The Wishing Well: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Intimate yet expansive, moving from quiet contemplation to hopeful release. The water imagery creates natural curves in the music; you hear the ripples and the echo of the wish carried downward, then held in delicate suspension.

Grade 3.5 bands that have solid fundamentals and are ready to tackle pieces with genuine emotional content. The instrumentation works well for bands without specialized doublings, making it accessible to school ensembles of typical size.

• Balance the solo lines carefully during the opening approach to the well; these passages establish intimacy before the ensemble enters, so resist the urge to fill silence.
• Shape the climactic theme statement with genuine crescendo through the coin's descent, using dynamics to trace its path downward into the water.
• Let the delicate closing melodies breathe. Rushing through the resolution undermines the reflective mood the piece earns.

This pairs beautifully in a spring concert exploring nature or imagination themes. At 4:30, it sits comfortably alongside larger works without overwhelming rehearsal time or your program's running length.

• Balancing solo and ensemble textures in the same movement
• Controlling dynamic shape across longer phrases
• Responding to programmatic intent through phrasing and articulation
• Sustaining tone quality through soft passages