How to Plan Your Fall Concert Program

July 6, 2026| Alfred Music Official
How to Plan Your Fall Concert Program

There’s nothing like the refreshing start to a new school year! While you will want to spend some quality time reviewing procedures, expectations, and fundamentals with your students, you will likely want to begin preparations for fall performances soon after the start of the school year. 

Summer Repertoire Selection 

The summer holiday is an ideal time to listen to some new music that you may want to program in the coming school year. Explore our YouTube Channels to have a listen and see peruse scores of new releases and other favorites. Choral, Orchestra, Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band.

 

New To Your School? 

When it’s your first year at a new campus it can be more of a challenge to select appropriate literature for your group - especially if you have never even met them yet! You’ll want to go in with a few solid options of varying levels so that you can be prepared to pivot once you get to know the students a bit more. 

  • See if you can track down a few recent concert programs from the past few years. This will help you to avoid “repeating” a piece that students have recently played and give you a good idea of the achievement level. If there are contest or festival ratings available, this can also give you some insight.   

  • Are there other music colleagues at your campus or in your district or area who can offer some insights as you get started? Rely on them and don’t be shy about asking for advice and support!

Goal Check 

Repertoire selection is always a good time to keep your year long goals in mind. There are no “right” or “wrong” goals - you know your program best! If you are new to your campus, your goal might be to simply build trust with your students in a positive environment—choose some skill-level titles that will be fun for students while offering stretch opportunities. Perhaps you are aiming to play a spring contest piece that is in 3|4 time—start the fall with some titles that are also in 3. What key is your annual musical in—can you choose a title in that key for the fall concert as an early prep? Selecting a theme for your fall concert can also help give you some direction. 

Check out this variety of “Halloween themed” titles for a spooky haunt-cert! 

Considering where your students need to be at the end of the school year helps you create a solid map that begins in the fall! 

Read the Room Before You Commit

Use the first weeks to gather data before you finalize the program. A short sight-reading session early in the year tells you more about a group's current level than any roster or prior rating. Choose two or three pieces at different difficulties and have the ensemble read them down. Watch for rhythmic accuracy, range comfort, balance across sections, and how quickly students recover after a mistake.

Check your instrumentation or voicing against the music you are considering. A piece with an exposed first horn part or a divisi soprano line may not fit a group with gaps in those areas. Identify the gaps now so you can select titles that play to the ensemble's current shape, or plan cross-cueing and part reassignments before rehearsals begin.

Remain mindful of how your students are responding to the music you put in front of them. Pay attention to things like body language and engagement as you are rehearsing. While you must make programming decisions for the majority of your group, you may discover some opportunities to nurture a more advanced student with a special solo or offer some discrete remedial assistance to a student who is in need of reinforcement. This mindset allows you to teach both the ensemble and the individuals in front of you in a meaningful way. 

Build a Balanced Program

A strong concert moves through contrast rather than presenting the same texture, tempo, and key for its full length. As your shortlist takes shape, plan for variety across a few dimensions:

  • Tempo and mood: pair a driving opener with a lyrical middle selection and a strong closer.

  • Difficulty: place your most demanding piece where the group is warmed up but not yet tired, often second or third in the order.

  • Key and meter: vary these so the program does not feel static, and so students practice shifting between them.

  • Length: confirm the total runtime fits your slot, including stage changes and any speaking.

Sequence the order with your students' stamina in mind. Open with a piece that settles nerves and establishes a confident sound, save a challenge for the middle, and close with something the group performs well and enjoys.


Composer Considerations  

A meaningful way for students to connect to the music that they are performing is for them to learn a bit about the composer who wrote the notes on the page. Young students, especially, tend to love what they are exposed to. Can you program a selection by a composer who will be visiting your area sometime in the year? Perhaps you can select something by someone who will be a clinician for an honor group that your students might be in. Making meaningful connections like this can amplify the positive experiences you provide for your students and help them relate to the human behind the ink. 

Selecting music from a variety of composers can serve as an inspiration to your students and send the important message that “someone like me writes music.” As you work on new titles, plan to take a few minutes to learn about the composer or arranger behind the name—just a quick search will do it and even a quick photo can make an impression on students! 

Find plenty of composers from diverse backgrounds at Alfred.com 

Supplement your concert repertoire with these resources that offer a deeper dive into a variety of diverse composers: 

 

Plan Backward From the Concert Date

Once the program is set, count the rehearsals you actually have between now and the performance, then subtract for assemblies, testing days, and holidays. The number is often smaller than expected. Working backward from the concert date, assign each piece a target for when it should be note-learned, when it should be performance-ready, and when you will run the full program in order. Building in a buffer week absorbs the disruptions that come with the start of a school year.


Popular Fall Favorites 

These titles were some of the most popular in the fall of 2025 and they are also available for interactive practice in MakeMusic Cloud:

Concert Band: 

  • Dark Ride by Randall Standridge:  Digital Digital Flex
  • Creepy Crawlies by Michael Story:  Digital
  • Arabian Dances by Roland Barrett:  Digital  
  • Ghosts in the Graveyard by Scott Watson:  Digital
  • Machu Picchu by Timothy Loest:  Digital
  • The Tempest by Robert W. Smith:  Digital
  • Creatures in the Attic by Brian Balmages:  Digital

Orchestra: 

  • Dragonhunter by Richard Meyer:  Digital
  • Gargoyles by Doug Spata:  Digital    
  • Legend of Dark Mountain by Soon Hee Newbold:  Digital
  • The Abandoned Funhouse by Brian Balmages:  Digital
  • Arlington Sketches by Eliot Del Borgo:  Digital
  • Gaelic Castle by Soon Hee Newbold:  Digital
  • Rosin Eating Zombies from Outer Space:  Digital

Choral:  


Beginners: The First Concert 

For beginning students, the fall concert is very different from what your more established players experience. Don’t shy away from this—turn it into an opportunity to educate the students and families alike on how a musical performance works. 

  • “Demonstration Concert” - consider using your concert time to give the audience a tiny peek into what a typical class looks like for you and your beginning students. Can you showcase some great student leadership and let a student count the group off? Maybe you have some students who would be willing to demonstrate how to sit properly or hold their instrument properly. Moments like these instill pride from every angle of the room! 

  • “Parent Ensemble” - you may also want to get parents and guardians even more involved and let their student “teach” them how to play a note or simple melody on their instrument. Let the adults come down and join their student in the ensemble for the full experience. Everyone learns something and students have an incredible opportunity to reinforce their skills in situations like these. 

  • Involve older students - need a few extra hands? Consider empowering your older students as leaders to help students get on and off the stage, stay organized, and more! 


No matter what, keep it a positive and fun experience as best as you can! 


Concert Hype Ideas 

You’ve distributed the uniforms, sent home the info letters, and the big day is finally arriving! Try these hype-boosters to make the first concert of the year even more memorable: 

  • Photobooth - as simple as butcher paper in your school colors with handwritten letters hung on the wall, this will get posted on social media and bring valuable eyes to your program in a positive way! Make sure to put the name of your school and performing group somewhere visible. 

  • Concert program - try a lower-stress digital concert program and include a QR code to a volunteer sign up form - get some help when the vibes are high at the concert! 

  • Alumni recognition - can you take the time to recognize any alumni that attend your concert? Talk to the families and students about where students go beyond your program and you’ll be creating a rich tradition with minimal effort. 


Be sure to check out this article on keeping your music library in ship-shape for the entire year.