Walk The Plank - for Concert Band (2025)
Walk The Plank - for Concert Band (2025)
Difficulty: Very Easy (Grade 1)
Duration: c. 1’45”
Walk the Plank is a dramatic and spirited Grade 1 concert band piece that brings the tension and excitement of a pirate adventure to life. With its bold themes, foreboding melodies, and lively contrasts, this piece challenges young musicians to explore dynamic expression and storytelling through music. Perfect for concert programs, Walk the Plank engages performers and captivates audiences with its cinematic atmosphere and vivid energy.
This work features a key signature with two flats. Dynamics featured go from mezzo-piano to fortissimo.
Score and parts are 9x12 PDFs that can be scaled and printed to 8.5x11 and will be delivered digitally.
Listen to Walk The Plank:
Instrumentation
Flute/Oboe
Clarinet in Bb
Bass Clarinet in Bb
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet in Bb
Horn in F
Trombone/Euphonium/Bassoon
Tuba
Timpani
Chimes
Bells
Percussion 1 (Snare Drum, Bass Drum)
Percussion 2 (Crash Cymbals, Triangle)
Program Notes:
Walk The Plank is a dramatic and spirited journey into the world of high seas adventure. With its menacing yet accessible character, this Grade 1 concert band piece invites young musicians and their audience to explore a vivid musical narrative inspired by the peril of life aboard a pirate ship.
The piece begins with a dark and foreboding figure, evoking the tension of an uncertain fate. Low brass and woodwinds provide a weighty foundation, while percussion elements create a sense of work done on a ship, characterized by the chimes. As the music progresses, a livelier theme emerges. The interplay between these contrasting moods creates an engaging and cinematic experience for performers and listeners alike.
Walk The Plank offers students an opportunity to develop their skills in style, phrasing, dynamic contrast, and storytelling through music. Its bold themes and evocative atmosphere make it an excellent addition to any concert program, appealing to performers and audiences of all ages.
