Editors’ Choice, one of our flagship services, represents the very best new music for every ensemble. The J.W. Pepper staff reviews hundreds of selections from a broad range of publishers, awarding only the highest quality titles our signature red check mark.

In addition to being a helpful tool for teachers and directors, Editors’ Choice represents a major career aspiration for composers and arrangers! For the second year running, we’re featuring composers who’ve had one of their instrumental pieces chosen for the first time this year. Read on to learn about the honorees and their selected works.

For more inspiration, check out our 2023 First-Time Editors’ Choice Composers blog!

Concert Band

Rob Balfoort (born 1961) is one of Holland’s most acclaimed arrangers and composers for a variety of musical ensembles. From wind bands to drum corps and from flute ensembles to marching bands, his works are standards in their music libraries. He is the musical director of two famous march and show bands in the Netherlands: DVS from Katwijk and Adest Musica Sassenheim. Under his direction, his bands won numerous awards and prizes at prestigious international events. Rob is a very sought-after adjudicator, clinician, and consultant.

Starting at the age of nine, he took trumpet lessons and joined the local wind band Laurentius in his hometown Voorschoten. He graduated as a performing musician on trumpet from the Music Conservatory of Tilburg and later he received his bachelor’s degree in wind band conducting where he studied with the famous Dutch conductor Mr. Jaap Koops.

He teaches trumpet and brass ensemble classes at the Community Music School in Delft, specializing in writing custom-made compositions, arrangements, and accompaniments for all different kinds of ensembles and events. He has written more than 2000 pieces on commission over the years, and his music for wind bands, marching bands, and show bands is widely performed both nationally and internationally. He is much sought after as an adjudicator for competitions, consultant, and guest conductor in the Netherlands and abroad.

Since 1999, Rob has been associated with Tierolff Muziekcentrale as a composer and arranger. In 2023, he received an American award for his work as composer, arranger, and musical director in the marching and show band world. This makes Rob the only European musical leader to receive the Sudler Shield Award from the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

Mr. Trumpet is a swinging trumpet solo with orchestral accompaniment. The trumpet soloist plays question-and-answer games with the orchestra that will entertain the audience with wonderful swinging solos. Of course, this solo is not only destined for “Mr.” Trumpet, “Mrs.” Trumpet is most welcome!

Rob can be found on Facebook.

I began playing trombone in sixth grade and soon had an interest in composition during eighth grade because I’d see scores on the internet and follow along while listening to the audio. When I auditioned and secured a chair in the North Florida Honor Band in 2021 during my freshman year of high school, I met Larry Clark who was the director for that year. After meeting Mr. Clark I decided that I wanted to get serious with composition and began writing pieces for concert band, marching band, and jazz band.

I always try to fit a theme or tell a story with each piece. La fiesta brava is my first piece to be selected for Editors’ Choice; it’s also my first piece to actually get published. La fiesta brava tells the story of a young bullfighter who matures as the piece progresses. As of right now I don’t have a link to a website due to just starting out but soon I will have a website so people can see and potentially purchase my pieces and future projects.

I am a musician, educator, and composer in Western Washington. I decided I wanted to be a band director in high school and have now been teaching for over 10 years. I hadn’t thought I could be a composer until I tried to give a friend and fellow composer an idea and she said, “You should write it.” So I did! It turns out years of teaching band is excellent training, and once I started writing I couldn’t stop. As a musician, I love the process of learning something with a group of musicians, refining it, and performing it well together. The thought that something I wrote could provide that opportunity for others is exhilarating.

As a new composer I’d say I am still developing my process. I tend to come up with ideas while walking around the neighborhood, driving, or when my mind starts to wander. I try to jot them down in a notebook or with a voice memo, but often things end up ruminating for a bit before I can actually start.

