For us, one of the joys of composing for the general public (instead of our own bands and choirs) is the chance to bring a different type of music - pieces and shows that are creative, humorous, and...well, different than many of our teachers are used to. Let's look at some samples:
The Alphabet Song is one of the newer pieces in the choral catalog, and it's a great example of a very different piece for your group. The lyrics are all letters of the alphabet, and they move from a zombie-like "A" (as in "brAins...") from the basses to the boys repeating "P-P-P-P-P-P...." and looking around as if somebody HAD, to the snoring Z's at the end of the song. Another choir selection coming any day now is our "Caveman Love Song", which allows your boys to be a little bit, um.... Neandrathal. Your girls have some lovely melodies, though, and you'll love the lyrics and back-and-forth. We'll get that up on the website within the month.
In the beginning band department, you've got songs like Samurai Warrior available to you - your youngsters can call and chant like Japanese samurai, and your drummers can be first year players and still have a taiko drum-style feature. For your higher-level middle school bands, try A Children's Carousel, where your band can present a host of nursery songs in a wild array of forms: "Mary Had A Little Lamb" in 7/8 and 6/8, "Twinkle" in a whole tone scale, "Hot Cross Buns" with any number of percussion 'toys', and "Old MacDonald" with some singing, honking, and buzzing from the clarinets and trumpets.
On the high school and above level, Marcha Cromatica combines the standard form of the Sousa march with the atonalistic tendencies of Schonberg into a modern march unlike anything you've ever heard. American Folk Trilogy uses "Simple Gifts", "Amazing Grace", and "Chester" layered on top of each other in some simple yet brilliant ways, and you can feature a narrator and brass quintet On The Steps Of The Lincoln Memorial in a salute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. utilizing "We Shall Overcome" using both hymnal and diatonic versions and variations throughout.
Finally, the field shows are probably the most exciting and avant garde - we write shows that have characters and plot lines, stories that the audience can CARE about and follow. Pirates Of The Four Rivers (about, well, pirates!) and MIRROR-RORRIM (a tale of an old woman who longs to be young again...and regrets it) are already available. Two other shows are being finished up as we speak in preparation for the 2013 season: A Color Guard Fantasy, featuring one of your flag team ladies who gets to play a combination of "Alice In Wonderland" and Dorothy from "The Wizard Of OZ" as she tries to move from a band of the old stodgy band director to an exciting marching band (translation: YOU are the villain!), and A Superhero Saga, where you can be campy and cliche and everyone involved can have a great time (Our Hero saves The Damsel In Distress from the evil plans of The Villain, bent on world domination).
Remember, we've taught a long time - these aren't ivory tower ideas. Most of these shows and songs have already been taught and performed successfully, and you're sure to love every one of them! Give one a try today!
- Gordon and Melissa Smith, publishers, GPS MUSIC
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