This has been a very busy writing time here in Normal, Illinois. Several commissions have kept me occupied with lots of joyful music creation, and I am so incredibly grateful to those who have asked me to write music for their ensembles! Recently completed commissions include:

Like a River - Pontiac Municipal Band, Scot Schickel, Director, Pontiac, IL

True Blue - The Wheaton Municipal Band, Bruce Moss, Conductor, Wheaton, IL

Allegheny Footprints - Allegheny Valley Band Association, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

On to Excellence! - Webber Academy Bands, Jeff Bryant and Kevin Willms, Directors, Calgary, Alberta

Wolf Moon - Nashoba Symphonic Band, David Bailey & Joe McCarthy, Directors, Bolton, MA

Sinfonia #3 for Trombone and Concert Band - Carl Anderson, Peoria, IL

South Fork Legacy - North Carolina Northwest District Bandmasters Association

Convergences - Cincinnati Wind Band, Jim Daughters, Conductor, Cincinnati, OH

Bone-a-fied - King Middle School Band, Kimberly Evans, Director, Bradenton, FL

Living Legacy - Fogelberg Foundation of Peoria, Illinois

Playing Favorites - St. Clair High School Band, Tim Karth, Director, St. Clair, MO

With Pride and Joy! - Hillcrest Wind Ensemble, Christian Tordahl, Artistic Director, San Diego, CA

For it Has Been Found... - Eureka School Bands, Todd Stalter, Director, Eureka, IL

I have been extremely fortunate to have had many pieces designated as a JW Pepper "Editor's Choice" over the years. You can find all 141 of my Editor's Choice listings including the 8 new titles for this year HERE.

These are my new publications (the title is the link to the catalog page):

ALFRED MUSIC 

Trip the Light Fantastic - Commissioned by the Tipton High School Band. Matthew Skiba, Director, Tipton, Indiana

The Lakes - New Horizons Band of the Lakes Region, Debbi Gibson, Director, Belmont, New Hampshire

Climbing Quandary

Groovy Tuesday

MAKE MUSIC PUBLICATIONS

The Trace - Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu (Mississippi)

WINGERT JONES PUBLICATIONS

Laude! - DeMatha Catholic High School Instrumental Music Program, Carlos Castrillon, Director, Hyattsville, Maryland

A Hollingsworth Celebration - Hollingsworth Winds of Polk County, Ivan Wansley, Artistic Director/Conductor, Lakeland, FL

RANDALL STANDRIDGE MUSIC 

Paragon - Commissioned by the Monett High School Band, Monett, Missouri
Randy Mealer, Director

My sincerest thanks to all of these wonderful band directors for asking me to write for their bands.  It was not only an honor and a privilege, but it was also GREAT FUN!  I truly appreciate their support in allowing me to continue to create music.  I am so thankful to all of them as well as the publishers who are producing and distributing the music!

Upcoming commissions include:

Western Wisconsin Music Conference High School Honor Band, Westby, WI

Southwest Symphony Orchestra, Palos Heights, IL

Lisle High School Bands, Lisle, Illinois, James Stellmacher, Fine Arts Department Chair, Scott Gumina, Phillip Meyer, and Dan Schraub Band Directors

Patriot Oaks Academy, Lance Rauh, Director, St. Johns, FL

All-Japan Band Association, Tokyo, Japan

Chatham Concert Band, Vaugn Pugh, Chatham, Ontario, Canada

Alachua County Middle School Honor Band, Gainesville, FL

Suncoast Concert Band, Robert Stoll, Music Director, Sarasota, Florida

Birmingham Concert Band, Patrick Jensen, Conductor, Birmingham, MI

Scott Lang, performed by the Basha High School Band, Miles Denny, Director, Chandler, AZ (Caregie Hall premeire)

Another project for which I was so proud to be a participant was the American Bandmasters Association "Reflections" Project. Several of the ABA composers have contributed a musical underlay that accompanies a wonderful narration which can be read over the music, or played from a recording, available by a number of speakers in several languages. This brief piece is meant to provide an inspiring message of unity and peace prior to the performance of our national anthem, or another piece such as Amazing Grace or America the Beautiful at the beginning of a concert program. These pieces are made available free of charge for download on the ABA website for all bands worldwide, and will be available at all grade levels. You can find all of the Reflections Pieces HERE. You can hear my offering by searching the title, One World, Many Voices which was recorded recently by the United States Air Force Band.

And finally... During some of my clinic appearances discussing unique ways to engage your students and community, I have told the story about my "Birthday Band" I formed with some talented and enthusiastic senior band members during my teaching career. They would run out to surprise faculty members at unexpected times on their birthdays to play a quirky arrangement of Happy Birthday to You that also included snippets of the William Tell Overture, Hallelujah Chorus, Ode to Joy and Stars and Stripes Forever. Inevitably I would be asked if I still had the arrangement and if they could get a copy for their own band to play, but unfortunately, I did not keep a copy of that when I left that school 20+ years ago. HOWEVER, due to numerous requests, I have resurrected this bit of musical insanity and scored it for flexible instrumentation, playable by nearly any combination of winds, strings and percussion, and it is now available on my website entitled, Birthday Band-O-Rama.