In Search of Yeti - Alfred Music (Grade 1.5) Click to see and hear - Click for order page (Also available in FLEX Band version!) Sasquatch, Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman, Voormi or Yeti, whatever the name, stories have persisted from the Arctic to the Himalayas of an ape-like creature taller than an average human being living comfortably in harsh conditions associated with snowy terrain. The scientific community has generally regarded the Yeti as a legend but that hasn’t stopped the stories or the search for Yeti. In Search of Yeti, written in c minor and Eb major, allows for studying phrase length including two, three and four measure phrases. Some individual lines allow for developing independent playing. Varied articulations and dynamics challenge all players. Six percussion parts include mallets, timpani, snare drum, bass drum and two auxiliary parts (including tom toms, flexatone, tambourine, crash cymbals, suspended cymbals and vibraslap). Standard use of snare drum is augmented with use of rutes (or brushes) and playing on the rim.
In Search of Yeti (FLEX) - Alfred Music (Grade 1.5) Click for order page - This version of In Search of Yeti is part of the Alfred FLEX offerings and is designed with maximum flexibility for use by any mix of instruments---wind, strings, and percussion, with as few as 4 players.
Ancient City of Stone - Grand Mesa Music (Grade 1) Click to hear and for order page – Inspired by the ancient city, Petra (from the Latin word 'petrae', meaning 'rock'), which is located in present-day Jordan about 80 kilometers south of the Dead Sea. Inventive percussion. All wind and brass instruments play the melody at some point. Grand Mesa Music
Buffalo River Serenade - WI Music (Grade 1) Click for order page - This piece is a reflection of the calmness experienced while canoeing and swimming along the Buffalo River. Buffalo River Serenade will help to solidify understanding 3/4 time in a moderate tempo. Eighth notes appear only in the percussion parts. There is emphasis on four measure phrases. Work to have melody prominent but also make sure countermelodies are confident.
Enter The Phoenix – Kjos Music (Grade 1.5) Click to hear and for order page - This was written for Heath Middle School. In Spring 2000 Heath JUNIOR High (Grades 8-9) closed and opened up as Heath MIDDLE School (Grades 6-7-8) in Fall 2000. Because all the 8th and 9th grades were sent to high school all the students in grades 6-7-8 in Fall 2000 were NEW students. Heath had a completely new school even though the BUILDING hadn’t changed a bit. Enter The Phoenix is in the Standard of Excellence Concert Series (corelated with Book I p. 30) and is included on the JW Pepper’s Editors Choice List (2005). Kjos Music
Never-Ending Storm (Available 2024) – WI Music (Grade 1.5) The inspiration for Never-Ending Storm came from reading about the Beacon of Maracaibo, sometimes called the Catatumbo Lightning. This daily lightning strike occurs where Lake Maracaibo meets the Catatumbo River along the northern shore of Venezuela. Lightning can strike up to 28 times per minute and last for up to nine hours. Historically, ships would use the storms as a beacon to navigate from the ocean in to the lake.
Lightning occurs 300 days a year because of some unique geography. The northern Andes surround the lake on three sides and allow wind, cooling, and heating patterns to form. Warm water from the lake evaporates and winds push the warm air toward the cold air in the mountains. When the warm humid air collides with the ice crystals from the cold air, a static charge builds up, leading to the daily lightning storm.
The Summit – Kjos Music (Grade 1.5) Click to hear and for order page - Written in 2/4 time, this piece is part of the Standard of Excellence Concert Series. It musically depicts a hike in the high country. It is in the SmartMusic catalog and is corelated with Standard of Excellence Book I p. 30. Kjos Music
Spaceport L5 - WI Music (Grade 1) Click to see and hear (MIDI recording) - Lagrange points can be thought of as “parking places” in space. Each major body, such as a planet or star, has five Lagrange points. While the first three around Earth are unstable, L4 and L5, lie stable at a point ahead and behind Earth’s orbit. For this reason, it was thought that these would be possible points for a space colony. Spaceport L5 uses only the first six notes learned in most method books. This piece is bold and energetic with a calmer middle that I feel will appeal to many young bands that want to experience a piece with a space theme. There are many exciting parts for each instrument group and percussion lines that will challenge but not overwhelm the section.
Pride and Glory - WI Music (Grade 1.5) Click to hear (MIDI recording) - Pride and Glory was written for the Bayfield Middle School Continuation Ceremony they held for 8th graders moving on into high school. Written as a processional, it can also be used as a concert opener.