Program Notes

Still Middle School 8th Grade Band

Astronomica by Michael Story

The Astronomica is a set of multiple texts consisting of poems probably written by Roman poet Marcus Manilius. Penned from 30-40 A.D., the poems deal with early astronomy, specifically with the stars. These writings are remarkably technical and accurate, considering when they were written. The poems are assembled in at least 5 books, though there may be more. The third book is believed to be the earliest known written text concerning astrology.

Wingspan by Nathan Daughtrey

Prepare to take flight with a young, fledgling bird as they are nudged out of the nest for the first time. Wingspan is an adventure for band with soaring melodies and rhythmic excitement as we all learn how to fly. it back and imagine that you are taking your first flight from the nest to blue skies to stormy weather and back.   

Scullen Middle School 8th Grade Band

Valley Forge by Karl King/arr. James Swearingen

Valley Forge, originally written by Karl King in 1943, is a classic march in Cut time. This arrangement by James Swearingen makes Valley Forge accessible to young ensembles, while preserving King’s original intent.

Pueblo by John Higgins

The importance of caring for our planet is eloquently expressed in this descriptive essay for band, which reflects the mysteries of the Ancient American Puebloans (Anasazi) and their kinship with nature. There are four movements entitled: Enchanted Mesa; Adobe Village; Ancient Voices and Mother Earth, Father Sky. 

Fischer Middle School 8th Grade Band

Where the Sun Breaks Through the Mist by Michael Sweeney

The Temecula Valley in southern California is the home to a rich and varied history dating back over 1000 years.  In that time it has been inhabited by native peoples including the Temecula and Luiseno Indians, witnessed battles in the Mexican War, harbored desperados and outlaws in the “Old West,” and enjoyed the romantic era of rancheros and vaqueros of the mid 1800’s.  The name Temecula comes from the Luiseno Indian word “Temecunga,” which has been translated into several different meanings, including the most popular “where the sun breaks through the mist.”  Various instruments pass a melodic fanfare to represent the Sun while others play sustained sounds to represent the mist.

-note from Composer

Shadow Cove March by Randall Standridge

Shadow Cove March is a concert march that paints a portrait of pirates at sea, sailing across the dark waters in search of land, adventure, and treasure.  Our unlikely heroes find themselves on the mysterious “Shadow Cove” from whence no pirate has ever returned.  This piece utilizes many different articulations and changes in style to create a cinematic feel.  Crescendos are added to create wave effects.

-note from Composer

Concert Band

Call of the Wild by Brian Balmages (b. 1975)

Based on the novel by the same name, The Call of the Wild is a musical portrayal of the story by American author, Jack London. Taking place in the Yukon during the 19th century, the story follows, Buck, a domesticated St. Bernard/Scotch Sheep dog mix who is taken from his comfortable life in California and subjected to the brutal life of a sled dog.  As he endures harsh treatment from humans, other animals and nature itself, he struggles with his identity and eventually gives in to his natural instincts, which help him become a natural leader in the wild.

The piece is through-composed, but divided into five brief segments that musically outline Buck’s journey:

Into the Primitive

The Dominant Primordial Beast

The Toil of Trace and Trail

For the Love of a Man

The Sounding of the Call

-Program notes provided by the composer, Brian Balmages

Chasing Sunlight by Cait Nishimura (b. 1991, Canada)

Chasing Sunlight was inspired by the experience of driving west into the setting sun, as if trying to keep up with the earth’s rotation to catch the last few rays of light before dusk. The steady eighth note motif throughout the piece represents this sense of urgency, whale the soaring, lyrical themes depict the warmth and radiance of the sun low in the sky.

Just as the sun will always set, humans must accept the impermanence of all things in life, and make the most of every opportunity before it has passed.  Chasing Sunlight also represents the ongoing pursuit of these opportunities.

-Program notes provided by the composer, Cait Nishimura

Rocketship! by Kevin Day (b. 1996)

Rocketship! Is a fun and intense musical journey in a…you guessed it, rocket ship!  The famous young composer Kevin Day, passes fun yet challenging musical motives around the band to show off individual sections of the band as well as larger groupings of instruments.  Mr. Day also layers syncopated countermelodies on top of the main thematic material to increase the musical intensity of the piece for the listener.

Sit back, close your eyes and enjoy imagining what a ride in a rocket ship might be like with this fun and energetic musical ride through space! 

-Program notes by Kevin Carroll

Symphonic Band

Allied Honor by Karl King, arr. James Swearingen

Karl King was a quiet, warm and gracious man. He lived the boyhood dream of running away with the circus. While there, he became a virtuoso baritone player, and his first compositions were published when he was just 17. He went on to become a famous circus bandmaster and conductor for many years of the renowned Fort Dodge Iowa Municipal Band. Allied Honor March is a traditional American march in cut time. Although the march form exists in many variations, Allied Honor follows basic AABBCC form.

