Music of Andrew F. Poor

Composed for the students of South Forsyth Middle School in Cumming, Georgia. This work for young bands was composed as a lyrical showcase for the composer’s students and is composed in a binary form—AABA. The primary theme is first presented as a plaintive clarinet solo/optional trumpet (measure 2) and has some folk-like qualities performed over a pedal-point. The second presentation of the A theme (measure 19) is presented by the trumpets and enhanced harmonic vocabulary. The B theme (measure 35) moves to the relative minor (C minor), represents the clouds briefly covering our horizon, and the melody is passed through various woodwind instruments. A cadential extension leads us to a full tutti statement of the A theme (measure 53), which is followed by a brief concluding section at measure 67. The Coda to the piece features a fragmenting and augmenting of the main melody, which is shared through various instruments and leads us to a final cadence. As the title suggests, the piece...

Congratulations! You will be marching this season in a drum corps. Earning a spot in a drum corps is a major accomplishment and an achievement many performers will never get to experience. You should be proud and excited for everything the future holds for you. Most likely, you practiced the audition material diligently, prepared yourself physically, reviewed some movement basics, and performed at a high level in your audition. Possibly, you auditioned once or twice prior to this year, only to be sent home. All of those tasks take dedication, commitment, focus, and hard work. You need to celebrate this achievement...briefly...because to not celebrate this achievement diminishes the value of the accomplishment. However,  you must be prepared to avoid Post-Achievement Let-Down. https://hbr.org/2015/02/staying-motivated-after-a-major-achievement https://theprofessionaldevelopmentteam.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/the-accomplishment-let-down/ The key to staying motivated is ...