Midnight Zoomies came to life after a restless night, kept awake by my two cats. After listening to them run around the house with abandon and bracing myself for the eventual stampede across the bed, I kept hearing a suspenseful melody in my head and eventually had to get up and write it down. It was so fun to hear it evolve with the guidance and support of Randall Standridge, and I feel lucky to have had this experience with my first piece.

I am excited to continue writing and exploring new styles and ideas while also pursuing a master’s degree in film scoring from Berklee. For more information about me and my work, check out my website emharmonicmusic.com.

My name is Christopher Greco, and I am a saxophone player from New Port Richey, Florida. I started in fifth grade at Cotee River Elementary, then continued at Gulf Middle and Gulf High. At Gulf High, I was given inspiration and opportunities to write thanks to my director Bill Rutherford. After high school, I worked on arranging and composing while attending the University of South Florida to obtain my degree in music education. Upon receiving my degree, I taught at River Ridge High School for seven years and then moved to Bayonet Point Middle School where I continued to work on writing and arranging.

My process starts with hearing an idea in my head or experimenting on one of my instruments; from there it builds or I keep it in a separate file of ideas that I come back to at a later time. I try to think when I am writing about who I am writing for and for what purpose. I put myself in the shoes of the ensemble and what would interest them.

Sometimes ideas come naturally and others are things that I think would be a neat idea or concept to try and experiment with. Holiday Top 20 was an idea to write a holiday work that included as many holiday pieces as possible in a complete package. This started when I was teaching high school band and wanted to try to write something that would include everyone. I always enjoyed mixing ideas and concepts – a composer I look up to is Charles Ives. His works helped me in experimenting with ideas in music.

I am reachable through Facebook and C.L. Barnhouse under Composers. Some upcoming projects I have in store are some Grainger transcriptions and some twists on traditional folk songs.

Composing music is much like my culinary exploits in the kitchen – combining ingredients in key places to create an evolving dish. In the early stages I keep an open mind, allowing motivic possibilities to flow. Whether it’s a melody from a Sega Genesis game or an Episcopalian hymn, it’s all fair game!

As a perfectionist, I’ve learned that a tangible, finished product is more valuable than a pile of unrealized ideas. Each note evokes faint colors in my mind, thanks to synesthesia, a superpower that aids my creative process.

When my college band director asked me to write Dreamer’s Overture for an upcoming spring performance, imposter syndrome reared its ugly head. It was my first piece for a large ensemble, and I had just graduated college and entered the workforce. I needed to ask myself, “What kind of narrative can I tell?”

One night, I opened up Sibelius and began. The main idea came from an electronic music project using Reason. I incorporated subtle West African rhythms in the brass to represent my cultural identity and a dogfight section to symbolize battling imposter syndrome. The piece evolved into a personal reminder to dream boldly and take action.

Dreamer’s Overture is dedicated to the Coe College Band, where I continue to perform. For updates on my concert band works, please visit www.dgwamna-music.com to drop me a line and learn more!

Being brought up in a musical family and an environment such as the Salvation Army seems to have made it inevitable that music would be part of my life. Though until the age of 17, I was planning to spend my life as an architect or engineer in construction, I had a sudden change of direction and music became my main focus. Since that time I’ve completed a Diploma of Music and a teaching degree majoring in music, all the time working in some form of music making. I taught high school music for 14 years before taking up roles with the Salvation Army in their Creative Arts and Worship Arts Departments where I worked to develop music making within the church environment.

My young band pieces were written for the groups I have been working with in an effort to address some ensemble technique we had been working on. Other pieces, written for ensembles at their request, try to contain something peculiar to or of intrinsic interest to that group.

When composing I generally work with a particular melody, phrase, or motif to generate further material. Form and structure are important, and often I find it difficult to get started on a new piece until I can envisage the overall structure and develop a sense of where I am going; how I get there is not always relevant, but I do like to know the destination and something of the topography of the journey before starting out.

Antar is one of those pieces that just started as a simple melody and developed as I began to map out its form. At the time, I came across an article regarding Antarah Ibn Shaddād al-Absi which informed the direction and feel of the music; the contrast between the two competing characteristics of the person drives much of the musical development.

