From the composer: Nature's Way for intermediate level band was commissioned by BandQuest a project initiated by the American Composers Forum. Their mission is for major composers of national reputation to writeworks of high quality that take into consideration the (still comparatively limited) levels of musical development--both technical and conceptual--typical of such ensembles. I eagerly accepted the commission and the challengesimplied thereby--that is to reign in my creative imagination to some extent and limit the technical/conceptual demands to a more moderate level than is to be found in my previous compositions for band. Nonetheless since theprocess of rehearsing studying and performing a work created specifically for the school student market is--and must be in my view--primarily educational it was very clear to me that my work would (and should) challenge theplayers at least to their top levels and even a little beyond that. Thus Nature's Way in no way represents a compromise of my personal style nor my long held concepts of form continuity texture and instrumentation. Ihave known for a long time that young inquisitive minds are eager to learn from new experiences from previously never encountered challenges that is to say to be pushed--gently--to rise above their present levels ofachievement. That's what education is all about.

American Composer's Forum - BandQuest Series - Grade 3 Rhythm Stand pays tribute to the constant presence of rhythm in our lives: from the pulse of a heartbeat to the rhythmic sounds of the world aroundus. Celebrating the regular order in our lives composer Jennifer Higdon incorporates traditional and non-traditional sounds within a 4/4 swing style setting to heighten student awareness and enhance their creativity. Organized inunique compositional and rhythmic patterns this work invites students to explore multiple ways of organizing sounds and making music.

Steps Ahead is a new BandQuest work by Michael Gandolfi that takes young players on a journey! Along the way there are musical/compositional techniques that are intended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques that areintended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques. “Steps Ahead is a delightful piece with something interesting for every instrument in the ensemble. Each of its three sections addresses a kind of compositional technique –transposition tutti (a 2-part homophonic section) and developing tutti (parts of the band enter to build to a 2-part homophonic tutti). Less experienced players might enjoy the challenges of easy syncopation and musical lines constructed with largerintervals.” –Tom Duffy series editor.BandQuest® an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Visit www.bandquest.org to learnmore about this innovative series and email bandquest@composersforum.orgto request a free downloadable audio catalog.

Eye of the Hawk

BandQuest Series Grade 4.5-In her tone poem City Rain Judith Zaimont captures the spirit and vitality of a summer shower as it falls on a busy city street. This piece draws a lively picture of a passing storm and is unified by the jazz-like rhythmicmotive based on the pattern of the title words city rain. Zaimont paints the image of rain through the rhythmic motive and the use of body percussion and alternative instruments (such as tapping patterns on musicstands). As the music unfolds each section of the band is spotlighted at different times. The instruments also join together to produce layers of sound that create interesting and complex jazz chords.

Steps Ahead is a new BandQuest work by Michael Gandolfi that takes young players on a journey! Along the way there are musical/compositional techniques that are intended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques that areintended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques. “Steps Ahead is a delightful piece with something interesting for every instrument in the ensemble. Each of its three sections addresses a kind of compositional technique –transposition tutti (a 2-part homophonic section) and developing tutti (parts of the band enter to build to a 2-part homophonic tutti). Less experienced players might enjoy the challenges of easy syncopation and musical lines constructed with largerintervals.” –Tom Duffy series editor.BandQuest® an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Visit www.bandquest.org to learnmore about this innovative series and email bandquest@composersforum.orgto request a free downloadable audio catalog.

An outstanding addition to the BandQuest series Sweet like that features low brass emphasis at the beginning and end trap set and other requests from students with whom Mr. Theofanidis workshopped the piece. Thiswork is exuberant joyful and with a whiff of gospel; capsulizing the sound of the American street instrumental doo-wop; an urban march. Free interdisciplinary curriculum for the piece is available for download athttp://www.BandQuest.org. (Grade 3)

Letter from Sado is an exciting new piece for young band based on a Japanese haiku of the same name. Sado refers to Sado Island in Japan in which various artists religious and military leaders were sent in exile many years ago. The island hashistorically had a strong community of taiko drummers and as such the piece incorporates optional homemade taiko drums. Blackshaw writes: “To capture the idea of interpretation and the concept of reading between the lines the students are invitedto become decision makers about particular sections in the music. For example the opening and closing sections of the piece use the same material which is a selection of repeated melodic figures. The students themselves decide how to play thesefigures as individuals in small teams and then as a whole band. Their decisions include ideas regarding tempo (how fast?) dynamics (how loud?) and articulation (smooth short or hard?). To inspire them we use the haiku poem; i.e. the openingsection invites the students to play the material as if it were a stormy wild sea and the closing section invites the students to play the same melodic figures but this time draw their inspiration from Heavens River or as we know it the MilkyWay. In-between there is an elaborate heavily textured section that becomes increasingly powerful. The music doesnt rest harmonically until the whole band plays in unison. These multiple layers of sound represent the many thoughts and ideas thatwould have surrounded those individuals sent to Sado Island in exile the final unison is representative of their own breakthrough experience sending them on a pathway to inner peace and acceptance.” Embrace your players creativity offer them yourtrust and see how far Letter from Sado can take your band!

