Ancient Egypt
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This piece is an exploration of the harmonies and melodies of Egypt. Take the musicians and audience to the ancient sands of a different time, when pharoahs ruled, building monumental structures that still stand today. Written for developing concert band, this piece would be great for late middle school to young high school level. The piece has several distinct sections, taking the performer and audience through multiple iterations of the "Egypt" harmonic, melodic, and percussive sound. |
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Bits and Bytes
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Bits and Bytes is a piece many years in the making. Not because I wasn't sure where to go with it, but because band directing take a lot of time. Being scatter-brained doesn't help either. This piece has some minimalist elements to it, the "bits and bytes" that come together to create unique textures that drive the piece forward. And though it has some minimalistic tendencies, it is still heavily melody driven, with all sections of the band getting moments to shine. This piece is fun, upbeat, and even grooves a bit in the tutti sections. |
Pitt Street Bridge
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Pitt Street Bridge is a picturesque, programmatic piece for young concert band. Commissioned by Mason Mumford and the Moultrie Middle School Band, this piece takes you on the journey of the Pitt Street Bridge, from the revolutionary war, all the way through the Roarin' 20's, leading up to todays beautiful remains of a vibrant past. For full program notes, click below.
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Rondo for Band
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Rondo for Band is a great, fun piece for developing band. It is composed in the most basic of Rondo forms with a ABACA.... aaand done form. It continually comes back to the catchy and syncopated main "theme." In the non-A tutti sections, smaller groupings of instruments get a chance to shine (woodwinds, low brass, etc). Playing this piece could also be a great chance to begin teaching students about musical form, with rondo being the easiest to understand. Then you can slap Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca on the speakers and BAM, music history!
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Loch Lomond
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This is my take on the classic Scottish Folk Song. I've always loved this melody, not just because the "Mc" in my name, but because I've always used this tune as a stepping stone for teaching musicality. Specifically, I would always pick up my trombone to play #27 (Loch Lomond) from book 2 of Essential Elements. I would stretch the phrases and make a big deal with dynamics. No matter what group of students I was teaching, I could ALWAYS "draw them in." When I was done, we would have that post-performance moment where time briefly hangs in balance. "And THAT, is what it means to make music," I would say. |
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