Recommended Repertoire

My tastes in band music for the middle school level tend to be quite narrow. The works listed in these recommendations have all been rehearsed and performed by the McCracken Middle School Bands. There are many wonderful works, that I just haven’t had the opportunity to program yet!

Works designated as “core” are those that I consider to be important to the young band repertoire. While the others may or may not have the same degree of musical depth, they are all pieces that I have enjoyed preparing and performing with my students.

Want to ensure quality programing for your students? Only select music in which the musical difficulty meets or exceeds the technical difficulty.

This page contains affiliate links to Sheet Music Plus and other publishers. If you purchase through a Purchase link below, McCracken Band may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Title	Composer	Grade	Core?	Able to Purchase?
Abracadabra Manhattan Beach Music	Ticheli, Frank	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
African Festival Kjos Music Company	Traditional arr. Bruce Pearson	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
African Folk Trilogy Queenwood/Kjos	McGinty, Anne	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Albanian Dance Boosey & Hawkes	Hanson, Shelley	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Alegría Aspenwood Music	Chambers, Carol Brittin	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
All Ye Young Sailors Daehn Publications	LaPlante, Pierre	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Alleluia Alfred Publishing Company	Mozart, W. A. arr. John O'Reilly	1+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Alligator Alley Bandquest	Daugherty, Michael	4-	Core repertoire	Purchase
Amazing Grace Manhattan Beach Music	Ticheli, Frank	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
American Folk Rhapsody #3 Boosey & Hawkes	Grundman, Clare	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
American Riversongs Daehn Publications	La Plante, Pierre	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Ancient City of Stone Grand Mesa Music	Vogel, Kirk	1+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Ancient Dialogue Daehn Publications	Burns, Patrick	3-	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Ancient Voices Hal Leonard Corporation	Sweeney, Michael	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Andante and Allegro Alfred Publishing Company	Corelli, Arcangelo arr. Phillip Gordon	2-	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Antz Excelcia Music Publishing	Chambers, Carol Brittin	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Arabian Dances Alfred Publishing Company	Barrett, Roland	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
As Winds Dance Boosey & Hawkes	Hazo, Samuel	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Ascend Hal Leonard Corporation	Hazo, Sam	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Battle Pavane, The Manhattan Beach Music	Susato, Tielman arr. Bob Margolis	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Baudó manuscript	Moreno, Daniel Alberto	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Baywood Overture C. L. Barnhouse	Swearington, James	1+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Belle Qui Tiens Ma Vie Manhattan Beach Music	Arbeau, Thoinot arr. Bob Margolis	2-	Core repertoire	Purchase
Brazillian Folk Dance Suite Kjos Music Company	Rhoads, William	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
British Isles Suite Daehn Publications	Daehn, Larry	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
British Waterside G. Schirmer, Inc	Grainger, Percy arr. John Moss	2+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Builder’s Dream, A FJH Music Company	Sims, Adrian	2-	Core repertoire	Purchase
Cafe 512 Fornine Music	George, Ryan	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Cajun Folk Songs Manhattan Beach Music	Ticheli, Frank	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Canarios Fantasia Alfred Publishing Company	Akey, Douglas	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Cascade Festival Overture Alfred Publishing Company	Williams, Mark	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Cascade River Overture Queenwood/Kjos	Akey, Douglas	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Cave You Fear, The Markowski Creative	Markowski, Michael	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Celtic Air and Dance Hal Leonard Corporation	Sweeney, Michael	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Celtic Air and Dance No. 2 Hal Leonard Corporation	Sweeney, Michael	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Chandé victorianovalencia.com	Valencia, Victoriano	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Chorale and Capriccio Dorabet Music	Giovannini, Ceasar arr. Wayne Robinson	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Chorale and Fugue Daehn Publications	Bach, J. S. arr. Larry Daehn	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Chorale and Mystic Chant FJH Music Company	Loest, Timothy	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Chorale and Shaker Dance Carl Fischer Music	Zdecklik, John	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Choreography Alfred Publishing Company	Sheldon, Robert	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Ciacona in C minor manuscript	Buxtehude, Dietrich arr. Chip De Stefano	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Circus Days C. L. Barnhouse	King, Karl arr. Loras Schissel	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Coast Guards C. L. Barnhouse	King, Karl arr. James Swearingen	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Coldwater Creek C. L. Barnhouse	Sheldon, Robert	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Colliding Visions FJH Music Company	Balmages, Brian	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Concert