From the composer: Nature's Way for intermediate level band was commissioned by BandQuest a project initiated by the American Composers Forum. Their mission is for major composers of national reputation to writeworks of high quality that take into consideration the (still comparatively limited) levels of musical development--both technical and conceptual--typical of such ensembles. I eagerly accepted the commission and the challengesimplied thereby--that is to reign in my creative imagination to some extent and limit the technical/conceptual demands to a more moderate level than is to be found in my previous compositions for band. Nonetheless since theprocess of rehearsing studying and performing a work created specifically for the school student market is--and must be in my view--primarily educational it was very clear to me that my work would (and should) challenge theplayers at least to their top levels and even a little beyond that. Thus Nature's Way in no way represents a compromise of my personal style nor my long held concepts of form continuity texture and instrumentation. Ihave known for a long time that young inquisitive minds are eager to learn from new experiences from previously never encountered challenges that is to say to be pushed--gently--to rise above their present levels ofachievement. That's what education is all about.

American Composer's Forum - BandQuest Series - Grade 3 Rhythm Stand pays tribute to the constant presence of rhythm in our lives: from the pulse of a heartbeat to the rhythmic sounds of the world aroundus. Celebrating the regular order in our lives composer Jennifer Higdon incorporates traditional and non-traditional sounds within a 4/4 swing style setting to heighten student awareness and enhance their creativity. Organized inunique compositional and rhythmic patterns this work invites students to explore multiple ways of organizing sounds and making music.

Steps Ahead is a new BandQuest work by Michael Gandolfi that takes young players on a journey! Along the way there are musical/compositional techniques that are intended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques that areintended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques. “Steps Ahead is a delightful piece with something interesting for every instrument in the ensemble. Each of its three sections addresses a kind of compositional technique –transposition tutti (a 2-part homophonic section) and developing tutti (parts of the band enter to build to a 2-part homophonic tutti). Less experienced players might enjoy the challenges of easy syncopation and musical lines constructed with largerintervals.” –Tom Duffy series editor.BandQuest® an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Visit www.bandquest.org to learnmore about this innovative series and email bandquest@composersforum.orgto request a free downloadable audio catalog.

Eye of the Hawk

BandQuest Series Grade 4.5-In her tone poem City Rain Judith Zaimont captures the spirit and vitality of a summer shower as it falls on a busy city street. This piece draws a lively picture of a passing storm and is unified by the jazz-like rhythmicmotive based on the pattern of the title words city rain. Zaimont paints the image of rain through the rhythmic motive and the use of body percussion and alternative instruments (such as tapping patterns on musicstands). As the music unfolds each section of the band is spotlighted at different times. The instruments also join together to produce layers of sound that create interesting and complex jazz chords.

Steps Ahead is a new BandQuest work by Michael Gandolfi that takes young players on a journey! Along the way there are musical/compositional techniques that are intended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques that areintended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques. “Steps Ahead is a delightful piece with something interesting for every instrument in the ensemble. Each of its three sections addresses a kind of compositional technique –transposition tutti (a 2-part homophonic section) and developing tutti (parts of the band enter to build to a 2-part homophonic tutti). Less experienced players might enjoy the challenges of easy syncopation and musical lines constructed with largerintervals.” –Tom Duffy series editor.BandQuest® an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Visit www.bandquest.org to learnmore about this innovative series and email bandquest@composersforum.orgto request a free downloadable audio catalog.

Eye of the Hawk

BandQuest Series Grade 4.5-In her tone poem City Rain Judith Zaimont captures the spirit and vitality of a summer shower as it falls on a busy city street. This piece draws a lively picture of a passing storm and is unified by the jazz-like rhythmicmotive based on the pattern of the title words city rain. Zaimont paints the image of rain through the rhythmic motive and the use of body percussion and alternative instruments (such as tapping patterns on musicstands). As the music unfolds each section of the band is spotlighted at different times. The instruments also join together to produce layers of sound that create interesting and complex jazz chords.

Steps Ahead is a new BandQuest work by Michael Gandolfi that takes young players on a journey! Along the way there are musical/compositional techniques that are intended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques that areintended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques. “Steps Ahead is a delightful piece with something interesting for every instrument in the ensemble. Each of its three sections addresses a kind of compositional technique –transposition tutti (a 2-part homophonic section) and developing tutti (parts of the band enter to build to a 2-part homophonic tutti). Less experienced players might enjoy the challenges of easy syncopation and musical lines constructed with largerintervals.” –Tom Duffy series editor.BandQuest® an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Visit www.bandquest.org to learnmore about this innovative series and email bandquest@composersforum.orgto request a free downloadable audio catalog.

This set of pieces by Alice Parker to poetry by Nancy Wood was commissioned by the American Composers Forum for the ChoralQuest program allowing middle school choirs to discover music of varying moods and rhythms. The first in theset What I Am I Must Become creates a thoughtful quiet mood through four riddle-like statements. Song Woman celebrates the voices and lives of women through cheerful lighter motion and the final songWhen Trouble Comes to Me gives voice to the young men gathering up their energy and strength and offering a positive outlet for their emotion. Free interdisciplinary curriculum for the piece is available fordownload at choralquest.com .

for Youth Symphonic Band Full Score-(2003) Award-winning composer Michael Daugherty's first published work for young band describes a stretch of Interstate 75 that crosses through Florida's Everglades National Park. Alligator Alley celebrates thisnoble beast that has remained largely unchanged from prehistoric times. The first theme (Alligator's Theme) features the woodwinds (predominantly bassoons) while the second theme (Hunter's Theme) isperformed by the brass. Program notes and staging suggestions are included in this marvelously descriptive work. Duration - ca. 4:30 (American Composers Forum)

Alegre is a Spanish word meaning joyful. Utilizing the style of a Latin groove the piece is a showcase for rhythmic dexterity. It also demonstrates the inextricable link in Latin American cultures betweenmusic and dance. Tania Leon incorporates the stylistic elements of ostinati with off-beat accents and improvisation to create a brilliant piece that excites both mind and body.