SKU: CF.YPS205
ISBN 9781491152256. UPC: 680160909759. Key: F major.
Cornish Coastal Walk is a beautiful new composition depicting the majestic cliffs and coastline of the Cornwall region in England. Composer Michael Miller provides young bands with an opportunity to stretch their musical muscles with this lush and tuneful piece in 3/4 time. Directors will find in this piece a strong vehicle to teach phrasing, beauty of tone, and musicianship to young bands.In the far southwest of England reaching out towards the Celtic Sea is the county Cornwall. A peninsula, Cornwall is surrounded by some of the world’s most picturesque scenery including beaches, cliffs, and rolling hills. Separated from the rest of England by the river Tamar, the Cornish take great pride in their culture including the pasty (a stuffed pastry and preferred lunch of miners), Cornish cream tea (not to be confused with rival Devon cream tea where the cream goes under the jam), and well known national heritage sights such as Rough Tor (Cornwall’s highest point), and Tintagel Castle (rumored birth place of King Arthur).In the spring and summer of 2017, I had the pleasure to visit Cornwall, while my wife was a visiting scholar at the University of Exeter in the neighboring county of Devon. One July afternoon, while she was making field observations (she’s a Cultural Anthropologist), I decided to take a stroll along the cliffs as was recommended by a friend. I set out from Boscastle, a small inlet village where one can enjoy the most delicious black currant ice cream, and I trekked up and down the cliffs for three or four miles before finally arriving in Tintagel. I had planned to continue on to Trebarwith Strand, home of the fantastic Port William tavern, but greatly underestimated the difficulty of the terrain.Along my walk I witnessed some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. The coast of this particular region of Cornwall is both majestic and peaceful. It is frighteningly powerful, but also loving and kind. It is the type of place where people have for years looked out over the sea longing for their loved ones to return. I hope this music brings you the same inner peace I found on my hike that day.This piece is dedicated to Neil and his sidekick Derek, without whom I might have been just another tourist.
SKU: CF.YPS205F
ISBN 9781491152935. UPC: 680160910434.
SKU: CF.BPS122
ISBN 9781491152089. UPC: 680160909582.
As the title implies, this piece is written in a contemplative manner for beginning students. It is a good piece to demonstrate basic compositional techniques that the students will be able identify easily in the piece. It begins with a lush opening section with an elegant melody to work on musicianship. This is contrasted by the up tempo section of the piece based on the same basic musical material, but in a varied style and frolicking feel. A very satisfying piece for beginning wind players.Contemplation: the action to look thoughtfully at something for a long time.When composing music that will be used with younger students, I want to stimulate thoughtfulness in them. In this particular piece I want the students to be able to stretch their musicianship beyond their experience on their instruments to play in a contemplative manner. To me, this is the essence of musical playing in an emotional and thoughtful way. It is something that cannot be stressed enough, even in students that have just begun to play. As soon as possible, they should be asked to put themselves into the music and make it more than the notes and rhythms on the page.This piece is my attempt to provide very young students, who are just beginning their musical journey, with something they can reach technically, but have to stretch for musically. The amount of notes and rhythms is limited, but students should strive for beauty of tone, good phrasing and emotional involvement.After a short introduction, the heartfelt main theme begins at a lyrical and slow tempo. This is developed with the addition of a secondary theme, featuring the lower voices, before the piece leads to an Allegro section that is based on the same musical material with a difference in tempo and a variation in rhythm patterns. The piece can serve to show students that the same basic music can have an entirely different emotional connection with differences in tempo, rhythm and style, with the first section of the piece being sentimental and the faster section being more joyous in nature. As with all of my pieces for younger students, it is completely acceptable to me for you to adjust the tempo to fit the educational needs of your students.It has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to write this piece. I hope you and your students enjoy it and find it useful for your program.—Larry ClarkLakeland, FL 2018.
SKU: CF.BPS122F
ISBN 9781491152768. UPC: 680160910267.
As the title implies, this piece is written in a contemplative manner for beginning students. It is a good piece to demonstrate basic compositional techniques that the students will be able identify easily in the piece. It begins with a lush opening section with an elegant melody to work on musicianship. This is contrasted by the uptempo section of the piece based on the same basic musical material, but in a varied style and frolicking feel. A very satisfying piece for beginning wind players.Contemplation: the action to look thoughtfully at something for a long time.When composing music that will be used with younger students, I want to stimulate thoughtfulness in them. In this particular piece I want the students to be able to stretch their musicianship beyond their experience on their instruments to play in a contemplative manner. To me, this is the essence of musical playing in an emotional and thoughtful way. It is something that cannot be stressed enough, even in students that have just begun to play. As soon as possible, they should be asked to put themselves into the music and make it more than the notes and rhythms on the page.This piece is my attempt to provide very young students, who are just beginning their musical journey, with something they can reach technically, but have to stretch for musically. The amount of notes and rhythms is limited, but students should strive for beauty of tone, good phrasing and emotional involvement.After a short introduction, the heartfelt main theme begins at a lyrical and slow tempo. This is developed with the addition of a secondary theme, featuring the lower voices, before the piece leads to an Allegro section that is based on the same musical material with a difference in tempo and a variation in rhythm patterns. The piece can serve to show students that the same basic music can have an entirely different emotional connection with differences in tempo, rhythm and style, with the first section of the piece being sentimental and the faster section being more joyous in nature. As with all of my pieces for younger students, it is completely acceptable to me for you to adjust the tempo to fit the educational needs of your students.It has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to write this piece. I hope you and your students enjoy it and find it useful for your program.—Larry ClarkLakeland, FL 2018.
