Rehearsals with Progress, Not Perfection
While the pursuit of perfection in performance is a goal, progress is the barometer by which directors need to gauge their students and ensembles.
New Music for 2021-22
I hope the summer has been good to you, and you are approaching a sense of normalcy as your school year approaches. As you consider what your groups will study and perform this year, it is my pleasure to share several new works that may be of interest to you and your ensembles. There is a great deal of variety […]
Lonely Travelers
Lost in the early stages of the pandemic, I wrote a piece for Dennis Emert’s Elementary Band from Fox Chapel for their performance at the 2020 PMEA Conference. Although we were disappointed that the debut was canceled, it was a pleasure visiting with he and his students virtually last spring. “Lonely Travelers” is a setting of the folk songs 900 […]
As Moonlight Falls
I am delighted to share the recording of “As Moonlight Falls” (available from Wingert-Jones this summer). This lyric work has a lot to offer musically for developing tone, phrasing, and expression in young bands (Grade 2). I am especially proud of the beautiful moments within it, and it is certainly a change of pace for my writing at this level. […]
President’s Day, Washington, and Billings
President’s Day (as it became known in after the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act) was first established in 1885 to recognize the birthday of the first President of the United States, George Washington (History.com editors, 2010). While the bill was being considered by Congress, it was proposed that Washington’s Birthday be renamed President’s Day as a way to pay tribute […]