I continue to conduct the New Horizons Band in Melbourne, Australia, and several of my recent pieces have been written with them in mind: Gently; Wonder; Sea Breeze; and Local Heroes. One thing I enjoy about this adult learner group is that even while their technique may be limited and still developing, they can appreciate and understand concepts that are essential to producing a musical outcome.

I am a composer and French hornist based in Salem, Oregon. Through my music, I aim to shine a spotlight on the hidden details and unknown stories of the world around us. I often collaborate and engage with artists and artwork from other disciplines, including painting, sculpture, poetry, literature, dance, and experimental film, using my music to highlight and reveal new interesting facets of the artwork. Some of my recent projects include a brass quintet based on a poem by Portland writer and musician Alicia Jo Rabins, a horn ensemble work based on steampunk aesthetics, and a song cycle on poetry by Filipino poet José Corazón de Jesús.

Columbia River Quickstep, which was recently published by TUX People’s Music and included in J.W. Pepper’s Editors’ Choice list, is a band work that I wrote as a student at Brigham Young University–Idaho. I drove through the Columbia River Gorge along the Oregon-Washington border many times on the way to and from school, and it was always the most breathtakingly beautiful part of the drive. Columbia River Quickstep is a lively march-like piece that captures both the beauty of the Gorge and the playful and adventurous spirit of the outdoors.

Website: www.davidajonescomposer.com
YouTube: @DavidAJonesComposer
Instagram: @dajones401

I’m a Seattle-based educator, conductor, composer, and author. I teach high school band at an independent liberal arts school downtown and am a co-founder and director of Formation Wind Band, an all-women wind ensemble. As a composer I enjoy writing for any and all genres and ensembles, but I am particularly fond of writing for middle school band. I spent 12 years teaching middle school, and I love the opportunity to help students grow through exciting and engaging music.

Joan of Arc is a programmatic work that tells the story of its namesake. Joan of Arc represents tenacity, strength, and a confident woman with a plan. The opening of this piece depicts a vision, followed by the sounds of the blacksmith manufacturing weaponry as villagers prepare for battle. All sections interact with the melody, and the hearty percussion section gets to explore a variety of auxiliary instruments. This piece is dedicated to all strong young women with big ideas. This is an advanced Grade 1.

Clown Town is an easy Grade 1 inspired by the laughter and shenanigans in my beginning band class. This piece provides opportunities to practice contrasting volumes and articulations, in addition to some nontraditional instruments such as bird whistles and kazoos! These can be purchased inexpensively in bulk online. When I performed this work with my own students, we added clown noses and it was a blast!

Website: ekhmusic.com

I’m Carlos Lalonde, a Filipino-American composer focused on creating quality, accessible concert music to inspire the next generation of musicians and composers starting from fifth-grade band to students pursuing music in college. My high school band director fostered my voice as a young composer and encouraged me to study composition. Since then, I’ve been hooked on creating the music that I would’ve loved to play when I was a young musician.

As a pianist, my compositions usually begin by sketching at the keyboard. I begin with form and structure early on and piece together different sections of the work one at a time. I dream up the concept first, draft the piece in a sequence from start to finish, define certain sections that need reinforcement, and deliver my piece to players through J.W. Pepper and elsewhere.

My 2024 Editors’ Choice selections with Carl Fischer, Blue Valley Spirit for string orchestra and Pirate Quest for concert band focus on important pedagogical benchmarks for young string and band players but still maintain an exciting programmatic theme to excite young musicians at a visceral level. I’m deeply inspired by themes of nature and adventure, so these two pieces exemplify my style greatly.

You can find me at https://carloslalonde.com/ or on my YouTube channel, Carlos Lalonde, where I share composing and music advice to nearly 5,000 subscribers weekly. My mission every day is to become the best composer that I can be – constantly learning and improving my craft little by little – but also showing others that being a composer in the 21st century is viable and possible for anyone.

