SKU: A0.1215499

Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy, made this song famous in 1949. Based upon a book by Marks’ brother-in-law, Robert L. May, Marks wanted to put the popular 1939 Montgomery Ward story into song. Johnny Marks, a decorated World War II hero, wrote several popular Christmas songs besides Rudolph.
The song’s translation into several languages even had an effect on Finnish Christmas tradition – Rudolph is now head of Joulupukki’s sleigh (the Finnish Santa)!  The only difference is that the Finnish reindeer don’t fly.

This arrangement has a fun swing style to it. Harmonization is slightly more advanced from a Grade I tune, but the rhythms and ranges are very approachable for young musicians. The style lets them experience a standard swing feel.
The percussion is written for a drum set but can be separated as a traditional part for concert band. Sleighbells can have as many players as you want. I often had children come from the audience and give them little toy sleigh bells to play. This was always a big hit.

I hope your students and audiences (and you) have fun with this piece. I appreciate all comments, questions, and critiques. kylemacmusic@gmail.com.

SKU: A0.1487746

Triumphant and noble, Patriotic Salute is the quintessential piece to honor America and everyone of us who make up this glorious country.  This arrangement will bring audiences to their feet while leaving your ensemble feeling like they have reached out and touched stars and stripes. Filled with patriotism and American pride, Patriotic Salute showcases ear-turning harmonies and integral moving parts, while keeping to the traditional rhythms of your favorite American Folk songs.  Arranged for your advanced high school band or community group, audiences will be delighted in this rendition that includes three main themed sections; Battle Hymn of the Republic—featuring a call-and-response with When Johnny Comes Marching Home and Yankee Doodle—God Bless America and America the Beautiful.  Each instrument not only shares in performing the melodies throughout, but also is harmonized to fit these picturesque imageries of America in this arrangement. 

Patriotic Salute is driven by the attention given to rhythmic ingenuity.  The percussion section—snare, bass, auxiliary, timpani and glockenspiel—are the motor of this piece.  The percussionists’ unique parts are separate from the ornamentations and pulsating rhythms of the brass and woodwinds, but also align with many of the syncopated and off-beat rhythms in the harmonies, as well.  While Patriotic Salute starts in the Key of F before settling in the key of Bb 2/3's of the way through, this arrangement by no means feels like a piece that sticks to just two keys, as modulations and borrowed chords are filled from top to bottom.  Each section is also written in such a way that the chords are not only cross-sectional, but also fulfilled within the section, adding to the lush textures. As each instrument’s ranges are stretched high and low, so are the intricacies of each passage that exemplify each instrument’s unique technicalities. Patriotic Salute is not only satisfying to the audience members, but also enjoyable to the performers. If you are looking for a straight-forward, yet exciting piece for your Patriotic celebrations, this is the piece for your library!