WJW Brass & Wind Arrangements

03/25/2026

https://youtu.be/l7x1xkWFf7o

Warren Jay Wernick (b. 1962)*How Low Can You Go?* (2025)from *Ill-Advised Decisions: Volume I*Dedicated to Sarah MinnemanI. Chorales & Dances (*The Lower Dep...

11/06/2025

Lots of great Christmas stuff here from our friends at Art of Sound Music.

This collections includes 25 arrangements that are perfect for Christmas concerts, brass caroling, holiday parties and Christmas church gigs. Purchase all of our Gig Ready Collections together and get a 10% discount! Click here to add to your cart. We’ve provided scores and all the standard brass ...

10/28/2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/277471100316

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Schiller American Heritage Series Eb/D Trumpet - Excellent -LAST CHANCE at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

10/27/2025

Join us. Won't you?

06/16/2025

Warren Wernick's arrangement for Bassoon Ensemble (6 Bassoons & 6 Contrabassoons) is available here:
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/the-munsters-theme-21755008.html

06/16/2025

Fun stuff! A good time was had by all! (even the subcontra guy)

The Munsters (Theme)Jack Marshall (1964)arr. Warren J. Wernick (2020)Contraband(Performed devilishly by 28 contrabassoons & 1 subcontrabassoon)Kevin Fuller, ...

06/16/2025

This happened!

The Munsters (Theme)Jack Marshall (1964)arr. Warren J. Wernick (2020)Contraband(Performed devilishly by 28 contrabassoons & 1 subcontrabassoon)Kevin Fuller, ...

05/24/2025

The Streets of Laredo (The Cowboy's Lament) by Traditional American Folk Song. Written for Brass quintet with a duration of 3 mins. Purchase, download and print sheet music PDF file now!

05/23/2025

In Memory of Joseph M. Kozenko
🪦🌹🎶

Last Friday, we said goodbye to my father-in-law, Joseph M. Kozenko—a truly good man. Kind. Dependable. A great dad. One of those rare people who showed up, quietly made life better, and never asked for credit.

To honor his memory, I want to share a piece of music that resonates deeply:
🎵 “The Streets of Laredo (The Cowboy’s Lament)”

This traditional American folk song tells the story of a dying cowboy reflecting on his life and asking for a dignified farewell. The melody is somber and haunting, and the lyrics are simple, poetic, and direct—an elegy for ordinary people who met life (and death) with honesty.

My arrangement is inspired by a powerful rendition by Al Goll, from Tim May’s 2005 album Find My Way Back. Goll’s Dobro accompaniment gives the song a gentle depth, capturing its essence: quiet reflection, sorrow without spectacle, and acceptance without fear.

Choosing this tune for Joe just made sense. Like the cowboy in the ballad, he lived with integrity and faced life’s end with grace. This music feels like the right goodbye.

📝 Instrument note for performers:
This arrangement calls for two flugelhorns—and if you have them, use them! The warmth and texture are ideal.
But if all you have are B♭ trumpets, don’t let that stop you. The piece still works beautifully. It's not about having the "right" horn—it's about the heart behind it.

May this tune serve as a reminder that even the softest voices leave lasting echoes.
🌾🎺🕯️

The Streets of Laredo (The Cowboy's Lament) by Traditional American Folk Song. Written for Brass quintet with a duration of 3 mins. Purchase, download and print sheet music PDF file now!

04/30/2025

Holy Scheidt!

Among the first brass quintet arrangements I ever played was the Battle Suite and Canzona Bergamasca from the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble (PJBE) editions. They were tough, but after some shedding, they became incredibly fun to play. And the music? Absolutely wonderful.

At the time, I had no idea this music wasn’t originally written for brass. But, like most brass players, I was satisfied.

Then curiosity struck—who was this Scheidt guy? Where was he from? What else did he write?

Turns out, Samuel Scheidt was a Renaissance/early Baroque composer who wrote a ton of incredible music—not just for brass, but for organ, chorales, and instrumental ensembles (you know, things like shawms, cornettos, and sackbuts… snicker, snicker).

And there’s boatloads of it—great music that translates beautifully to brass.

I once had this wild idea:
💡 A concert called Wall-to-Wall Scheidt—nothing but back-to-back brass arrangements of his works.

I pitched it to some fellow brass players. Their response?
They Didn’t Give a Scheidt.

Art of Sound Music Est-Ce Mars? 7 Variations on the French Song [AOS352] - Here's some of what we know about Samuel Scheidt's 7 Variations on the French Song: Est-Ce Mars? (Franzosisches Lied: Est-ce Mars?): The song Est-Ce Mars? was one of the top hits of the 17th Century. In 1624 Scheidt published...

03/09/2025

Tomorrow, March 9, 1962—a day that will live in infamy!..What? Oh. That was something else. Never mind.

