Last night, I had the good fortune of hosting 47 alumni of the Band Program at Mercer during our Homecoming Football Game. It was a great evening of music, friends, laughter, and memories that added to the festivities of the entire Mercer school community. One of my current students got to conduct his dad on a song, two of the current band front advisers performed alongside their friends from the past and current students, and new connections...

Dream Chaser is a spirited concert opener for high school band that captures the energy and emotion of those who choose to follow their dreams in any walk of life. The buoyant melodies of the opening measures later give way to a powerful and expressive section with brief solo opportunities for flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and baritone. The piece concludes with both main themes returning in an exciting, flourishing,...

Now at FJH, you can view images of both The Last Stagecoach Heist and Jubilant Flourishes online while listening to streaming audio! The Last Stagecoach Heist works well as a programmatic work for JH/MS Ensembles, while the bold beginnings of Jubilant Flourishes lend themselves to a concert opener. Also of interest for those looking for music at the Grade 3-3.5 level may be Rising Winds from the Valley, now available from Bandworks Publications....

I am pretty excited to be included on the CMU Pre-College Summer Wind Ensemble program on Saturday, July 21, 2012. The Wind Ensemble is once again under the direction of a great colleague and conductor, Mr. Drew Fennell. I had the pleasure of catching up with Drew a few weeks ago – a long overdue visit for both of us, but a great visit nonetheless. Drew previously programmed Shine! with the group in 2009, and I am pleased for him to give...

A new year brings new opportunities to share exciting music with your ensembles. There are plenty of good choices out there among the new literature being published, and I hope you will consider several of these works below for your ensembles. Winds of a New Day (1.5) – An energetic concert opener suitable for an elementary band. It is listed at the Grade 1.5 level, but is certainly within reach of an Elementary Band by the end of their...

My thanks and appreciation to mentor and long-time friend Dr. Edwin P. Arnold for including Fanfare on Themes of Davenport on his program for the 2012 PMEA All-State Concert Band. The work was originally debuted by The Grove City College Wind Ensemble at their 2007 PMEA All-State Performance in Hershey. The piece is a homage to the leading authority in music education in the keystone, and borrows from Davenport’s rousing “Salute to...