-notes from University of Illinois Bands

Kalos Eidos by Carol Brittin Chambers

Kalos Eidos is a programmatic work meant to portray the characteristics of a kaleidoscope.

I originally intended to title the piece Kaleidoscope, but as I began to learn more about the origin of the word, I became very intrigued. Most people know that a kaleidoscope is an optical device, or tube, containing mirrors and bits of colored glass or paper. When the tube is rotated, an endless variety of patterns can be seen. But the work itself is derived from the Greek words kalos (beautiful) and eidos (form or shape). The word "scope" refers to seeing or observing, thereby forming the complete definition: the observation of beautiful forms or shapes.

As I related this to music, I began to envision with my ears various colors and patterns, similar to what one sees with the eyes when viewing a kaleidoscope.

The overall form of the piece is fast-slow-fast, depicting three main episodes. These episodes are somewhat different from each other, but they also share similar colors and patterns, as all kaleidoscopes do. The very ending is a reverse bookend of the beginning; in other words, the beginning simply starts and continues to get busier and more complex, while the ending gradually winds down until the kaleidoscope eventually stops spinning and comes to rest.

-notes by composer

Haywire by Erik Morales

Haywire is designed with intentional tonal misdirection. My conception was to create a piece that brings together a dichotomy of tonal beauty and tension, like something beautiful that’s about to break. The consonance oftonality works in tandem with the dissonance so that simple melodies don’t resolve in a manner that’s expected. This idea is brought to a climax at measure where, section by section, the woodwinds begin a frantic and nonsensical dialog with a dissonant brass fanfare. The piece finally concludes with a dramatic resolution.

-notes by composer

Wind Symphony

Carnegie Anthem by William Owens (b. 1963)

Q: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

A: “PRACTICE!”

We all have heard that old chestnut! Carnegie Hall is one of the most prestigious performance venues in the world.  Built in 1891 by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, the hall was home to the New York Philharmonic from 1892 to 1962.  To this day, Carnegie Hall continues to play host to the finest artists of all musical genres from around the world.

Commissioned by the Lamar Consolidated High School Band of Rosenberg, Texas, Carnegie Anthem pays brilliant musical tribute to this venerable institution and the vibrant city it calls home.  The opening statement is a bold and brilliant fanfare characterizing the splendor of the great hall itself.  The subsequent middle section is a “driving calm” with engaging melodies and a rhythmic thrust symbolizing the non-stop activity of bustling NYC on any given day.  Returning then to its bold origins, the music concludes with a resplendent finish.

-Program notes provided by the composer, William Owens

Wilderness by Cait Nishimura (b. 1991, Canada)

My fascination with the natural world began in childhood, and it wasn’t long before I learned about the harmful impacts of human activity on the environment.  Old growth forests and essential ecosystems like wetlands were being replaced by housing developments and highways.  As a child, I felt helpless about it all; now as an adult, I know that there is so much we can all do to be part of the solution.  Sometimes, we just need to feel empowered first, and I believe art is one of the most effective ways to inspire others.

This piece was commissioned by the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic, which is held in Chicago, Illinois every year in December.  Wilderness was written in honor of the clinic’s 75th anniversary.  Wilderness celebrates and honors Earth’s remaining wild spaces and the people who fight to protect them.  Through this music, I explore the range of emotions I experience as an environmentalist, and I express my gratitude for all that nature has given me.  This piece is a call-to-action for all of us to do our part in spreading awareness about climate change, to reflect on our relationship with nature, and to deepen our respect for the stewardship of this land.

-Program notes provided by the composer, Cait Nishimura.

Toccata by Girolamo Frescobaldi, arranged for band by Earl Slocum

This work first appeared as Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Toccata in a collection of six pieces for cello and piano by Gaspar Cassadó. Hans Kinsler, the conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the time, recognized the potential of the Toccata and had it transcribed for orchestra. It was published by Mills Music in 1942 with the note “Freely transcribed for orchestra by Hans Kindler.” It was later transcribed for band by Earl Slocum for his University of North Carolina band in 1956. In a letter dated 3 April 1989, Slocum admitted “I have known for years that Frescobaldi was not the composer. I kept this to myself, only telling a few friends. I give Dr. William Newman, my colleague at UNC, credit for uncovering the real fact.” For many years, countless conductors, musicologists, and arrangers had doubted the authenticity of the Frescobaldi Toccata. In December 1968, the Duke University band opened a concert with Toccata; the program notes attributing the score to Cassadó. After many years of research, Robert Halseth concluded that “despite the apparent opportunism on the part of Cassadó, Toccata remains an appealing and interesting work.”

