Tuning Up!: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Straightforward and grounded. These are unpretentious musical statements that let players focus on tone quality and listening to each other rather than navigating complex rhythms or ranges.

Beginning concert bands that need accessible but purposeful intonation work. Works equally well for middle school ensembles just learning to blend and for younger high school groups building fundamentals.

• Start each chorale with a full breath and sustained tone before moving through the exercise; this emphasizes the intonation work rather than rushing.
• Use a tuner or your ear to identify which sections drift, then isolate those voicings in rehearsal.
• Space these across your warm-up block rather than stacking all five at once; one or two per rehearsal keeps them fresh.

Anchor your rehearsal opening with these, rotating through them across the week. They're also valuable as pre-concert warm-ups when you need quick, focused sound-check material.

• Listening for and matching pitch within ensemble voicings
• Sustaining tone with consistent breath support
• Responding to harmonic progression by ear
• Balancing part-to-part blend in chorale texture