Now & Forever
Concert Band
Grade 2
3 minutes
Commissioned by the North Dakota Alpha Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Mu for the 2023 North Dakota Jr. High All-State Band. This piece is dedicated to Mr. Joseph T. Alme. A consummate musician whose life has centered around his love of family, music and educating youth.
Recorded by the Atlanta Wind Symphony. Dr. David Kehler, conductor.
Program Notes
Written for the 2023 North Dakota Jr. High All State Band, Now & Forever is my first ever attempt at writing a concert march. Inspired by marches that present a more stately feeling (including Pomp & Circumstance and Entry March of the Boyars amongst others), this work seeks to capture the beauty of the North Dakota plains. While containing the structural elements of a traditional march, I have taken additional liberties to bring a slightly more contemporary approach. The march was also commissioned by the North Dakota Alpha Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Mu in honor of Joseph. T. Alme, a long-time trombone teacher and figure in North Dakota. In paying honor to his profound impact on music education, I have utilized the trombone section for the first introduction of the first strain and the countermelody in the reprise.