The foundation of my enthusiasm for wind music was in fact laid as early as the age of six by my start as percussionist with a brass band. Then, from the age of seven, I showed plenty of interest in playing the accordion, and later during my teenage years I played music successfully on both instrumental fronts.

After a conductor’s unexpected departure, I – by now assistant conductor – was bombarded by the orchestra with requests to become a conductor, which almost naturally led to the start of a professional education at the conservatory; first for music education and later for harmony and fanfare conducting.

From my work as conductor of two orchestras I noticed that at that time there was very little repertoire available for cooperation between a participating percussion group and the wind band, especially in marching performances. From that observation, one of my first works Drumbo arose (Tierolff edition) and was embraced as a hit by numerous orchestras.

Thereafter my emphasis was on composing a large number of march titles, but also creating repertoire for various orchestral sections such as, among others, trios for flutes, saxes, clarinets, trumpets, and trombones. These efforts were welcomed, and from them arose my Fiesta for Flutes.

Every week I still conduct a senior orchestra with great pleasure, and I participate regularly as accordionist in a nice combo. I still compose and arrange regularly; very recently I wrote a three-part work for alto saxophone with marimba accompaniment.

Looking back on my long career, I can be grateful for the creativity allotted to me and the satisfaction of being able to note that my oeuvre (over 200 titles) is regularly performed by many orchestras both domestically and far beyond.

It was a great honor to receive these two Editors’ Choice designations from J.W. Pepper. There are so many great writers and music, it’s amazing that these two pieces could break through that process from such a quality organization.

The pieces selected, Breakaway and Coronation Processional, were both written for my beginning bands. The Breakaway title was even selected by that band. We played this piece for several years at festivals and it was always a favorite. Coronation is an update of a piece that I wrote many years ago. Careful attention is necessary when writing for young bands, and I always have these types of groups in mind.

As a retired Texas director, a lot of my career was with small-town high schools and larger middle school groups later in my career. I wrote our march every year for contest. When starting, I come up with a melody or rhythm first and then just paint the rest around it. It obviously changes a lot over time, but I know the limits of younger and smaller groups and keep these first in mind when writing.

I graduated from Henderson State University in 1982. My main influences there were my director, Mr. Wendell Evanson, my percussion instructor, Doug DeMorrow, and composition with Dr. Bill Underwood. Francis McBeth was also a big influence as he taught at the school across the street! I played many of his pieces before they were published and spoke to him many times about writing. Great man.

Facebook: KyleMac Music
Website: kylemacmusic.com
Email: kylemacmusic@gmail.com

I am an emerging Australian composer. In 2023 I won the Australian Women’s Wind Band Competition award for developing bands with my piece It Lurks in the Shadows. My wind band works have been published by Brolga Music, performed and recorded by the Adelaide and Queensland Wind Orchestras, and performed in concert by the Queensland Conservatorium Wind Ensemble. I am also completing a degree in music majoring in composition at the Queensland Conservatorium in Australia. My creative process is continually evolving and changing; however, I do aim for a good tune and for everyone in the band to have a turn playing the melody. Yes, even the tuba!

My Editors’ Choice selection Ant March for beginning band was inspired by a composition lecture by the internationally renowned Australian composer Ralph Hultgren. As he started talking about his experiences writing for children, mixing anecdote with technique, I sat up and suddenly thought, “This is me! I want to pass on the joy of music to a new generation!” So when the lecture finished, I was full of questions and memories of my own fantastic band experiences in youth. After our discussion I went home and started Ant March. I was thinking back to my childhood in rural Australia: ants would come into the house whenever water was short, which was most of the time, and they’d get stuck into anything sweet in the kitchen (just like children!) – and it was impossible to get rid of them! I was always impressed by their single-minded determination.

