Pandemic Pandemonium
Subtitle: For Concert Band in Virtual Performance
General Info
Year: 2020
Duration: c. 4:30
Difficulty: II (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Benjamin Taylor Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $105.00; (digital) - $85.00
Instrumentation (Flexible)
Any of these instruments may be used.
Full Score
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet
F Horn in F
Trombone
Tuba
Percussion, including:
- Bells
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
This work is in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruption of typical large ensemble rehearsals and performance. The students of Madison West High School, their director Kevin Rhodes, and I collaborated on this piece over the course of about five weeks. During our sessions together I led the students in creative music-making games and activities to help them get comfortable making compositional decisions and playing their instruments together on Zoom unmuted. We also experimented and generated ideas for this specific collaboration. Many of the melodic fragments found in this work came directly from student’s ideas. Also, as any performance on Zoom is inherently visual and essentially a music video, the visual elements in this piece also came directly from students' input.
Overall, we decided that this piece is a representation of the year 2020 — all of its hardships and losses balanced with the hope and confidence that we can endure. In our collaboration sessions we had some great discussions about the “silver lining” aspects of the pandemic: new hobbies and interests like gardening and baking bread, more time with family, more enjoyment of reading and exercise, etc. As we come together we can support each other and feel connected. These are far from ideal circumstances to make music. But we must! We all need to heal from this pandemic and this work is a symbol of hope, love and faith.
- Program Note by composer
Commissioned by the Madison West High School Concert Band, Kevin Rhodes, director.
- Program Note from score
Performance Notes
This work was designed to embrace Zoom as a new performance space. All players perform live, unmuted. Any teleconference platform will work such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, though in our experimentation, Zoom gave the best audio results. The piece is setup to work with the inherent latency of these platforms by creating aleatoric textures with free-flowing solo melodies on top.
(Further extensive performance notes appear in the score. Editor.)
Media
(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Earth Resonance (Flex instrumentation) (2019)
- Electric Breakdance (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Intermountain Underground (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Legos Emit Gnarly Overtones (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Pandemic Pandemonium (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Snitchin' in the Kitchen (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Techno Blade (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
All Wind Works
- And May We Always Cherish (2020)
- Cold Lights (2015)
- Earth Resonance (Flex instrumentation) (2019)
- Electric Breakdance (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Epic Bacon Funk (2015)
- Flicker in Time, A (2014)
- Hope Within, The (2016)
- Intermountain Underground (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Into the Mist (2013)
- Leaving White (2012)
- Legos Emit Gnarly Overtones (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Motorcycle Time (2015)
- Scooter Time (2015)
- Seeds of Glass (2016)
- Shattering Infinity (2014)
- Snitchin' in the Kitchen (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Techno Blade (2018)
- Techno Blade (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
- Trailing Clouds of Glory (2013)
- Whiz-Bang (2011)
Resources
- Benjamin Taylor website Accessed 11 December 2020
- Perusal score