Travis J. Weller

Today marked the second day without a student teacher for the first time since Mid-January. Over the past eight weeks, I had the pleasure of working with Nick Samson (from YSU), and in a couple of weeks Krista Schmidt (from GCC) will join me. I enjoy the opportunity to have student teachers come in to the program, and watch them make that final transition, from student to teacher…

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I need to keep evolving.  That means staying current, and that means staying up with what these youngsters are listening to.  So it requires some time on my part and sometimes painfully enduring the contrived chord progressions and hollow lyrics of any number of artists that students feel compelled to ask me to listen to.  So I decided I would be proactive and make the commitment on my time – so I watched the Grammy Awards.

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The pieces have been saved from our band rooms, but there are plenty of you out there who didn’t realize MY BAND ROOM IS ON FIRE! There is still time to make a save, as the fire is still burning. Join in on the conversation and save a piece of music (just no more than seven). As you can tell by the list below, a lot of friends and colleagues made some tough (but great) choices in an effort to preserve our music. Hats off to Holst, Alfred Reed, and Frank Ticheli who were the composers mentioned the most often. First Suite in Eb and The Pines of Rome were also a favorite in terms of singular pieces. I find it very rewarding to find some of the hidden gems in the literature listed below (Nelson’s Courtly Airs and Dances, Carter’s Overture for Winds, Reed’s Rushmore). Since writing this post, I have discovered several more pieces that I probably could not live without (Selections from the “Danseyre” arranged by Patrick Dunnigan and Ticheli’s Symphony No. 2). As far as noticeable exceptions – The Stars and Stripes Forever (I guess we all just figured we could buy a new edition by Brion and Schissel), 2^nd Suite for Military Band in F (No love for their second masterpiece by Holst), and Festive Overture (Shostakovich can really get the juices flowing) really come to mind quickly for not making the first list. Looking at notable composers left off the list – the absence of writers like Mark Camphouse, James Curnow, and James Barnes are very surprising to me. Timothy Mahr, Samuel Hazo, and David Gillingham definitely deserve to be saved at some point – it would be interesting to see where the those gentlemen would end up if this list was done five years from now and songs like Endurance, Ride!, and Galactic Empires get more exposure. So in no particular order, here is what was saved when MY BAND ROOM IS ON FIRE!…

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A recording of “English Carol Fantasy” is now posted on my profile on Myspace.com.  It was written for an elementary band in their second year of instrumental instruction, thought it could be played by a middle school group and be a worthwhile musical experience.  The ranges are not extreme for the players, and there are plenty of good musical moments for every section.  My thanks goes to Joe Pisano (mustech.net – check it out!!!) who mixed this recording up using the Finale Kontakt 2 Player!  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

So begins today a new chapter in my search for “notes”. Call me Indiana Jones with a pencil, staff paper and baton. My living is to teach music to some wonderful students in Mercer, Pennsylvania. My most important job is being a father to three daughters. My passion lies in writing music for concert bands. To me there is no better medium to write for today. I have been raised on the music of wind band writers for the last century – thus when I am asked about who influenced me I am greeted with quizzical looks as the names of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven are usually omitted.

The music of Mark Camphouse, Andrew Boysen Jr., David Gillingham, Samuel Hazo,Quincy Hilliard, Clifton Williams, W. Francis McBeth, Gustav Holst, Howard Hanson,Alfred Reed, Claude T. Smith, Robert W. Smith, Timothy Loest, Julie Giroux…the list just goes on, and on. I am sure I even omitted a few. I write band music. The process of writing gives me the chance to stay sharp as a musician and conductor. I hope to give the performer some that nutures their musical growth and that they enjoy playing. I want to give the audience a song to remember. Most of all, I hope my music gives everyone some hope, some joy, some excitement, and a lot of respect and appreciation for music.

There will be more to come in the chapters to follow.  I could not
be at this point without the support of my wife and children, Joe,
Doc, Tad, Steve, Erich, and Gary.  Thank you for your
support and interest.

Sincerely,

Travis J. Weller