(my favorite part of the tune starts around 5:55)
I composed this piece in February 2020 as a high school graduation present for my younger brother who graduated that May. He played alto sax in the band and I had coordinated with the North Kansas City High School band director (the same person as when I attended) for them to play it at their final concert.
Then c19 happened.
Fast forward two years to the linked video.
My brother is a sophomore at William Jewell College just north of Kansas City and is playing in the video. Their band director and I attended North Central College simultaneously around 2014, and he was more than happy to have the band play.
The piece chronicles the journey of the adolescent Spirit, from joyful innocent beginnings, to the existential crisis of the teenage years, back to reclaiming a positive outlook on the vastness of life.
I used the iPad notation app SymphonyPro, which allows you to write in notes and then immediately converts the writing to digital notation. That process took about 40 hours. I then imported that file to Sibelius where I did the more detailed editing, about another 20 hours.
I learned so much in this composition process, and plan to write another large scale piece next year when my youngest sister graduates from the same school.
I'll admit the ensemble's performance isn't perfect.
Regardless, I'm so very happy to close the book on this journey.
Here's the score
This is so cool. Glad I came back to listen. I love hearing my band mates playing something I wrote, I can’t imagine hearing an orchestra. How cool. I look forward to hearing the piece for your sister.
Gratifying for sure, especially to be there in person. I was also able to attend a couple of the rehearsals which was a very fun process. It was nice to talk with the students about the composition, and show them that composers aren't all old white dudes (I'm Latin and 30).
Is there any artistic medium that you're not working with?
I haven't gotten into vr painting yet... The Oculus 2 is looking pretty thiqq tho Earlier this year I shared that I completed my first stone sculpture. My first marble sculpture is in progress, I'm probably about 35 hours into that project. Fortunately there's an importer/exporter of fine stones about 45m from where I live and was able to buy a 184lb block of white Carrara statuario marble from him.