How To Arrange For An HBCU-Style Marching Band in Less Than TEN MINUTES‼️‼️‼️‼️ 

My arranging journey started back in high school when people started asking for new (less boring) music. I never really got the chance to have anyone judge my skills or arrangements and give me feedback (I guess it should have been a sign that everyone in the band always liked what I wrote and I got the approval from the staff and directors, but alas 😂), so I just kept creating arrangements as my music theory and ear training skills kept growing. I'm a junior in college now and I write music for my university, and watching this video, I was just nodding every time you brought up a method of arranging, because those are all things I taught myself to do as well 😂

I keep coming back to this video every couple years, whenever I feel like I'm "losing the point" in my arranging. Thanks for this awesome guide.

Great! I see that you are in the ATL. I am a band arranger myself. I used to write for a lot of the metro area bands. I just retired from teaching orchestra - 36 years in Dekalb County Schools, all in the McNair Cluster. I was determined to teach my students music they like from the radio so that we could keep up with what bands are doing. I still write for orchestras especially because I have a youth orchestra called Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia. I sort of taught myself how to arrange as a freshman at Morehouse. Back then (in '73) I wrote everything by hand. There was no music writing on computer. I didn't get computer-literate until about 1999 or 2000. Then I learned to write by computer a few years after that beginning with Encore, then Sibelius. My structure is like this: flute, clarinet, and trumpet on the melody line most of the time. The inner harmony (three parts) is horn and alto sax 1, alto sax 2 and trombone 1 with baritone B.C., and tenor sax and trombone 2 with baritone T.C.; then the tuba below. Depending on balance, baritone B.C. could play either the 1st or 2nd bone part. I learned the ranges of the instruments. Since I have perfect pitch, I really did not need the piano. I would pick a key according to the range of the instruments. Early in my teaching career, I worked a security guard job. I walked around with a Walkman cassette player and a clipboard with music manuscript paper on the overnight shift (or whatever shift). When I got off, I had a complete arrangement...or two. I went around to some of the high schools. I still have a lot of these arrangements deep in my junkie garage that I want to convert to Sibelius. I wish you the best. We should meet sometime. Please join the Minority Band Directors page on Facebook. They need to see your presentation.

Thank lord there’s more HBCU exposure and videos! I love your arrangements bro.

You bout to either inspire arrangers or piss them off, lmao We gotta wait and see now

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!! This is the exact style my school has and so far I have found no videos on how to arrange our style. Thank you for making this :^)

As a musician this video just inspired me to start doing this

Bro this is an awesome tut! Thank you for making it! It's very informative and cohesive, and not many out there that are as helpful as this, so thanks!

Wish there was a video like this when I started lol, good work though!

This is a good tutorial for beginners. Some of my colleagues ask me how to arrange music but I try to tell them the biggest challenge is ultimately learning how to use the software.

Seventy year old guy in PA... I have a lot to learn from you in particular I want to learn how to get the drum and percussion section to cook. Get a great rhythm to drive the marching band and audience to stand up, clap and listen.

You did your thing bruh...salute from 1 ATLien to another

Thanks so much Antoine! As a fellow Atlanta arranger, I love learning from you. In my view, the HBCU style is becoming more prominent - and it's really fun in the stands! I'll be using these tips for my high school band. Thanks! PS. And always care about your woodwinds LOL ;)

Nice video bruh. I never though of using the double barline like that.

Great demo with some good pointers 😎

This is awesome, I want to write some charts for my school Memphis State during basketball season

I’m a Music Major I appreciate that

Excellent teaching Antoine

This really helped me out

Hey bro, keep doing your thing. I see great potential in what this can become. Many young musicians out here don’t have people who is even willing to show them the basic because of fear of being bettered. This can at least start a conversation between a student and teacher on what a chord is, what is a chord progression, transposition, and so much more. I wish you best of luck with the series and can’t wait to see more. Also keep repping the “A” C/O 2006 Stone Mountain HS C/O 2014 & 2018 Alcorn State

Great job!

Glad you've found something you love and feel good about doing. What about copyright laws? You're taking someone else's intellectual property and arranging it. Who pays for the rights? Is this a work-for-hire where the group that hired you pays the royalties? Or are you claiming the arrangement for yourself and paying a licensing fee out of your income? I wouldn't want young arrangers to think that it's legal to just use other people's music without complying with copyright laws.

HECK YEAH bro!! Keep up the work!

Wow this is Amazing , Hopefully I can be writing band music soon ! You got a new Subscriber

Thank you Antione for refreshing my mine on arranging! This is great! I'm a SU HUMAN JUKEBOX ALUMNI 🎷

🔥🔥 Great work King🔥🔥

Awesome Job!

This is good stuff, I peeped this long ago….

Still amazing I see. 🙂

i lke it mr please

Ik it’s been 3 years since you made this but if you could answer this question I would appreciate it. How do I write euphonium and mellophone parts better? I feel like they bring my arranging skills down so much

can you try a more complex song

cool

Let’s see what’s going on

It’s figuring out the rhythms for me do you have any pointers?

Do yourself a favour and skip to @16:14 for the best part!

Shit I live in Ellenwood

Bruh lol its way more than that because each hbcu sound and arrange different. If that was the case everyone would sound the same