The Drums of Blackhawk

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 has historically 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 invited to 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 these figures 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 opening section 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 'Heaven's River ' or as we know it the Milky Way. In-between there is an elaborate heavily textured section that becomes increasingly powerful. The music doesn't rest harmonically until the whole band plays in unison. These multiple layers of sound represent the many thoughts and ideas that would 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 your trust and see how far Letter from Sado can take your band!

Sound Innovations: Ensemble Development for Young Concert Band is a complete curriculum for beginning band students to help them grow as ensemble musicians. The series complements any band method and supplements any performance music. It contains 167 exercises, including more than 100 chorales by some of today's most renowned young band composers. Various exercises at the grade 1/2, 1, and 1 1/2 levels are grouped by key, including: * Long Tones* Passing the Tonic* Pitch Matching* Scale Builders* Interval Builders* Expanding Intervals* Chord Builders* Moving Chord Tones* Diatonic Harmony* Rhythmic Subdivision* 5-Note Scales* Scale Canons (5-, 6-, or 8-Note Scales)* Scale Chorales (5-, 6-, and 8-Note Scales) * ChoralesThe compositions were written by Roland Barrett, Chris Bernotas, Jodie Blackshaw, Matt Conaway, Ralph Ford, Tyler S. Grant, Rob Grice, John O'Reilly, Robert Sheldon, Todd Stalter, Randall Standridge, Michael Story, and Scott Watson. Whether your students are progressing through exercises to better their technical facility, or improving their musicianship with beautiful chorales, we are confident your performers will be excited, motivated, and inspired by using Sound Innovations: Ensemble Development for Young Concert Band. / Caisse Claire