Variations Wingert-Jones Publications	Smith, Claude T.	4	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Copland Tribute, A Boosey & Hawkes	Copland, Aaron arr. Clare Grundmann	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Country Club Stomp, The FJH Music Company	Hall, JaRod	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Courtly Airs and Dances Ludwig Music Company	Nelson, Ron	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Danzon victorianovalencia.com	Valencia, Victoriano	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Deimos FJH Music Company	Loest, Timothy	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Dinosaurs Phoebus Publications	Bukvich, Daniel	2+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Emblem of Unity C. L. Barnhouse	Richards, J. J. arr. James Swearingen	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Emperata Overture Wingert-Jones Publications	Smith, Claude T.	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
English Folk Song Suite Boosey & Hawkes	Vaughan Williams, Ralph	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
English Suite for Band Daehn Publications	Golemo, Michael	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Equinox Hal Leonard Corporation	Sweeney, Michael	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Ere the World Began to Be Daehn Publications	Stamp, Jack	2+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Evergreen Escapades FJH Music Company	Sims, Adrian	2.5	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Fa Una Canzona Daehn Publications	Vecchi, Orazio arr. Larry Daehn	2+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Fanfare, Ode, and Festival Manhattan Beach Music	Margolis, Bob	2+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Fantasy on a Bell Carol Carl Fischer Music	Madden, Edward	4	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Fantasy on American Sailing Songs Boosey & Hawkes	Grundman, Clare	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Farnaby Prelude, A Daehn Publications	Akey, Douglas	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Flash in the Pan! Hal Leonard Corporation	Saucedo, Richard	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Flourish for Wind Band Boosey & Hawkes	Vaughan-Williams, Ralph	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Footlifter, The Carl Fischer Music	Fillmore, Henry	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Fortress Manhattan Beach Music	Ticheli, Frank	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Forward March! Hal Leonard Corporation	Murtha, Paul	1.5	Core repertoire	Purchase
Garlandstone Alfred Publishing Company	Root, Thomas	2+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Glengary Hills Lorenz Corporation	Nelson, David	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Halcyon Hearts katahjcopleymusic.com	Copley, Katahj	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Havener Fanfare Kjos Music Company	Boysen, Andrew	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Hope Rising Tyler S. Grant Music Works, LLC	Grant, Tyler	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Hosts of Freedom C. L. Barnhouse	King, Karl arr. John P. Paynter	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Howls and Hymns Viet Cuong Music	Cuong, Viet	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Huayno victorianovalencia.com	Valencia, Victoriano	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Imaginarium Grand Mesa Music	Standridge, Randall	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Inglesina Wingert-Jones Publications	Delle Cese, Davide arr. John Bourgeois	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Introduction and Rondo Queenwood/Kjos	Akey, Douglas	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Iowa Band Law C. L. Barnhouse	King, Karl	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Irish Rhapsody, An Boosey & Hawkes	Grundman, Clare	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Japanese Pictures Carl Fischer Music	Mixon, Kevin	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Jester Dance FJH Music Company	Rogers, Mekel	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Joy Fantastique manuscript	Akey, Douglas	3	Not core repertoire
Kailos Eidos Excelcia Music Publishing	Chambers, Carol Brittin	3.5	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Kentucky 1800 Boosey & Hawkes	Grundman, Clare	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
King Across the Water, The G&M Brand	Fraser, Bruce	3+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
King’s Feast, The Grand Mesa Music	various arr. Ken Singleton	1+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Klaxon, The Carl Fischer Music	Fillmore, Henry arr. Fredrick Fennell	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Korean Folk Rhapsody Hal Leonard Corporation	Folk Song arr. James Curnow	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Little Suite for Band Boosey & Hawkes	Grundman, Clare	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Longford Legend, A Alfred Publishing Company	Sheldon, Robert	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Lydian Lullaby Alfred Publishing Company	Sheldon, Robert	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Machine Awakes, The Steve Bryant	Bryant, Steven	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Madre de los Gatos, La Alfred Publishing Company	Beck, Brian	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Majestica FJH Music Company	Balmages, Brian	1+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
