Steven Bryant

This was my first work created for very young/beginning musicians, was both a lot of fun and quite a challenge to write. Creating music which is simultaneously playable by beginning musicians, and fun to listen to, is not an easy task.

The music starts off deceptively with a rather straight-ahead theme in Bb major which is interrupted abruptly by dissonant chords. The theme resumes, but is repeatedly punctuated at various surprising moments by both dissonance and some simple aleatory. These techniques are intended to serve as educational tools in addition to their musical function, exposing younger musicians to a broader musical palette.

Thank you William Kellerman and the Highland Park Educational Foundation for raising the funds to make this commission possible. I believe such active community involvement is one of the most powerful tools in furthering education, and consequently strengthening the health and vigor of our society.

Commissioned by: William Kellerman and the Highland Park Public Schools, through a generous grant from the Highland Park Educational Foundation for the Bartle School sixth-grade band

Premiered

May 21st, 1998, by the Bartle School Sixth-grade band, William Kellerman, director

Technical Info

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