When I taught in Biddeford Terry gradually assumed the writing for the marching band. It was very helpful that, having been my predecessor, he had a good idea of the talent level. Later on we found the funds to commission one arrangement a year for our jazz ensemble. We could then tailor the piece to the soloist and the tessituras for the specific development level of the band.
When I moved to Cape Elizabeth, Terry was the middle school band director. Within a few years he was writing almost all the music the jazz ensembles play. This has allowed us to choose whatever literature we want and custom fit it for the groups. This has ben crucial to our success in adjudicated events.
Several of those pieces have gone on to be published nationally.
An example of how this can work occurred one year when we had an all-state level, lights out tenor player and a weak trumpet section.( Terry used to refer to them as“ cardboard cutouts.”) That chart had a one-measure“ shout” chorus, and no one was the wiser.
MMEA has made a wise choice in selecting Terry, Craig and John for its centennial commissioning project.
Decide on a time line. Local composers have a year or less turnaround time, but the more advance notice you can give a composer / arranger the better. For nationally known composers, the waiting line often starts at two years and some are longer.
Twice in the past five years Cape Elizabeth commissioned Andy Boysen of the University of New Hampshire. The agreed upon turnaround time was two years in both cases, although Andy got the music to us considerably ahead of schedule. We lucked out with out commission of“ Mainescapes” by Jay Kennedy of Berklee College of Music, in that he was able to do it with about a year’ s advance notice.
One excellent thing was that Jay came up to Portland Headlight for field research and met with the kids to see what they wanted in the piece. He incorporated those ideas in the piece, just as Tom did when Dave Graichen of Marshwood commissioned him.
Commissions for nationally published composers generally run $ 5,000- $ 10,000. That seems steep, but the necessary turnaround time also means more time to raise funds. The quality you will get is worth it.
Find funding. We fundraise for many things, so why not for something that we know will have a positive, direct impact on students? It’ s much better to spend scarce resources on clinicians and composers than for hotels, food and buses.( I fully realize that this is contrary to the thoughts of some.)
Where do you find this money? Seek out grants, number one. In Cape we have the Cape Elizabeth Educational Foundation( CEEF), which has funded half of the Kennedy and