Hey folks! Tomorrow or today (whenever you might be reading this) is my birthday. – Actually, if you’re reading this after today or tomorrow, then it’s not my birthday, but I’m sure you know that already, don’t you?Well, all right—let’s see if you do.

(And at this point, what exactly you’re supposed to know is unclear. But if you hesitate even for a second, then maybe—just maybe—you don’t.)

Anyway, Let’s Talk About My Arrangement
With my favorite holiday (my birthday) right around the corner, please allow me to draw your attention to my arrangement of

🎺 “The Happy Birthday Song and March” for Brass Quintet! 🎺

It’s happy, peppy, and bursting with fun! (Like a certain tiger might say… it’s grrrreat!) Sure to please everyone. Who could resist?

Get yours today!!

A Completely Unnecessary Backstory
This arrangement was originally done for a gig my quintet had at the Intrepid Air and Space Museum sometime in the mid-to-late 1980s.

There was some anniversary for the ship or some high-ranking official—a general, commander, captain? Who can remember?—celebrating a milestone birthday (40th? 50th? 60th?) and they wanted a group to play mostly Marches, Patriotic Standards, Anchors Aweigh, and other jingoistic selections.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, we knew we were going to have to play Happy Birthday. No surprise there.

One problem: We didn’t have a Happy Birthday in the book.

So my commanding officer (Sergeant Commander “The Tuba Guy”) informed me that I needed to arrange one under threat of court-martial (or perhaps excommunication—though I was neither in the military nor Catholic).

Perhaps I went a little overboard (pun intended), but when the time came, the quintet was prepared for battle.

✔ We had night vision goggles in case the power went out.
✔ Our music stands could be converted into bayonets at a moment’s notice.
✔ We had survived weddings, corporate gigs, and cocktail parties where no one was listening.
✔ We once played Pomp and Circumstance for 57 minutes straight.

For my bravery, I was awarded The Purple Valve-Cap.

After we finished playing, a sailor turned to another sailor and said:

“Wow. I wish someone would play that on my birthday.”

And that’s when I knew… this arrangement had a destiny.

Critical Acclaim (or Something Like That)
One audience member, the highly respected jazz trumpet player, Hip “Hip” Milts, was profuse and overflowing in his high praise for the work. He told Stripes and Stars:

“A clever treatment featuring the song and then a march. A few quotes thrown in for good measure.”

I fell to my knees weeping with joy. You can’t do much better than clever!

BUT WAIT—THERE’S MORE!
🎺 Do you have a brass quintet?
🎺 Do you know someone who has a birthday?
🎺 Do you have ears?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then this arrangement is for YOU.

🔴 ORDER NOW!
👉 Click here to purchase: https://artofsoundmusic.com/brass-quintet-all/happy-birthday-song-and-march?zenid=l08i2vjcnvv0gt754ifan3vhs5

And if you still need convincing (why?), watch the video here:
📽️ Watch here: https://youtu.be/ZpgE4AFaRHc

🎺 YOU’VE TRIED THE REST, NOW TRY THE BEST!!! 🎺

(What does that mean in this context? Nothing. And yet… everything.)

12/06/2024

🎺 Spotlight of the Week: Jingle Bells 🎺

With Christmas just days away and the holiday season in full swing, I’m thrilled to present this week’s chart: Jingle Bells. Joyful, brassy, and full of holiday cheer, this arrangement is guaranteed to light up any program. It’s bold, peppy, and just spicy enough (nutmeg?) to keep your audience—and your quintet—on their toes. 🎶🎄

As my pizza box says: "You’ve tried the rest! Now try the best!" 🍕 And I stand by that claim with my Five-Year Limited Brass Smile Warranty. If this arrangement doesn’t cause at least one good, happy, peppy, smile-inducing moment, I’ll personally issue a handwritten apology and maybe even throw in a smiley-face cookie. (Warranty does not cover improper use, such as sightreading it on a street gig, playing it as a dirge, or performing it with insufficient rehearsal. Powertrain components not included.)

Here’s what fake people are saying:

“Ah, Jingle Bells. A relentless meditation on existence—brassy, bold, and faintly absurd. One cannot help but play, for what else is there to do in the void of holiday cheer?”
— Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphean Carols

“Jingle Bells? Pensé que dijo Jingle Balls.”
— El Diario de los Malos Chistes

“Out of all the arrangements of Jingle Bells I’ve heard, this is certainly one of them.”
— Manfred Stamguts, The Arbanian

🎼 Add it to the book today! 🎼
Available now at:
https://artofsoundmusic.com/brass-quintet-all/jingle-bells

Because the book deserves it. And so do you. 🎺

Take a listen here:
https://tinyurl.com/6kwftmd9