March Ahead Alfred Publishing Company	Feldstein, Sandy & O'Reilly, John	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Mass from La Fiesta Mexicana Alfred Publishing Company	Reed, H. Owen	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Mechanical Monsters Randall Standridge Music, LLC	Standridge, Randall	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Melodious Thunk Bent Space Music	Biedenbender, David	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Men of Ohio Carl Fischer Music/BandMusicPDF.org	Fillmore, Henry	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Midnight Mission FJH Music Company	Balmages, Brian	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Midnight Sky FJH Music Company	Balmages, Brian	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Music for Queen Mary Grand Mesa Music	Purcell, Henry arr. Robert Garofalo	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Music from Les Miserables Hal Leonard Corporation	Schoenberg arr. Johnnie Vinson	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Music from Wicked Hal Leonard Corporation	Schwartz, Stephen arr. Michael Sweeney	3-	Not core repertoire	Purchase
New Forest March Hal Leonard Corporation	Vinson, Johnnie	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Night Fury Carl Fischer Music	Chambers, Carol Brittin	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Nostalgia in the Air Kelijah Dunton Music	Dunton, Kelijah	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Nottingham Castle Daehn Publications	Daehn, Larry	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Novo Lenio Wingert-Jones Publications	Hazo, Samuel	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Olympic Fanfare and Theme Hal Leonard Corporation	Williams, John arr. James Curnow	3+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Orange Bowl Carl Fischer Music	Fillmore, Henry	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Our Kingsland Spring Hal Leonard Corporation	Hazo, Samuel	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Overture for Winds Bourne Company	Carter, Charles	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Overture in Bb RBC Publications	Giovannini, Ceasar arr. Wayne Robinson	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Pageant Carl Fischer Music	Persichetti, Vincent	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Parade of the Wooden Warriors G&M Brand	Gorb, Adam	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Passacaglia manuscript	Collins-Dowden, Michael	1+	Core repertoire
Peace Song Bourne Company	Broege, Timothy	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Peacemaker C. L. Barnhouse	King, Karl arr. James Swearingen	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Peregrin (A Traveler’s Tale) Queenwood/Kjos	Akey, Douglas	3-	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Pirates Queenwood/Kjos	Akey, Douglas	3+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Pirates of the Caribbean (Soundtrack Highlights) Hal Leonard Corporation	Badelt, Klaus arr. Ted Ricketts	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Place in Time, A Kelijah Dunton Music	Dunton, Kelijah	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Polka from Schwanda the Bagpiper Associated Music Publishers	Weinberger, Jaromir arr. Glenn C. Bainum	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Polly Oliver Kjos Music Company	Root, Thomas	3-	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Portrait of a Clown Manhattan Beach Music	Ticheli, Frank	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Praeludium DeStefanoMusic.com	Buxtehude, Dietrich arr. Chip De Stefano	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Prelude and Fugue in Bb Major Warner Brothers Pub.	Bach, J. S. arr. Roland Moehlmann	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Prelude and Fugue in D minor Alfred Publishing Company	Bach, J. S. arr. Roland Moehlmann	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo Carl Fischer Music	Arnold, Malcolm arr. John P. Paynter	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Prestissimo C. L. Barnhouse	King, Karl	3-	Core repertoire	Purchase
Pride of the Wolverines Warner Brothers Pub.	Sousa, John Phillip arr. Fredreick Fennell	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Primal Carl Fischer Music	O'Loughlin, Sean	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Promise of Living, The Boosey & Hawkes	Copland, Aaron arr. James Curnow	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Prospect Bourne Company	La Plante, Pierre	2+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Psalm 42 Boosey & Hawkes	Hazo, Samuel	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Rainbow Connection, The Hal Leonard Corporation	Williams, Paul arr. John Moss	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Raspa victorianovalencia.com	Valencia, Victoriano	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Ready the Castle Randall Standridge Music, LLC	Hall, JaRod	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Red Cape, The Carl Fischer Music	Meredith, James	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Renaissance Festival, A Grand Mesa Music	Gervaise, Claude arr. Ken Singleton	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Renaissance Revel, A Grand Mesa Music	Susato, Teilman arr. Ken Singleton	2+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Rippling Watercolors FJH Music Company	Balmages, Brian	2	Core repertoire
River of Life C. L. Barnhouse	Reineke, Steven	4	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Rough Riders Alfred Publishing Company	King, Karl arr. James Swearington	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Royal Procession manuscript	Collins-Dowden, Michael	1	Core repertoire
