National Band Association - Wisconsin Chapter Convention Friday, January 22, 2016, 7pm Appleton North High School; Appleton, WI

Longfellow/LDI Middle School - 8th Grade Concert Band

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Longfellow/LDI Middle Schools !!January 22, 2016 !Fellow Educators and Guests, !I am pleased to welcome you to the performance of the Longfellow/LDI 8th Grade Concert Band. It is with great pleasure that these students share their talent and hard work with the National Band Association- a privilege that does not go unnoticed on these young musicians. These students understand and take great pride in their accomplishments and realize that their success represents our school and community. !Longfellow/LDI Middle School is a learning facility that is unique in the Coulee Region. We are an Apple Distinguished School, an honor that comes with challenging students to learn at higher levels and to reach beyond what they believe they could achieve. Our music department is no exception. Our conductor’s extensive work ethic instills in these young people a desire for excellence that is the exception and not the rule. !Our mission statement of Relationships-Engagement and Learning sets up an environment that supports both student and teacher innovation and creativity. We are excited to witness the continued growth of our students, our music department, and our school. !Congratulations to the students, parents, and greater musical community in Appleton for their dedication and passion for music education. Without this support, programs such as this would not be possible. !We hope to inspire all of you to continue your journey in music. !Respectfully, !Dr. Penny A. Reedy Principal Longfellow/LDI Middle School

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!!Fireburst Fanfare !!!!The Blue Orchid (A Tango for Band) !!!!While I Watch the Yellow Wheat !!!!Hypnotic Fireflies !!!!Downtown Dash

!!Roland Barrett

Grade 2 FJH !!

William Owens (ASCAP) Grade 2

TRN Music Publisher, Inc. !!Larry Daehn

Grade 1 Daehn Publications !!Brian Balmages

Grade 2.5 FJH !!

Nathan Daughtrey Grade 2

C. Alan Publications

Concert ProgramLongfellow/LDI Middle School

!Fireburst Fanfare

Roland Barrett !!The title of this energetic curtain-raiser comes from a term used to describe a supernova. Supernovas (or supernovae) are exploding stars that can shine one billion times more powerfully than the sun. Most reach their maximum luminosity a few days after they occur, and shine intensely for several weeks before gradually fading from view. At the peak of their brightness, these exploded stars are often luminous enough to outshine an entire galaxy, and may radiate as much energy as the sun would emit over 10 billion years. In the year 1054, Chinese astronomers recorded a fire burst so bright that it was visible during daylight hours. The explosion left behind a pulsar and a huge cloud of gases and dust known as the Crab Nebula, which can still be seen today. !

When did you start composing? I started writing some easy pieces during my senior year in

college.  I really started to get into it when I became a high school band director, in Nebraska.  I started doing a lot of

composing then, “using” my own band as a test group.  They were extremely patient with me as I passed out hand-written

scraps of manuscript paper (remember:  no computer notation software back in those dark ages!), listened to the

results, collected the scraps of paper, went back to the drawing board, and tried it again and again.  I am SO grateful

to those bands for helping me figure out what I was doing!  Composing is like everything else we do…..we have to have the willingness to try (and try again), the courage to fail, the willingness to accept constructive criticism, and the ability to

pick ourselves back up and try to improve with each subsequent attempt!

Is there a significant reason why you wrote so many woodwind trills? Oh….I’m sorry woodwinds!  I know it’s not terrifically exciting to trill a concert B-flat for measures on end!  But….here’s the thing:  it’s such a GREAT sound, and you all do it SO well!  To me, it lends a bright-brilliant-

shimmering-glistening effect to the opening and closing measures….like heat waves rising from a hot pavement, or shimmering luminosity of the supernova!  That trilled B-

flat provides a stasis against which the other motion takes on a little more meaning.  

Let’s ask the Composer! Students wrote questions to Mr. Barrett. Here are his responses.

The Blue Orchid (A Tango for Band) William Owens (ASCAP) !Dark and sultry, The Blue Orchid is a work based on the wonderfully torrid Latin American ballroom dance. With its rich melodic flow and warm harmonies, it ends as mysteriously as it begins. Although conceived for younger bands, it’s an excellent showpiece for ensembles of any caliber and a wonderful change of pace. !

Let’s ask the Composer! Students wrote questions to Mr. Owens. Here are his responses.

!While I Watch the Yellow Wheat Larry Daehn !While I Watch the Yellow Wheat comes from an eighteenth century Welsh folksong, “Gwenith Gwyn,” to which words were later added: !

While I watch the yellow wheat, I wander by the river,

To dream a daydream of my love, For I must love her ever;

I see her in the glassy stream, Her eyes with sweetness beaming,

Oh! How delicious ’tis to me To be thus ever dreaming! !

This lovely old song was found in The Minstrelsy of Wales by Alfred Moffat (1906). I hope you, your players, and your audience enjoy this beautiful old song from Wales.

What inspired you to start composing? I did not write an original composition until

I was 56 years old.  Up until that time I wrote many band arrangements, mostly

settings of music originally written for orchestra.  I had written several pieces, but usually threw them away.  When I

started my own publishing company, I finally got the courage to compose an original work for band (and later orchestra). I heartily encourage young people not to

follow my example.  Have the courage to write! (Music or anything!)  If you like it, others may like it, too!

