Selling Sheet Music Brian Balmages: Finding Success in Educational Music
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Feb 3, 2026 
Brian Balmages, composer and conductor who leads Make Music Publications and digital education at Alfred Music. He talks about the changing concert band landscape and why band offers big opportunities for new composers. He explains finding a personal voice, practical orchestration for young players, and his varied compositional habits. He also introduces two works tied to purpose and healing.
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Educational Is A Market Label
- 'Educational' is a marketing label and not a musical quality; music can be pedagogically useful yet still artistically poor.
- Balmages argues music should teach and still be meaningful musically, not excused by pedagogy alone.
Band Offers Broader Opportunity
- Concert band offers more opportunities than orchestra because there are far more ensembles craving new repertoire.
- That abundance creates a better entry path for composers if they write music worthy of those ensembles.
Publish Only Musically Worthy Works
- Evaluate pieces for emotional impact, melodic and harmonic development, and thoughtful orchestration before publishing.
- Ask if the music will help players and conductors grow and if it truly offers something artistically valuable.
