Journey to the Prairie

My thanks to Manhattan Beach Music for making a score image and recording of “Journey to the Prairie” available for perusal on-line. Still so very humbled by its inclusion alongside works by Michael Markowski, Joni Greene, and Jodi Blackshaw as a Frank Ticheli Composition Contest Award Winner. The piece remains a unique experience – outside of dynamics, articulations, and rehearsal numbers, it was completed over the course of one night. During some transition tasks (as Quincy would say) of mopping and sweeping (my wife was very happy that evening), the piece took shape in my mind. 5 Long hours of Finale in the wee hours of the morning it was finished. It sits at a grade 2 level, but an advanced elementary band can certainly handle it. If you are looking for a programmatic work unique in nature for a younger ensemble, I recommend taking a look at “Journey to the Prairie”.