Sunday, January 1, 2012

Music at last!

My most recent post was about my music selection process. For some reason this concert set has taken a lot of time and energy out of me. I have been hard at work on picking music for all three of my concert bands and our Hawaii band for the last week. I have probably spent 2-3+ hours a day on this project. Finally on Friday I got out the post it notes and started putting potential songs up on the wall. Yesterday and today I started to narrow it down and today I have spent most of my time narrowing down the selections. The good news (besides being very close to being done) is that I found a TON of great music to use for other future concerts (including the end of this year). While I still may switch things up, the post it notes have come off the wall in my apartment and will make their way back to work to live on the wall in my office. Tomorrow music will get ordered....so what we are playing you ask....well here it is!

Listed next to each selection is its JW Pepper number if you want to look it up (ok for most of them I got lazy and didn't post the stuff I already own). I have selected multiple numbers for some of the ensembles because I plan on mixing up their set between our Play-A-Thon concert (or in the case of the wind ensemble the Chabot Band Festival) and our CMEA performance at the end of the month.

Concert Band:
Where the Sun Breaks Through the Mist, Michael Sweeney 10015777
April, Aaron Perrine 10052173
Urban Scenes, Andrew Boysen 2382992
**An American Fanfare** (not sure when I will use it for sure) Rick Kirby 10072345

Symphonic Band
Joie De Vivre, Gary Gilroy 10276523
Expression, Craig Andrew Fitzpatrick 10279436
Motion, Brian Balmages 10008950
**Nevermore, Brian Balmages (don't know if I am going to use this for SB or CB and where I'll use it in the set and when we will perform but I'm buying it for sure) 10279442

Wind Ensemble
Shine Mike Markowski 10191910
Elegy, James Barnes Chance AND/OR Silence Overwhelmed Brian Balmages
Symphony No. 4 Andy Boysen
Always With Grace Gary Gilroy 10276499 (again don't know where this is going in the set)

Hawaii Band 2012 (I won't know how much of this we are doing until I time the pieces and also start rehearsing the group but here's what's on the list right now. You will see some cross over from the above list AND we are bringing back a few things from earlier this year from different ensembles)
An American Fanfare
Jungle Dance, Brian Blamages
Joie De Vivre
Temple of the Murals, Brian Balmages
The Beatles Love, arr. Bocook 10052948 (music from the Cirque du Solei show)
Always with Grace
Trombone Tiger Rag, arr. Chris Sharp 10279423
And a slow piece to be determine....

So there's my week's work summed up in a blog. I still need to tweak the Hawaii set list. Next up ordering some music for Jazz Band 3 & 2, picking clarinet choir and flute choir music and trying to make a dent in my to do list before returning back to work on Tuesday....and trying to enjoy the end of my vacation still a little. This little band director is going to get back to reading my book now "The Girl Who Played with Fire" :)

PS Stay tuned more often this year as one of my New Year's Resolutions is to blog more :)