-Program Note by Nikk Pilato

Wind Ensemble

Airborne by Peyton Gray

Airborne was composed by Illinois State Undergraduate composition student Peyton Gray in 2023. Our students got to hear this piece at the IPSD Organization Festival in February of 2024 when the ISU Wind Symphony performed for our students. We all agreed that we really enjoyed listening to it and wanted to play it so we approach Peyton about being his first "customers" and purchasing the piece. Airborne is an exciting opener in two main sections. The first is a bright fanfare with regal chords layered over energetic woodwind technique. The second section develops a very interesting groove that plays with metric modulation, meaning it obscures the time signature through rhythm. Ultimately, it settles in very nicely and takes the listener on a relatively short but very enjoyable journey. Both themes return briefly at the end of the piece.

Here is a note from the composer:

Airborne is all about the concept of flight. This piece takes on contrasting feelings of weightless and floating, represented by a slower section, as well as faster sections with intense and even turbulent moments. 

Canterbury Chorale by Jan Van der Roost

This quiet piece with its broad tones was originally written for brass band on request of Robert Leveugle, chairman of the composer’s own band, Brass Band Midden Brabant. The direct cause was a visit to the beautiful cathedral of the English city Canterbury, in which so many fine compositions sounded throughout the centuries. Later on, Jan Van der Roost rescored this piece for symphonic wind band, exploring the full richness of colors of this ensemble. Besides solo phrases for several instruments, there are some massive tutti passages making the wind orchestra sound like a majestic organ.

- Program Note from Appalachian State University Concert Band concert program, 25 April 2016

Vesuvius by Frank Ticheli

Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii in A.D. 79, is an icon of power and energy in this work. Originally, I had in mind a wild and passionate dance such as might have been performed at an ancient Roman Baccanalia. During the compositional process, I began to envision something more explosive and fiery. With its driving rhythms, exotic modes, and quotations from the Dies Irae from the medieval Requiem Mass, it became evident that the Baccanalia I was writing could represent a dance from the final days of the doomed city of Pompeii.

-note from the composer

Transit of Venus by John Philip Sousa/ed. John Bourgeois

The Transit of Venus March was written by John Philip Sousa in 1883 to celebrate the 1882 Transit of Venus, an event that happens every 243 years when Venus passes between the Sun and Earth. The work was erroneously thought to be lost for over 100 years when a piano transcription published in 1896 was found in the Library of Congress. The edition received its first performance by the United State Marine Band on June 6th, 2012.

-note from conductor's score

Congratulations to the following WVHS Band students on being 

selected as ILMEA District 9 festival participants.

ILMEA Band - Risha Bansal, Skanda Iyer, Rolando Luna-Ramos, Matt Oyibo, Christian Swineford

ILMEA Jazz - Elise Carter, Matt Oyibo, Aundrea Salazar

ILMEA Orchestra - Bill Bolor, Ryan Mitchell, Jackie Sienicki, Jason Yap

WAUBONSIE VALLEY MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES

for WINDS and PERCUSSION

Thank you for attending the Waubonsie Valley Fall Band Concert Series.  In addition to our excellent curricular concert bands, WVHS is proud to offer a wide variety of co-curricular activities, such as:

Marching Warriors – the precision marching band that performs at home football games, area festivals and competitions, as well as local parades. The Marching Warriors season is from June through October.

Warrior Pep Band – the band that performs at home basketball games to cheer the teams on to victory. The season for pep band is December through February.

Jazz – a truly American art form! WVHS is proud to offer a wide array of jazz experiences, including the Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Jazz Combo. Jazz runs yearlong, performing at home jazz concerts, local festivals, and the annual District 204 Fine Arts Festival.

Percussion – WVHS offers two different co-curricular percussion ensembles: Percussion Ensemble and World Beat. Percussion Ensemble is an auditioned ensemble focusing on contemporary advanced percussion ensembles. World Beat is a non-auditioned percussion group that is open to music students interested in learning the music of various cultures from around the world.

Solo and Ensemble is one of the largest and most important co-curricular music programs at WVHS.  Solo and Ensemble is when students take the initiative to learn how to perform as a soloist and/or run small group ensembles.

Musical Pit Orchestra is the small orchestra that performs the background and interlude music for the annual spring musical.  Auditions and instrumentation are announced second semester once the musical has been chosen.

Summer Music is a fantastic experience for students to continue playing over the summer and developing their musicianship.  WV band students have the opportunity to mentor younger students and encourage them to pursue all that participation in the Fine Arts offers them throughout their life!  Registration material will be made available in April at www.wvhsmusic.org