To Dance Among the Stars: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$80.00 USD

To Dance Among the Stars: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Name: To Dance Among the Stars: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 98-B1808
Price: 80.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Brian Balmages

Grade: 3

Item: 98-B1808

Need it now?

Buy Digital Version

$80.00

Shipped

One moment…

Joy. Wonder. The infinite backdrop of space and the stars... These thoughts inspire a bold rhythmic fanfare and the uplifting themes found throughout this formative work. A beautiful, ethereal section uses extended percussion techniques to portray the expanse of the universe, allowing the listener to slow down and reset. Having emerged renewed, we dance our hearts out one final time.

To Dance Among the Stars: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.

Request This Title

Tell us you want it.

Start Your Free Trial

Explore everything that's ready to play right now.

No sample videos found.

Series: FJH Concert Band

Publisher: The FJH Music Company, Inc.

UPC: 241444418574

SKU: 98-B1808

More about this title

About the Composer: Brian Balmages

Brian Balmages composes across orchestral, band, and chamber genres with equal facility, earning recognition from institutions ranging from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. His accolades include the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association, the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest for Love and Light, and membership in the American Bandmasters Association. He has received commissions from major universities and his work was performed at the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service.

As a conductor, Balmages maintains active guest engagements with all-state ensembles, university groups, and professional orchestras worldwide, including appearances at the Midwest Clinic and Western International Band Clinic. Currently serving as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic, he holds distinguished alumni awards from both James Madison University and the University of Miami.

Show moreShow less

Why we love this

Balmages delivers a Grade 3 work that refuses to condescend, building genuine narrative arc from a propulsive opening through contemplative exploration and back to exultant finale. The extended percussion techniques give your percussion section real textural work to do, transforming what could be accompaniment into orchestration. This lands perfectly for contests and festivals while remaining substantive enough that your students will remember playing it.

What to expect

The opening propels you forward with urgent, purposeful energy before the music pulls back to reveal something vast and serene. Those extended percussion techniques create moments of genuine wonder, letting silence and texture do the expressive work. Then comes a return to joy that feels earned rather than obligatory.

Who it's for

Grade 3 concert bands preparing for festivals and contests will find an accessible entry point into contemporary compositional language without sacrificing musical substance. The work suits ensembles that have reliable instrumentation across all sections but may lack advanced players; Balmages writes idiomatically without demanding virtuosity.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the rhythmic fanfare with clear dynamic release points rather than driving relentlessly forward; the bounce depends on articulation clarity more than volume.
Balance the ethereal extended percussion section by having non-percussion voices play with restraint; resist the urge to support thin textures with heavy doubling.
Reserve maximum energy for the final dance section and build deliberately through the preceding bars to avoid peaking early.
Establish the extended percussion techniques in sectionals first so your players understand the intent before assembling full sound.

How to use it

Open a concert with this piece to establish a bold, confident tone while signaling to the audience that you're programming contemporary work with substance. The emotional arc makes it a strong choice for a program's centerpiece, particularly in a mixed repertoire concert balancing classical and modern pieces.