Lost in the Wild
As a teacher in an elementary band program (grade 6 - 8 students), I have watched many parents just sit and watch the Winter and year end concerts with no movement until they can make that run for the door at the end. In 2014, Vanessa Strykiwsky, the other teacher that I was teaching with at the time, asked me if I would write and conduct a piece especially written for the Martin Area Grade 6 band of 2013/2014. I decided to make the parents have to participate in the performance. The notes and rhythms are not challenging by themselves by the layering made the students think about how their part fits with the other parts. As a final piece on a concert, the audience participation ties into the final applause in a concert.