Imagined Adventures: March of the West River

Premiered: The Florida Atlantic University Wind Ensemble, Kyle Prescott, conductor

Year: 2020

Duration: four minutes

Difficulty: Grade 5

Instrumentation: Concert band

Program Notes:

MARCH OF THE WEST RIVER is the third in a series of pieces called Imagined Adventures; short, programmatic works based on childhood fantasies. This piece suggests the timeless childhood game of “Army” as played by rambunctious pre-adolescents on the streets and backyards of a typical suburban neighborhood called “West River Estates.” Although it contains martial, march-like elements, they are filtered through the energy and innocence of kids.

Not only are these adventures about childhood fantasies, but for me, they are also about composer fantasies. Writing these pieces allows me to play in a film music-inspired sandbox I might otherwise not get to do.