<<i • con • ic>>

<<i • con • ic>> is a show about the word itself, and all the different things it can mean. It plays with the idea from several angles at once: the iconic classical moments everyone half-remembers, the iconic pop anthem everyone knows by heart, the iconic strain of American folk melody that worked its way into the culture without anyone noticing. Each section is its own take on what makes a piece of music, or a moment, stick.

A State Champion production, it's smart and crowd-pleasing at the same time, built on music an audience recognizes instantly but arranged with more underneath it than a straight medley. It gives a mid-size program a show with both immediate appeal and substance, a concept that rewards a second look.

The music:

• Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
• Elephant Love Medley

This show is rated Medium-Advanced, which lines up with a concert grade of roughly 2.5 to 4.5. That's an approximation. A featured soloist or small ensemble moment can sit toward the top of that range, while full ensemble sections built around visual impact stay lighter on the musical demand.

The rating leans almost entirely on rhythmic and technical difficulty. Keys and meters are chosen to stay band-friendly and to line up with the phrasing the drill needs, and instrument ranges sit inside the grade window rather than pushing its edges.

Permissions to arrange required for the Queen and Elephant Love Medley selections. The classical touchstones woven through the opening, from Beethoven, Mozart, and Stravinsky's Firebird, are public domain.