What's your favorite instrument?  I have several favorite instruments:  for my own playing, my favorite is

the euphonium;  in writing for band, I love the sound of low clarinet tones

together with horns, or horns and euphoniums mixed together.  I like

writing for the low instruments (tuba, bassoon, bass clarinet, baritone sax),

giving them a song-like melody.

Let’s ask the Composer! Students wrote questions to Mr. Daehn. Here are his responses.

!Hypnotic Fireflies Brian Balmages !This piece was inspired by my vision of an open field on a summer night, with thousands of fireflies lighting up the darkness. The music envisions someone being “hypnotized” by the flashing lights and then walking in the middle of the field, completely engulfed in their magnificent glow. The piece takes the listener on a metaphorical journey. It begins with a soft, steady rhythm surrounded by light metallic sounds that create the canvas on which the entire work is “painted”. The soft introduction represents the view of the open field from far away — perhaps from a hill, looking down, and watching the twinkling lights appear in various patterns and locations. !As the lights reach their peak, so does the music. A final explosive series of rhythms and thick textures emanates from the ensemble before the glow begins to fade. Once more, the hypnotic movement of the fireflies takes over and the listener is transported back to the hill, watching the fireflies from afar. As the music fades, so do the lights. Finally there is only darkness and silence, leaving the listener wishing for the warm lights to come once more, but they never do.

How were you inspired to write this piece? 

I was inspired by a scene in "Avatar" when he is

surrounded by light. That made me think of being in

my backyard with fireflies and what it would be like

to be surrounded by them in much the same way. I

used a slinky because I liked the effect and the

school that commissioned the piece is located in

the same town that invented the slinky!

What inspired you to choose a field in music?  I have always wanted to be a musician. My father was an elementary band director and I grew up surrounded by music. I just didn't know what I wanted to do in music.

For a while, I wanted to be a band director like my father. Then I started to be interested in recording

engineering. Then I became serious as an orchestral trumpet player, and finally migrated toward composing

and conducting.

What's your favorite instrument?  I am a trumpet player, but my favorite band instrument to write for is the horn. I grew up listening to John Williams - he wrote the most amazing horn lines!

Let’s ask the Composer! Students wrote questions to Mr. Balmages. Here are his responses.

!Downtown Dash Nathan Daughtrey !On your mark… Get set… Go! !Take part in a brisk race through city streets without taking a single step. This well-paced work musically fills the course of a 5k race from the slow pace of the crowded starting line to the exuberant spring to the finish. Get off your seat and get moving!

What inspired you to choose a field in music? I have been involved in music for my entire life, whether singing in the church choir, taking piano lessons for 12 years, singing in the North Carolina Boys, Choir, or playing percussion in middle & high school band. I'm the only musician in my family, but I've always been encouraged to follow what I'm passionate about. I now have three degrees in percussion (undergrad in Music Education, Masters in Percussion Performance and a Doctor of Musical Arts in percussion).

What was your journey that inspired

you to write this? 

I run a lot of races, from 5K to 10K to

half marathons to full marathons, so I

had a lot of experiences from which to

draw. There is one particular race in

downtown Greensboro (NC) called the

Freedom Run, which is a 10K that starts

and ends downtown the weekend

before the 4th of July. It's really hilly and

always really hot. 

Does this piece remind you at all of Mario Kart? I suppose it could! I always tell my composition students at High Point University that we are all

products of our experiences. You never know what experiences will find their way into your

compositions, whether other pieces of music, movies, books, conversations with friends, a passing

car, etc. I have certainly played plenty of Mario Kart, so you never know...

I might've just accidentally ripped someone off. 

Let’s ask the Composer! Students wrote questions to Dr. Daughtrey. Here are his responses.

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Flute Maddie Dwyer Kaitlyn Haberman Caelen Lansing Isabela Pericak Emma Peterson Molly Schmitz Ally Weinberger !!Oboe Guenna Sexauer !!Bassoon Abbey Carter !!Clarinet Rianna Buccholtz Olivia Hubbard Ryleigh Inge Mackenzie Manske Sydney Montalvo Maddie Schaller Kenedi Schmidt Rayhan Siddiqui Caleb Taube Simone Toribio !!Bass Clarinet Avery Miles Chloe Naleid !!!

Alto Saxophone Jaeden Elwer Elizabeth Hicke Henry Madsen Kaylee Streeton !!Tenor Saxophone Rachel Arndt Gavin Rees !!Bari Saxophone Ari Carr !!French Horn Lucas Odegaarden Katelyn Warren Cameron Weilandt !!Trumpet Drake Barreyro Henry Blegen Peyton Haug Phoenix Jones Max Kayser Sadey Rolff Andrew Teff Jonah Whitedog Charlie Winkers Levi Wolfe !!!!

