Limited Instrumentation

I have spent probably 20 hours this past week beginning a seemingly doomed search for music.

My students really need exposed to classics: the Whitacres, dello Joios, Reeds, Swearingens, Fillmores, Jacobs, Holsts, and Grundmans. They have played way too many Mike Storys and Paul Murthas. Not that Story and Murtha aren't good enough arrangers. But these student's haven't played anything older than maybe 15 years.

The biggest challenge is the limited instrumentation. My high school band in the fall will have doubled and will be more or less 5 clarinets, a bass clarinet, 2 altos, a bari, 2 trumpets, a horn, a trombone, a tuba, and 2 percussionists. Something in the central Nebraska water makes flute undesirable. So I look and look and look. I've found a number of "limited instrumentation" resources with JWPepper and most recently apromusic.com. Nevertheless, these are mostly grade 1-2 works. My high school band could handle a 2-3.5 and be more successful. But most everything requires a flute.

So, I'm thinking about having a successful 8th grade flute step up and help. Which, as i understand, would even be acceptable in District Music Contest.
I'm also still trying to find something that fits my instrumentation without bringing middle schoolers into the mix.

On the bright side. I've doubled the band program in High School and the Middle school is looking at 140% growth in the fall. Not a single 6th grader is quitting and only 2 or 3 are quitting before entering 9th grade. So recruitment seems to be successful.