Strap on your helmets and take to the skies with Tyler S. Grant's latest fanfare for young bands, Wild Blue! Engaging rhythms & harmonies set this work apart from others at this level. Supplemental Rhythm & Melody guides are available to aid in the teaching process. A perfect opening to your next concert! (2:00)
Original Item#: TSG-B032
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Tyler S. Grant has built a reputation as a composer and arranger whose work appears regularly on honor ensemble programs and national repertoire lists. His fanfare Panoramic Fanfare won the Dallas Wind Symphony's 2014 Call for Fanfares Competition and has since circulated among collegiate and professional ensembles across North America. Since 2010, he has sustained a steady output of commissions and new publications for bands and orchestras, establishing himself as a prolific voice in concert band literature.
Beyond the composer's desk, Grant conducts clinics and guest conducting engagements across the country, having worked with over 100 school music programs in more than 15 states. His works have been performed at major venues including The Midwest Clinic, Carnegie Hall, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Bands of America Grand Nationals. A graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in instrumental music education, Grant studied conducting with Professor Randall Coleman and credits composer Brian Balmages as instrumental to his development as a musician.
Why we love this
Grant crafts fanfares that feel orchestrated and rhythmically alive rather than predictable. The engaging harmonies and rhythmic drive in Wild Blue give young bands material that holds their attention while keeping the technical demands reasonable for a 1.5 grade level, making it an ideal opener that doesn't sacrifice musicality for accessibility.
What to expect
The piece evokes soaring, bright imagery befitting its title. Engaging rhythms propel the work forward while the harmonies create a sense of lift and momentum, capturing the excitement of flight without overwhelming younger ensembles.
Who it's for
This fanfare serves young concert bands at the beginning band to early intermediate level who need an energetic, concert-ready opener. Directors seeking a short, high-impact piece that builds student confidence and audience engagement will find Wild Blue delivers exactly that.
How to get the most out of it
Balance the melodic lines across your sections so the tune doesn't get buried under harmony parts; young bands often push the middle voices too hard.
Keep the rhythmic precision sharp in the opening fanfare figure; these opening gestures set the tone for the entire piece.
Use the supplemental Rhythm and Melody guides during sectional rehearsals to reinforce the most important material before full-ensemble work.
How to use it
Open your concert with this fanfare to establish energy and set a professional tone for the audience from the start. At two minutes, it pairs perfectly as a high-spirited prelude before a longer feature work or as the opening salvo in a program built around thematic elements like flight or adventure.
Skills your students will build
Articulation clarity in fanfare figures
Rhythmic precision in ensemble settings
Balanced voice leading across three or more parts
Melodic phrasing in upper register lines
Responding to dynamic shape in short musical phrases
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