What better way to create new music than through teaching endeavors? If a teacher has to figure out a teachable moment, then that small event can blossom into potentially entire piece of music!
This is what happens every year with myself and two groups with whom I work. (not to mention in other areas, like private lessons)
The latest work included a good problem, many students were interested in playing mallet parts, but there were not enough instruments! I also realized some students hadn’t played a lot of mallets.
Solution: have them play on one side of the instrument, so more students can share the instruments. One student stands at the instrument “backwards” so that they have immediate access to primarily the accidentals, while another student stands at the other side normally. I saw this idea used by Ivan Trevino – so I kept saying it was “trevino-y” – haha – but I know it has been used many times before as well. This enabled me to have more students involved on less of these large and expensive instruments. (many high schools won’t even have this many)
“Beyond these Blades of Grass” is symbolic of the relationships that you make with a team that you inevitably have to leave, and I love that composing for these students that almost immediately graduate helps me relate with this subject personally. 🙂
Please enjoy the latest from Mike Neumeyer Music!
https://mikeneumeyer.com/sheet-music/
Update: 2018’s work is in the making…
