[Brass/Wind Band] Recommended for Beginners! A Collection of Classics and Popular Pieces Perfect for Practice
Many people have probably developed a longing for wind ensemble music through visual works like the popular anime Sound! Euphonium.
Some may have discovered the appeal of wind ensembles as adults, bought an instrument and started taking lessons, or formed a brass band with friends to enjoy on weekends.
In this article, we’ve gathered classic pieces considered “beginner-friendly” among the popular works performed by wind ensembles.
It should be helpful for those with no prior experience playing an instrument, and for those who were in a wind ensemble during their school days, it may feel nostalgic.
Enjoy this selection of charming wind ensemble works that feel familiar and inviting!
- Perfect for free selections and concert programs! Introducing famous and classic favorites in wind ensemble music.
- A classic brass band medley
- A Collection of Pop Hits for Wind Band: From Classics to Popular Medleys
- Recommended pieces for a wind band contest
- Practice pieces for beginner trumpet players
- A roundup of recommended band scores for beginners: introducing easy songs
- [March] A curated selection of classic marches and dazzling crowd-pleasers for concerts!
- [History] A roundup of popular set pieces from the All-Japan Band Competition
- [Wind Band] Guaranteed to hype up the school festival! Recommended pieces the brass band will want to play
- Masterpieces you’ll want to play on the harmonica. Popular songs that look cool if you can play them.
- [Saxophone] Recommended practice songs for saxophone beginners: Famous tunes you’ll want to try playing
- Practice pieces for beginner flutists. Recommended practice pieces.
- Songs with cool trumpet. Introducing famous pieces from wind ensemble and jazz.
[Wind Ensemble] Recommended for Beginners! A Collection of Classics & Popular Pieces Perfect for Practice (31–40)
Theme of Lupin the ThirdŌno Yūji
It’s a famous anime song known across a wide range of ages.
The melody structure is a bit complex, so it’s a slightly more challenging piece, but it’s very popular because it can be arranged in many ways for small ensembles and beginners to perform.
Disney’s Fantillusion!Bruce Healey
It’s a piece of music that’s also very well known as Disneyland’s Electrical Parade.
Its sparkling worldview perfectly captures the Disney atmosphere, and the melody is so enjoyable to listen to.
Although the melody is complex, the piece itself is not very difficult.
A Trumpeter’s HolidayLeroy Anderson
I think this is a piece you often hear at events like school sports day races.
It’s a composition that can be performed by a wide range of ages—from elementary school to high school and even university students.
With the overlapping tones of various brass instruments, it becomes a very powerful piece.
Five Court DancesUiriamu Bureido
This piece is an arrangement for flexible ensemble comprising five dances by William Brade: King’s Intrada, Scottish Dance, Courante, and Two Almains.
Brade was an English composer active from the late Renaissance to the early Baroque, serving in roles such as a court music director.
In Germany at the time, there was a growing movement to develop the national musical style by incorporating elements from foreign music.
Within this context, Brade made a significant contribution by introducing and blending his native English style into German musical practice, thereby advancing its development.
Four seascapesBurai-an Barumeijizu
Four Sea Sketches, composed by Brian Balmages, is a four-movement work that portrays animals living in the blue ocean.
While it offers beautiful harmonies in a wind band setting, it is graded at Level 2, making it enjoyable for beginners to perform.
Featuring a woodwind-centered ensemble that evokes a vast seascape, the key is to play with a broad, singing tone at a relaxed tempo.
It is a renowned wind band piece frequently performed at regular concerts and competitions.
[Wind Ensemble] Recommended for Beginners! A Collection of Classics and Popular Pieces Perfect for Practice (41–50)
Path of the Pegasus ~ for Wind Band (2008 Contest Piece IV)Kataoka Hiroaki
When it comes to powerful yet beautiful wind band pieces, many people will surely think of this masterpiece.
Composed by Hiroaki Kataoka, who is also active as a percussionist, it portrays the story of a Pegasus soaring through the heavens.
After a tranquil opening, the music shifts dramatically into a development brimming with the exhilaration of taking flight—enough to set your heart racing.
From the calm middle section, it builds once more toward a dazzling, climactic fanfare—truly breathtaking! This work was performed on many stages as a required piece for the 2008 All-Japan Band Competition.
The album “Tenma no Michi” features a powerful performance by the JMSDF Yokosuka Band.
It’s a piece worthy of headlining any concert, offering the joy of storytelling through sound and the tangible thrill of captivating an audience.
Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince IgorAlexander Borodin
Alexander Borodin is renowned as a scientist, but he is also famous as a composer.
This piece is used in a variety of contexts, so I think many people have heard it.
The oboe and flute melodies are very beautiful.