Twittering Machine: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
By Brian Balmages
Grade: 2.5
Item: 98-DB1715
$55.00
Pickup currently not available
Buy Extra Parts (Digital PDF Download)
Parts Added to Cart!
Description
Inspired by the ambiguous 1922 artwork by Swiss-German painter Paul Klee, this dark music depicts a struggle between nature and machine. A haunting melody slowly transforms as the machine around it grows (represented by a series of layered percussion sounds). A deeply rich and powerful work for young bands that invites many opportunities for cross-curricular discussion.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Twittering Machine: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
Open in the Player
Jump straight in and assign it today.
Start Your Free Trial
Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.
Sample Audio
1
Audio File
--:--
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
Additional Details
Series:
FJH Young Band
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-DB1715
More about this title
About the Composer: Brian Balmages
Brian Balmages has built an international reputation as a composer and conductor working across orchestral, band, and chamber idioms. His works have been heard at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Sydney Opera House, performed by ensembles ranging from professional orchestras to elementary school bands. He received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association and won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest. As a conductor, he regularly leads all-state and regional ensembles, university groups, and professional orchestras worldwide, with notable guest appearances at the Midwest Clinic, Western International Band Clinic, and numerous international conferences.
Balmages holds degrees from James Madison University and the University of Miami, where he received the inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award and was later commissioned to compose for the university president's inauguration. His music was performed during the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service attended by President Obama and Vice President Biden. He currently serves as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic, continuing to shape the landscape of contemporary band music.
Why we love this
Balmages crafts an unforgettable arc here: the piece begins with vulnerable simplicity and gradually layers percussion textures that create genuine unsettling power, giving young musicians a visceral experience of musical transformation. The connection to Klee's artwork opens doors for interdisciplinary collaboration with visual arts and humanities classes, enriching students' understanding of how music responds to visual inspiration. Contest and festival circuits value work with this level of sophistication and emotional substance at Grade 2.5.
What to expect
The piece begins in a hushed, almost fragile space where a single melody carries both beauty and unease. As percussion layers accumulate, the soundscape grows denser and more menacing, creating a palpable tension between organic simplicity and the encroaching mechanical world. By the work's conclusion, you experience the full weight of that struggle rendered in vivid, unsettling color.
Who it's for
Grade 2.5 bands ready to tackle music with genuine artistic depth and narrative complexity. This work suits ensembles with secure fundamental technique and musicians mature enough to engage with darker, more introspective musical storytelling.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the opening melody with clear phrasing to establish its innocence before the machine sounds begin their intrusion; this contrast makes the transformation dramatically effective.
- Balance the layered percussion sounds carefully so they build tension without overwhelming the underlying musical line; each percussion entry should feel purposeful rather than chaotic.
- Work the ensemble toward unified articulation in passages where machine-like rhythms appear, particularly in the winds, to create the mechanical precision the program demands.
- Allow slight flexibility in tempo as the piece develops, letting the growing intensity of the layered sounds drive a natural forward motion toward the work's climax.
How to use it
This work functions powerfully as a contest or festival submission, where its artistic ambition and clear program shine. Consider pairing it alongside lighter or more triumphant works to create programming contrast; the piece's introspective nature benefits from breathing room on the concert or competition schedule.
Skills your students will build
- Sustained phrasing and dynamic control in lyrical writing
- Layered texture awareness and independent part listening
- Sensitive balance of melody against accompaniment
- Interpretation of programmatic music and cross-curricular musical meaning
- Precision in rhythmic unison across sections