Groove Patrol No. 1: Sweep the Beat grew out of a conversation between myself and my former student and current mentee, Emily Bridges. Having taught Emily clarinet from the sixth grade through her time at Georgia State University, it has been a joy to watch her transition into her own career as a music educator.
The heart of this piece is a concept I first encountered through the Daraja Music Initiative in Tanzania—a program that beautifully bridges music education with agricultural restoration. While volunteering for their 2024 outreach, I performed works specifically designed for beginners to play alongside advanced musicians. Seeing that connection firsthand inspired the "side-by-side" model used here.
Musically, the piece is adapted from the fourth movement of my first ballet. To transform it into a collaborative work for all ages, Emily and I co-composed parts for "found percussion"—items found around the house—to be played by a children’s ensemble. My hope is that by performing alongside professionals, young people will feel the spark to pursue music for a lifetime. This is the first in a collection of works dedicated to that mission.
A MIDI recording can be found below.
Instrumentation:
Piccolo/Flute 1, 2/Oboe /Clarinet in Bb 1, 2, 3/Bass Clarinet/Bassoon/Alto Sax 1, 2/Tenor Sax/Bari Sax
French Horn 1, 2/Trumpet in Bb 1, 2, 3/Trombone 1, 2/Bass Trombone/Euphonium/Tuba
Bass Drum/Djembe/Toms/Suspended Cymbal/Tam-Tam
Found Percussion: Metallic/Buckets/Water Jugs/Wooden Boxes/Shakers
Groove Patrol No. 1: Sweep the Beat grew out of a conversation between myself and my former student and current mentee, Emily Bridges. Having taught Emily clarinet from the sixth grade through her time at Georgia State University, it has been a joy to watch her transition into her own career as a music educator.
The heart of this piece is a concept I first encountered through the Daraja Music Initiative in Tanzania—a program that beautifully bridges music education with agricultural restoration. While volunteering for their 2024 outreach, I performed works specifically designed for beginners to play alongside advanced musicians. Seeing that connection firsthand inspired the "side-by-side" model used here.
Musically, the piece is adapted from the fourth movement of my first ballet. To transform it into a collaborative work for all ages, Emily and I co-composed parts for "found percussion"—items found around the house—to be played by a children’s ensemble. My hope is that by performing alongside professionals, young people will feel the spark to pursue music for a lifetime. This is the first in a collection of works dedicated to that mission.
A MIDI recording can be found below.
Instrumentation:
Piccolo/Flute 1, 2/Oboe /Clarinet in Bb 1, 2, 3/Bass Clarinet/Bassoon/Alto Sax 1, 2/Tenor Sax/Bari Sax
French Horn 1, 2/Trumpet in Bb 1, 2, 3/Trombone 1, 2/Bass Trombone/Euphonium/Tuba
Bass Drum/Djembe/Toms/Suspended Cymbal/Tam-Tam
Found Percussion: Metallic/Buckets/Water Jugs/Wooden Boxes/Shakers
