Written in response to adversity in its many forms, this concert or contest composition for advanced bands celebrates the spirit of rising above. Adversity is represented by various harmonic and rhythmic devices throughout the work and is resolved through creative reworkings of previous melodic material, different textural instrumental combinations and tempo and dynamic shadings. Truly a commentary on not only life’s struggles but the fact that strife also causes positive growth, this complex, yet approachable, composition will challenge your musicians both musically and emotionally.
Program Notes:
Adversity, in any form at any point of our lives, can be absolutely debilitating mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. In the midst of hard times, it is difficult to imagine what our lives will look like on the other side of the adversity we are facing. Yet so many of us carry on, move forward, and rise above determined to never be defined by our circumstances.
For some their personal faith, support from family, or relationship to friends provides the necessary fuel for the resilience they need to rise above adversity. It is amazing when a group of people are able to come together to overcome a common obstacle. With this in mind, I put to music that spirit of rising above for the Liberty High School Band and their director Michael Summers. Northeast Ohio has seen its share of prosperity and significant times of hardship along many different fronts. I still see resilient leaders, community members, and educators like Mike who continue to fight for what is best and what is right. The debut of this work, like so many other things, was interrupted in the spring of 2020. Now on the precipice of a new beginning for many band programs across the country, all of us in instrumental music education must summon resilience to ensure our groups recover, grow and flourish.
The rising major second represents us all taking the first step forward in good and difficult times. The adversity (tension) arrives in various ways harmonically throughout the work. Tension can make us lose sense of where we are on our journey and rob us of our ability to imagine getting through our current situation. But I am reminded that not all tension is bad. Given enough time and enough resolution, we can often make sense of the adversity. We can recognize that the adversity taught us something about ourselves we didn’t know, or perhaps challenged us to grow in a way we didn’t think possible. Either way, it does not happen unless we possess resilience.
