529

More about this title

About the Composer: Richard Meyer

Richard Meyer spent 35 years teaching strings across elementary, middle, and high school levels in Southern California public schools. At Oak Avenue Intermediate School in Temple City, he transformed a program of 29 students into a thriving ensemble of 200, while simultaneously directing the city's elementary string initiative. For 16 years he led the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra, taking students on performance tours across North America, Europe, and Australia.

Beyond the rehearsal room, Meyer has shaped music education at the national level. He served as string editor for Alfred Publishing for 16 years and co-authored the String Explorer Series and Sight-read It for Strings. In 2009, he launched the "Giving Bach" program, an innovative concert model that brings interactive performances to students with special needs and those in under-resourced schools throughout Southern California, work that has earned national recognition. Today he maintains an active guest conducting and clinician schedule while publishing steadily as a composer; over 190 of his works and arrangements are in print.

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Why we love this

Meyer crafts a narrative arc that never feels heavy-handed. The recurring trumpet theme gives listeners a human center point, and the integration of "Battle Cry of Freedom" lands naturally within the musical storytelling rather than as a quotation grafted on. At Grade 2, the orchestration is transparent enough for young ensembles to execute with clarity while still offering genuine emotional weight.

What to expect

The work unfolds like a historical narrative you're watching unfold in real time. It begins intimately with the trumpet's haunting solo, then broadens into stirring ensemble passages filled with drum and flute color that evoke both patriotic fervor and the gravity of its subject matter. By the final section, the energy crests with urgency and resolve.

Who it's for

Concert bands at the Grade 2 level will find this piece both musically rewarding and technically accessible. It works equally well for groups building festival repertoire or those seeking substantive patriotic programming beyond the obvious choices.

How to get the most out of it

Feature your principal trumpet soloist in the opening theme. The character of this melody carries the entire work, so invest rehearsal time in its phrasing and tone quality.
Balance the flute and drum textures during the patriotic passages. These colors drive the emotional impact, but they need room to breathe without drowning out the harmonic foundation.
Shape the transitions between sections deliberately. Each movement (Home, Recruitment, Departure, Into Battle) tells part of a larger story, so mark your transitions with intention rather than letting them slip by.

How to use it

Schedule this for a summer concert or July 4th program where it can anchor a set of patriotic selections without resorting to medleys. Its emotional specificity and structural coherence make it a natural centerpiece that allows lighter pieces to breathe around it.