Spirited rhythmic underpinnings support three great Old West songs in Stephen Bulla’s ALONG CAME THE COWBOYS. You’ll find a bonanza of great teaching tools in this Western extravaganza: phrase extensions style contrasts dynamic and articulation considerations rhythmic counterpoint and much more. Your young musicians will really enjoy playing music that employs the types of mechanisms standardized by decades of cowboy movie underscoring. This is something your students can definitely get into! What a great supporting assignment to have your students try to find examples of comparable musical treatments on their movie videos and DVDs.Head ‘em up! Move ‘em out!

Ray Charles (1930-2004) was a multitalented and pioneering American pianist and soul singer who became very popular in the late fifties, and remained respected for his music in the decades that followed. By incorporating gospel, jazz, blues, and big band elements, he helped shape the sound of rhythm and blues, and brought a soulful sound to everything from country music to pop standards. Ray Charles embodied the American dream, starting out a poor, blind boy from the southern United States and becoming an international music phenomenon; his nickname was ?the Genius? for a good reasonIn this arrangement for concert band, Peter Kleine Schaars presents five of the songs that contributed to Ray Charles? fame: I Can?t Stop Loving You, Hit the Road Jack, Georgia on My Mind, Hallelujah I Love Her So, and Unchain My Heart.