Winter Song: 2nd Percussion
By Kenley Kristofferson (SOCAN)
Grade: 1
Item: 00-PC-0019681_PC2
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Description
Winter Song, by Kenley Kristofferson, is a wistful and expressive ballad portraying the serenity and beauty of winter. The piece's lilting melody in 3/4, shared by many instruments throughout the ensemble, makes it a great first ballad for beginning bands and gives the ensemble a great opportunity to explore lyrical playing. It features four percussion parts and an optional vibraphone part, giving the music that extra wintery sparkle!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Winter Song: 2nd Percussion 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:
Belwin Beginning Band
Publisher:
Alfred Music
SKU:
00-PC-0019681_PC2
More about this title
About the Composer: Kenley Kristofferson
Kenley Kristofferson composes for concert band, concert choir, symphony orchestra, and video game soundtracks. He grew up as a euphonium player in Gimli, Manitoba, and earned degrees in music performance and education from the University of Manitoba before serving as an instrumental music educator in Selkirk. His formal training in composition came through a Master of Music degree from Brandon University under Dr. T. Patrick Carrabré, completed in 2019.
Kristofferson's concert band works have earned recognition including two WASBE Composition Competition wins and the 2016 Canadian Band Association Composition Competition. His music has been recorded by ensembles across North America, from Arizona State University to the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble. Beyond concert music, he has contributed scores to video game properties including Disney's DuckTales and Warhammer 40,000, and his work on the short film Star Stuff received a nomination for Best Original Score at the 2016 International Sound and Film Music Festival.
Why we love this
Winter Song strikes the ideal balance for introducing ballad style to developing ensembles. The shared, lilting melody ensures every section hears and plays the lyrical line, building confidence and musical awareness without isolating success to a single part. The optional vibraphone and four percussion voices add textural sophistication that rewards careful listening and creates a full, polished sound from a Grade 1 ensemble.
What to expect
Winter Song evokes quiet contemplation and gentle beauty rather than harsh cold. The shared melody and unhurried 3/4 pulse create space for students to hear and feel sustained tone, allowing the ensemble to experience music that rewards listening and sensitive playing.
Who it's for
Beginning band students encountering ballad style for the first time benefit from this piece's accessible melodic design and clear harmonic support. Directors seeking a Grade 1 selection that demands attention to phrasing and ensemble blend without technical difficulty will find it ideal for contest or festival programming.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the 3/4 phrase in two-bar units rather than measure-by-measure to let the melody breathe and prevent rhythmic choppiness.
- Balance the melody across all instruments sharing it; this may require adjusting traditional dynamic relationships to keep the line audible and unified.
- Keep the vibraphone part discrete and transparent so it enhances rather than dominates the winter atmosphere.
- Maintain steady, spacious quarter-note pulse in the accompaniment layers to support the lyrical character without rushing.
How to use it
Program this as an early-season concert piece to establish ballad fundamentals while building confidence, or hold it for winter festivals and holiday programming where its character and title create natural thematic fit. It pairs well alongside more rhythmically active Grade 1 selections to create programming variety without technical compromise.
Skills your students will build
- Singing sustained melodic lines across multiple phrases in 3/4 meter
- Balancing mixed instrumentation while maintaining a unified melody
- Reading and performing simple percussion parts to support ensemble texture
- Responding to expressive, non-technical musical demands through tone and phrasing