Sailor’s Odyssey, A Grand Mesa Music	Bobrowitz, David	2+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Salvation is Created Kjos Music Company	Tschesnokoff, Pavel arr. Bruce Houseknecht	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Sarabanda and Gavotta Rubank, Inc.	Corelli, Arcangelo arr. Johnson	2+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Scarborough Fantasy Carl Fischer Music	Huss, Christina and R. Alan Carter	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Sea Shanty Variations FJH Music Company	Loest, Timothy	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Second Prelude New World Music Corp.	Gershwin, George arr. John Krance	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Serengeti Dreams Belwin-Mills/Alfred	Smith, Robert W	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Sesame Street Theme Hal Leonard Corporation	Raposo, Joe arr. Paul Murtha	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Shaker Hymn, A Alfred Publishing Company	O'Reilly, John	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Shenandoah Manhattan Beach Music	Ticheli, Frank	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Shepherd’s Hey FJH Music Company	Grainger, Percy arr. Chip De Stefano	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Simple Gifts Manhattan Beach Music	Ticheli, Frank	3+	Core repertoire	Purchase
Simple Song, A Hal Leonard Corporation	Bernstein, Leonard arr. Michael Sweeney	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Sinfonia XIX Boosey & Hawkes	Broege, Timothy	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Sketches of Canada Belwin-Mills/Alfred	Story, Michael	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Slavonic Folk Suite Hal Leonard Corporation	Reed, Alfred	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Softly Speaks the Night Carl Fischer Music	Chambers, Carol Brittin	1.5	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Song for Friends, A Daehn Publications	Daehn, Larry	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Song for the Winter Moon Grand Mesa Music	Cummings, Walter	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Sound Off Marine Band	Sousa, John Philip	3.5	Core repertoire	Purchase
Spirit! Queenwood/Kjos	Akey, Douglas	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Spoon River G. Schirmer, Inc	Grainger, Percy Aldridge arr. Glenn Cliffe Bainum	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Star Spangled Banner Luverne Publications	Key, Francis Scott arr. John Kinyon	2	Not core repertoire
Starsplitter Fanfare FJH Music Company	Balmages, Brian	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Stony Creek March Queenwood/Kjos	McGinty, Anne	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Suite from Bohemia E. C. Kerby	Nelhybel, Vaclav	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Suite on Greek Love Songs Molenaar Editions	van Lijnschooten, Henk	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Summer Dances FJH Music Company	Balmages, Brian	4	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Sunrise Willscore Publications	Will, Andrew	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Symphonic Dance #3 – “Fiesta” Alfred Publishing Company	Williams, Clifton	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Symphony No. 4 Kjos Music Company	Boysen, Andrew	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Tales of the Emerald Isle Hal Leonard Corporation	Akey, Douglas	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Tallis Prelude, A Queenwood/Kjos	Akey, Douglas	3-	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Teleportation FJH Music Company	Loest, Timothy	1	Core repertoire	Purchase
Themes from Green Bushes Daehn Publications	Grainger, Percy arr. Larry Daehn	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
This Old Man Luverne Publications	Traditional arr. Peter Reynolds	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Three Ayres from Gloucester Shawnee Press	Stuart, Hugh	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Thunderer, The Carl Fischer Music	Sousa, John Phillip	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
To Create a Voice Carl Fischer Music	Chambers, Carol Brittin	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Tock Belwin-Mills/Alfred	Hall, JaRod	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Torch of Liberty C. L. Barnhouse	King, Karl arr. James Swearingen	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Touch of Baroque, A Alfred Publishing Company	Feldstein, Sandy & O'Reilly, John	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Tricycle Kjos Music Company	Boysen, Andrew	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Triumphant Fanfare Hal Leonard Corporation	Saucedo, Richard	3	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Two British Folk Songs Hal Leonard Corporation	Del Borgo, Elliot	2	Core repertoire	Purchase
Undertow Ostimusic	Mackey, John	3+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Unraveling Kjos Music Company	Boysen, Andrew	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
Variation Overture Ludwig Music Company	Williams, Clifton	3-	Core repertoire	Purchase
Variations on a Korean Folk Song Boosey & Hawkes	Chance, John Barnes	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Variations on Scarborough Fair Hal Leonard Corporation	Custer, Calvin	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Voyaguers, The Daehn Publications	La Plante, Pierre	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
West Highlands Sojourn Alfred Publishing Company	Sheldon, Robert	3	Core repertoire	Purchase
When Johnny Comes Marching Home Carl Fischer Music	Traditional arr. Frank Erickson	3	Not core repertoire
When the Stars Began to Fall TRN Music, Inc.	Allen, Fred	2+	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Whip and Spur TRN Music, Inc.	Allen, Thomas arr. Ray Cramer	4	Core repertoire	Purchase
Wild Dance Grand Mesa Music	Akey, Douglas	4	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Wolsey’s Wilde Grand Mesa Music	Byrd, William arr. Doug Hartzell	2	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Wrath of the Mechanical Monsters Randall Standridge Music, LLC	Standridge, Randall	1	Not core repertoire	Purchase
Ye Banks and Braes O’ Bonnie Doon Hal Leonard Corporation	Traditional arr. Michael Sweeney	1	Core repertoire	Purchase