Composer’s Notes

 

Concert Band, Grade 3

Duration: 4:30

 

Resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from difficult events or circumstances. We all carry trauma, experience obstacles, and face challenges that continually test us. Yet, we often feel alone in our struggles. Through the sharing of personal anecdotes through performance, Resilience aims to give your ensemble a safe space to connect with each other and their audiences in a new and personal way.

 

Performance Notes

 

Resilience has several distinct sections, each representing a different part along the journey toward resilience:

 

m.1-24 Section A: “Self”

 

m.25-42 Section B (variation on A): The “self” theme begins to unravel as uncertainty creeps in and the individual begins to doubt themselves.

 

m.43-70* Section C: Worries, darkness, and the weight of the world overwhelm, clouding everything.

 

*From measure 43-70, vocal samples of the ensemble members are shared. These may be performed live with amplification, or they may be pre-recorded and triggered via synthesizer (see optional Percussion 6 part). These samples should vocalize worries and obstacles that they personally face (and are willing to share). They may be single words, phrases, or sentences. Samples may be repeated and/or spoken with different velocities, if desired. Musically, the “darkness” theme repeats with added layers each time representing fear and anxiety building without resolution. In the synth part, there are merely cues every four bars (as to be flexible to the number of samples the ensemble has made). Generally, with each cue, the texture of the vocals should thicken and eventually overlap, with Cue 6 indicating the thickest texture. Here there should be no words audible amidst the jumble of voices. If performed live, a minimum 3-4 speakers should be used for the desired effect. Cue 7 indicates silence for all spoken parts.

 

m.71-98 Section D: “Rising from the Ashes”

 

An ascending trumpet solo symbolizes the individual rising from the darkness. Slowly, an ensemble crescendo builds as the piece approaches its apex. In the final buildup (m.91, 93, 95) qualifiers are spoken or triggered via the synth (cues 8-10), and in m.98 the ensemble speaks (or cue 11 is triggered): “I will be okay.”
 

m.99-end Coda: “Resilience” and a return to self (theme from Section A)

 

Worries, obstacles, and life’s challenges don’t magically disappear. Instead, a person learns to cope and survive, despite the trauma they carry. So rather than a big finale, the piece finds quiet strength in the return of the “self” theme.

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Resilience was commissioned for the Milford (NH) High School Band and premiered in May 2024 under the direction of Eric Bonnett.