We Wish You a Scary Christmas!: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
By Randall D. Standridge
Grade: 1.5
Item: 98-DB1817
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Description
Reviving the tradition of telling ghost stories during the holidays, this stellar arrangement combines holiday favorites (Jingle Bells, Deck the Hall, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas) with the famous Funeral Song ("the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out") as well as ghoulish sound effects and a brief narrative introduction. Sure to be a truly unforgettable concert moment. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good FRIGHT!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, We Wish You a Scary Christmas!: 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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Additional Details
Series:
FJH Developing Band
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-DB1817
More about this title
About the Composer: Randall D. Standridge
Randall D. Standridge is a prolific composer and arranger whose work for developing bands has shaped concert band repertoire across thousands of school programs. His gift lies in creating music that challenges young musicians musically while remaining immediately engaging for audiences of all ages.
Why we love this
This arrangement nails the difficult balance of being genuinely clever without winking at the audience. Young musicians play straightforward, well-written concert band parts while delivering something their audience will actually remember and talk about for years. The humor comes from the musical choices and structural surprises, not from dumbing down the writing.
What to expect
Picture a concert that's moving smoothly through familiar territory, and then the floor drops away. The arrangement honors the warmth of holiday classics while inviting something darker and delightfully unexpected to crash the party. It's clever without being precious, and genuinely entertaining.
Who it's for
Developing concert bands looking to close a holiday concert with something that entertains without sacrificing musicianship. Directors who trust their students to deliver a performance that's both polished and fun will find this arrangement rewarding.
How to get the most out of it
- Nail the transitions between the holiday melodies and the Funeral Song. Your ensemble will lock in faster if you rehearse these shifts as discrete moments rather than trying to smooth over them.
- Let the narrative introduction breathe. It's a setup, not a throwaway. The clarity of the spoken part directly affects how effectively the musical payoff lands.
- Balance the ghoulish sound effects so they enhance rather than overwhelm the band. These moments work best when they feel deliberately spooky, not chaotic.
- Give your soloists (if any passages feature them) confidence in the holiday material. The audience needs to recognize those melodies clearly before the twist arrives.
How to use it
Position this as your holiday concert finale. It works beautifully after more traditional repertoire, allowing you to send your audience home amused and energized rather than simply satisfied. The narrative frame and thematic mashup make it a natural closer that gives everyone something unique to remember.
Skills your students will build
- Executing clean sectional transitions between contrasting musical ideas
- Balancing clarity and articulation when performing well-known melodies alongside unfamiliar material
- Responding to conducted cues for timing and coordination during moments of dramatic contrast
- Maintaining ensemble precision while executing stylistic shifts from straightforward to spooky