Whether you are teaching a first year band class or a University band ensemble, this fall has made many of us change the type of literature we're able to perform. Flexible Band music and Chamber Winds music seems to be the norm for this year, and some publishers have done a decent job of adapting to this current situation. One of them was Murphy Music Press.
When the current Covid crisis began to develop in the US in February, Sean Murphy, the owner of Murphy Music Press, reached out to some of his composers and encouraged them to write something that would accommodate the upcoming need for smaller and more flexible instrumentation. Some composers adapted one of their existing works, some wrote entirely original compositions to fit within the needs of the current crisis.
So no matter what grade of band you work with, there's going to be a work for flex-band ensemble in here that's your level. There's a lot of originality here since these composers aren't bound by some of the requirements of traditional band publishers to make the music fit their brand and musical niche. If you like one of these flex band works and want to see if the original version for full band is available, just search for it on our website or ask me.
Here's a full listing of the Murphy Music Press works for flexible band, organized by grade. Click on a link to see more details, listen to them, and look at sample pages. At the bottom of this page you can also find a link where you can download my full listing of all flex band materials currently in my database, for all levels.
Murphy Music Press Flex-Band Works by Grade
Grade 1-1.5
Grade 2-2.5
Grade 3
Grade 3.5
Grade 4
Grade 4.5 - 5
If you just want to see a large list of possible flex-band works of all levels, you can download my list below. I will be updating this list in the coming days with new flex-band listings from publishers like Excelcia, Barnhouse, and others, so feel free to download it again later to get more up to date listings.
One last word on Flex-band music. Take a moment and look at the website for the Creative Repertoire Initiative. This group is a collective of composers and conductors committed to creating adaptable music for ensembles in the coming academic year and beyond, due to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The website and their Facebook page are serving as a resource point for composers and directors to discuss and promote the creation and use of adaptable music.
