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January 2008

Your Best 6/8 Pieces

My freshmen have been working on the Williams arrangement of von Suppe's
'Light Cavalry Overture.' It is a grade 2+ orchestral transcription that
does justice to the original. Williams offers musicians exposure to 6/8
and contrasts it with 4/4 dotted 8,16th note patterns.
Rich Kuntzelman

Devil Dance -- John Kinyon -- Alfred I think -- Middle School 7th or 8th
Fun for students to play
ABA form (fast/slow/fast)
B section in contrasting key and all three trumpet parts equally important
good and interesting percussion
has good dynamic contrasts
Cliff Goodman

Right now my kids are working on the March from Holst's second suite
in F.  The second half of the first movement is a swift 6/8 in two
that presents many different ideas and note length combinations to be
mastered.  The tune, called "Claudy Banks" very much a dancing tune,
which from a forms standpoint is the way 6/8 is often used.
Also, the fourth movement "Fantasia on the 'Dargason'" is entirely in
6/8 and has many more challenging musical elements than the first
movement presents including more difficult entrances, and an even
bigger feeling of melody and accompaniment.  Plus it's longer and
faster.
Anthony Hammond

"Three Pieces" by Robert Schumann, op.68 arr. by Chip De Stefano is a great three movement piece (fast, slow, fast) with both the 1st and 3rd movements in 6/8.  
You can also download it free on the McCracken Band website out of Skokie, IL.  I would place it at an upper middle school level approachable by 8th grade and definitely do-able in early high school.  The third movement is a little more challenging than the first rhythmically, but the whole piece is well within the abilities of middle schoolers for range, key, and technique.
I found this website accidentaly, and there is a ton of material available for band directors to download and use for beginners through advanced middle schoolers.  Check it out!
http://www.mccrackenband.com/
The Schumann piece is available in the free arrangements section.
Dylan Dwyer   

Here is an easy piece that the kids love and is a good introduction to
6/8 meter.
All Ye Young Sailors (Blow The Man Down!)
arr by Pierre La Plante
Carl Fischer 1988
Grade 1
All but 2 measures of this piece are in fast 6/8 (2 beats per measure),
those 2 other measures are in slow (6 beats per measure).  The melody
gets traded around from section to section, everyone gets an
interesting part.
I have used this successfully with "motivated" 6th grade groups (in the
spring) and with Jr High bands.
I was thinking of a few pieces good for teaching 6/8.
First one is grade 1, Addam's Family Theme.  Pretty
corny but kids like it.  The other one is Seventy Six
Trombones arr. Jennings. 2-2.5. Under an Irish Sky by
Neeck (2.5) starts with a chorale and then goes into
lively 'jig'.  All good for various Jr. High bands.
Jeff Skogley

Hi all,
A really nice composition that uses 6/8 time is The Emerald Isle by Dave
Black, published by Alfred.  It's a 2 movement work in the Irish folk-song
style.  The first movement is a pretty, lyric melody, slow and expressive.
It's beautiful!  The 2nd movement is a dance-like march in 6/8 time.  It's
got good percussion stuff and is syncopated and lively.  It is a medium easy
work that I use with my 8th grade band.  Definitely not a beginning band
chart but good for later Middle School.
Sue Andersen

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