At the end of this month, I start a residency with the Prescott High School Wind Ensemble. The residency lasts about 7 weeks, during which time I visit the high school 5 times (plus once at the beginning of this month).

There are two components:

• Large Group Commission - Each visit, I will meet with the entire Wind Ensemble. Together we will write a new piece for the band. When I’ve done this type of residency in the past, we would write a story together, and then use that story as the basis for a programmatic band piece. This approach has had its problems, in that competing factions within the band would develop - each faction wanting the story to take a different direction.
  
  This year I’m trying something new. Instead of writing a story, the entire band will send text messages to a blog I’ve set up. For one day, I’m asking each band member to document what they are doing with these text messages - just like they might do on Twitter. Then, we will use these text messages to craft an arch for the piece.
  
  
• Small Group Workshop - Also, on each visit, I’ll spend 2 hours with a handful of motivated students who want to learn more about composition. During these sessions, I’ll introduce many concepts about composing, including writing melodies, keeping compositions “organic,” defining and following form, and basic counterpoint and harmony. At the end of this workshop, each student will write their own short composition that they can play solo or with a friend at the final band concert of the year.

The main websites for this residency are:

• The Residency Blog
• The Text Message Blog
  
  

I’m looking forward to it!