A HERO’S PROCESSION
This piece is a celebration piece to honour those who risk their lives everyday to make our world a better place to live. Regal and heroic themes are contrasted by lyrical playing in the woodwinds all supported by a steady percussion section.
ATTACK OF THE DRONES
In music, a drone is a repeated or sustained pitch that provides a harmonic foundation for melodies and harmonies to build around it. This definition describes this piece perfectly as the entire piece revolves around the aggressive drone introduced in the opening of the piece. This is full of energy and exciting parts for all players.
BARRICADE *Also available for Flex Band*
Barricade is a fun, high energy piece that gives beginning students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities as performers and to learn the elements of performing ensemble music. The style marking ‘With Aggression’ identifies that the piece is to be played with assertiveness throughout. Students will love the energy and excitement this piece has to offer. Driving rhythms, colourful percussion writing and melody in all voices (including the lowest ones!) will give everyone something fun and interesting to do.
BY THE CLEAR FOUNTAIN – A LA CLAIRE FONTAINE (ARRANGEMENT)
This arrangement of the Canadian folk song is simplified for beginning bands to work on techniques for playing a lyrical piece. By the Clear Fountain (A La Claire Fontaine) is a song that tells of a young man s thoughts about a young woman that he loves. This folk song arrangement is part of a collection for young band celebrating Canada s 150th anniversary since joining Confederation.
CASTLE ON THE CLIFF
Castle on the Cliff is a piece reflecting the many sieges on castles in medieval history. The piece begins with a fierce opening, setting the menacing mood of a war between an army (the winds) and the castle s defence (the percussion).
CEREMONIOUS
Ceremonious is a processional piece that focuses mainly on the first seven notes learned in most method books. It is a great way to teach young performers about articulations, relationships between different sections, and the roles of those sections in a band piece. All parts are simple and easy to learn, so less time can be spent on learning the parts, and more time can be focused on dynamic contrast and balance, articulations, and tone control.
COMMEMORATION
Commemoration is a simple piece that can be used to teach students different articulations, dynamics, rhythmic styles, and balance. Following the fanfare-like introduction, the piece is composed using AABA form, where each instrument section is given the opportunity to perform melodic material.
THE DARKEST HOUR
The Darkest Hour is a musical depiction of an orc army ready to storm a castle. Intense and dramatic crescendos and suspenseful chords are complimented with strong themes in all voices. Lots of energy and excitement is created with limited notes suitable for this level of player. Fun to play and great for an audience to enjoy, this title is an ideal concert or contest selection.
ECHOES IN THE TUNDRA
Echoes in the Tundra was composed to paint a musical picture of someone trying to survive in a dark, vast, snowy plain. Much of the piece uses call and response to represent the echoes in this environment. It is a simple, yet catchy and repetitive piece, making it the perfect first choice for any beginning ensemble to learn and perform.
EUPHORIA
The title of this piece is the perfect description of what the music conveys: happiness and joy. A steady and percussive pulse sets up the trumpet melody. Every instrument is then given the opportunity to perform melodic material, making it a fun performance for all.
EXPEDITION
This piece was composed to reflect an army setting out on an expedition, and the trials they face along the way. Strong punctuated unisons are contrasted by smooth lyrical playing offering the opportunity for young players to experience style styles. Colorful percussion add to the energy and excitement of this work for very young band.
EXUBERANCE
Exuberance is the perfect piece to introduce young performers to band music. Focusing on the first seven pitches introduced in most method books, this piece makes use of simple compositional techniques to help your band evolve from playing unison melodies into sounding like a mature band. Each section has melodic content at some point in the piece, giving each performer the opportunity to shine.
FURY OF THE STORM
Fury of the Storm is a great piece to challenge and introduce beginning band musicians to music with multiple elements occurring simultaneously. The piece consists of mainly two themes that are performed at separate points of the piece, and eventually come together in the final measures.
LONGSHIPS
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration and warfare during the Viking Age. This piece reflects the expedition of such ships through its music, focusing on using the first six notes learned in most method books.
MOMENTOUS OVERTURE
This piece is a celebratory work composed to reflect a special occasion. Even though it uses just the first six notes, the various articulations and dynamics used make this a terrific piece filled with many teachable moments.
MOTITUS
Motitus is Finnish military slang describing the tactic of totally encircling an enemy unit, in effect, an entrapment. This piece is composed to create the musical depiction of an army trapping its enemy in this circle. Using the first seven notes learned in most method books, this piece is great to use with a beginning musicians, or to further develop the musicality of developing musicians.
THE MYSTERY OF OGOPOGO
Scotland’s Loch Ness may have the fame as far as lake monsters go but, for many monster searchers, Ogopogo — a creature said to lurk in Canada’s Lake Okanagan (in British Columbia) — is most likely the best documented of all lake monsters. The Mystery of Ogopogo is a musical representation of the Ogopogo creature and features the low brass and wind instruments and is a great opportunity for students to learn and practice the different articulations and dynamics.
ON THE MOVE
On the Move is the perfect song to transition students from the method book to playing ensemble music. Composed mainly using the first seven pitches learned in most method books and nothing faster than a quarter note by wind instruments, this pieces use unison rhythms with block harmonies to give performers more experience reading music that is not monophonic.
PARADE OF THE EMPEROR
This piece, influenced by the music of the Orient, was composed using a minor pentatonic scale and focusing on the first six notes learned in most method books. Following ABA form, this is a perfect opportunity for performers to learn about contrapuntal textures, dynamic contrasts and a variety of articulations, through playing simple, memorable themes. Every instrument in the ensemble gets the opportunity to shine at some point in the performance.
A PEACEFUL JOURNEY *Also available for Flex Band*
A Peaceful Journey is the perfect description of what this piece is all about: calming, simple, and enjoyable to perform and listen to. This selection was composed with the intention to introduce very beginning band musicians to lyrical music and help them develop tone control and air support.
A REGAL CELEBRATION
A Regal Celebration is a great introduction piece to a concert, and is composed to reflect the entrance of a King and Queen into court. Focusing on the first seven notes used in most method books, it uses both block harmony orchestration, as well as call response to help your ensemble evolve from playing unison melodies, into sounding like a mature band.
RITUAL AND DANCE
Ritual and Dance is a simple yet fun piece for young musicians. The opening measures create the dark, ritualistic feel of the piece with the rhythmic figure and open fifths being played by the ensemble. Strong melody and dynamic contrasts make this an excellent original work for beginning band.
SERENITY
Serenity is the perfect word to describe this lyrical piece: calm, peaceful and simple to perform. This selection was composed with the intention to introduce very beginning musicians to lyrical music and help them develop tone control and air support.
THE SIEGE *Also available for Flex Band*
This piece was composed to reflect a medieval scene of an army attacking a castle. Fun parts to play for all while focusing on using the first six notes learned in most method books.