Trombone Thomas Clements Heleyna Kammel Destiny Krause Brian Popp Sam Quackenboss Makaylah Sheard Mari Stafslien-Dumale Zach Steele !!Euphonium Evan Renk Tyler Schaaf Gao Mee Xiong !!Tuba Adriana Eddy Ashtin Rittenhouse Chauncey Weidner !!Upright Bass Bretton Anderson !!Percussion McCartney Callan Andrew Johnson Jeremy Juen Brit Larson Macy Neader Rohit Vurity !!

Stephanie M. Maletz, director

8th Grade Concert Band

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With a school population of 572 students, Longfellow/La Crosse Design Institute is the largest of three middle schools in La Crosse with nearly 50% of the school enrolled in band. At Longfellow/LDI band instruction begins in the sixth grade. Sixth, seventh and eight grade bands meet every other day for 45 minutes in a six day cycle. Students also receive a 20 minute private or small group lesson once in a six day cycle and have the opportunity to continue lessons throughout our summer enrichment program. Co-curricular ensemble available to Longfellow/LDI band students include jazz band, holiday band, and pep band. !The seventh grade band, eighth grade band and jazz band have had opportunities to perform at the annual WSMA Large Group Festival, WSMA Solo and Ensemble, the annual Kalahari Middle School Band Festival, UW-La Crosse Jazz Festival, Lawrence Jazz Festival, UW-Eau Claire Jazz Festival and many more. Students have worked with composers such as Michael Colgrass, Jess Turner, Kimberly Archer, and most recently, Mike Forbes. !Highlights of the band program at Longfellow/LDI would include the jazz band performing at the Wisconsin State Music Convention in 2002 and 2008, commissioning new jazz works such as Largo Compañero by the late composer/educator Fred Sturm, and most recently the 8th Grade Concert Band performing at the Capitol this past spring for Music in Our Schools Month.

Band at Longfellow/LDI Middle School

School District of La Crosse District Mission Statement: Students will discover their talents and abilities and will be prepared to pursue their dreams and aspirations while contributing effectively to their local, national, and global communities. !The School District of La Crosse serves a population of 80,000 that includes all of the city of La Crosse, which has approximately 55,000 residents, and all or part of the towns of Medary, Shelby, Campbell, Bergen, Greenfield, Hamburg, and Washington. You’ll be pleased by the many outstanding educational and family-focused opportunities the area provides. In addition to an outstanding school district, we have three institutions of higher education, two major medical facilities, and a surprising number of excellent arts, athletic, and recreational organizations. !Longfellow/LDI Mission Statement: Relationships-Engagement-Learning !Longfellow/La Crosse Design Institute Middle School is a school that is unique to the Coulee Region. Under the auspices of the School District of La Crosse, Longfellow/LDI provides thematic learning to “all who enter here." Longfellow clinicians believe in guiding the 21st Millennial Century learner in a manner that is both meaningful and memorable. 

School District of La Crosse

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District Administration Randy Nelson, Superintendent Barbara Clark, Executive Assistant Judy Stangl, Executive Assistant/Board Secretary Steve Salerno, Human Resources !Board of Education Connie Troyanek, President Dave Rudolph, Vice President Bill Oldenburg, Treasurer Mary Larson, Clerk Ken French Jeff Meyer Brad Quarberg Tom Thompson Deb Suchla !Longfellow/LDI Middle School Administration Penny Reedy, Principal Jon Baudek, Associate Principal !!!

Longfellow/LDI Middle School Music Staff Cameron Arndt, choirs Beth Becker, orchestras Jan Crandall, choirs Ben Heninger, bands Stephanie Maletz, bands Jessica McDonald, orchestras Chip Schreader, bands Mary Stutesman, general music !School District of La Crosse Band Staff Steve Michaels, Supervisor of Fine Arts Stephanie Maletz, Central High School Longfellow/LDI Middle School Bix Swerman, Central High School Jason Harden, Lincoln Middle School Mark Pomplun, Lincoln/Logan Middle Schools Alana Seddon, Logan Middle School Mark Lakmann, Logan High School Brian Renkas, Logan High School Ben Heninger, Longfellow/LDI Middle School Chip Schreader, Longfellow/LDI Middle School

Thank you to the Longfellow/LDI Middle School staff and administration whose flexibility, collaboration, and support helps to foster a love and passion for music. !Thank you to Sean Conway, Jared Dalgleish, Mark Davison, Tammy Fisher, Ann Gibbons, Scott Horton, Cait Krueger, Mason Lee, Steve Michaels, Erin Miller, Carrie Pomplun, Mark Pomplun, Matt Quaglieri, Chip Schreader, Alana Seddon, and Alex Valentine for volunteering their time to help with sectionals. !To the Longfellow/LDI PTO, thank you for all of your generous help and support in the past four years and especially for all of your enormous efforts in making this performance possible. !Thank you to Yamaha and the Longfellow/LDI PTO for funding Dr. Mike Forbes as a clinician. !A special acknowledgement and thank you to Dr. Mike Forbes for working as a clinician to our group by bringing in a fresh perspective to our music. !Longfellow/LDI Band Families, thank you for all that you do in supporting your children. Your children have a great sense of character, compassion, and a resilient work ethic because of your tireless efforts. We are truly gracious to have your presence within our band family.