Since Ant March, my band writing has been progressing well and I have more pieces being published next year for various levels. My website emmaolsenmusic.com will be launching in January 2025, but you can also contact me through LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/emma-olsen-606086296/ or Brolga Music Publishing https://brolgamusic.com/.

I am a flute player, and in my career I have been a music teacher, a choir director, and an obsessive Irish flautist! I am now concentrating on composition.

In 2014 I returned to formal studies to deepen my skills as a composer. I am particularly grateful to Ralph Hultgren who has been a mentor and a friend to me and has helped me to shape my voice as an educational composer.

I write in many genres including concert band, choral music, flute, voice, piano, and combinations of these. I am a home poet and wordsmith, and I love to write songs. I have been influenced by the joy and rhythms of Irish music. I have a love of complex harmonies and unexpected turns of musical phrase. My musical influences are diverse, ranging from Schumann to Schoenberg, also including John Williams and Studio Ghibli… hard to pin down really!

My compositional process starts as a melody that often pops into my head unexpectedly. This begins a long drawn-out process to shape the music. I sit at the piano and I play with and extend my ideas. I rewrite by hand this first rough until I am happy with it, then I move onto the computer where I flesh out the orchestration, constantly going back to the piano when I need to work out a particularly sticky problem. It’s a slow and satisfying process.

Soren Bushi was originally commissioned by the Australian Flute Festival for flute choir in 2019, published by Wirripang. It was a joy to have a Japanese exchange teacher stay with my family at this time and to have him sing along enthusiastically. I reharmonized this piece for concert band a few years ago and relished the challenge of rewriting this pentatonic tune to suit a traditional concert band style – what fun!

I am proud to be published through Brolga and Wirripang. I love to work directly with schools and welcome commission work. Contact me by e-mail at taniajowens@gmail.com.

I was born and live in Italy, in the north, halfway between Milan and Lake Garda. I became involved with music by playing in my country’s band, first with the saxophone and then the clarinet. I then furthered my musical studies in composition and conducting. Currently, I am a professor at the Conservatory of Udine (Arranging, Composition, and Conducting for Band) and Livorno (Elements of Composition for Music Education). I also conduct two local bands and am involved in the training of the students.

My creative process is always evolving, and especially in recent years, my musical research has been directed toward a style that could fit more with American tastes and characteristics. Indeed, my aim was to enter the American market, and the first milestone was the double victory in the Grand Mesa Young Band Composition Contest last October. I received the Grand Prize with Ballad for an Uncommon Man and an additional first prize in the Grade 1 category with The Old Faithful Rainbow, the piece that is included in Editors’ Choice. This fills me with joy and is further confirmation that my goal of entering the American market has been fully achieved. I also believe I am the first and only Italian to have done so.

I composed The Old Faithful Rainbow taking inspiration from a documentary about Yellowstone Park that I saw on television. I wanted to evoke the vision of the famous geyser through an energetic theme, while a second more expressive and lyrical melody represents the rainbow that often appears behind the eruption. Visiting Yellowstone Park will be a trip I absolutely must make. Now, my first-ever trip to the United States will be for the next Midwest Clinic in Chicago!

You can find more about me and my upcoming projects on my website, Facebook and Instagram.

My name is Joel M. Prescott and I am a composer and musician from Burlington, Iowa. I received my bachelor’s degree in music composition from Western Illinois University, where I studied with James Caldwell, Hong-Da Chin, Paul Paccione, and James Romig and was a member of the concert band, symphony orchestra, and wind ensemble. I also studied conducting with Richard Hughey and Robert McConnell. When not composing or conducting, I am a bassoonist with the Burlington Municipal Band (Iowa), Southeast Iowa Band, Southeast Iowa Symphony, and Muscatine Symphony.

Christmas on Main Street depicts a horse-drawn sleigh ride on the town’s Main Street, with visions of Christmas carolers on street corners, children looking in glee at new toys in store windows, the ringing of church bells, and a multitude of other Christmas festivities. This piece could be considered a companion piece to classic Christmas works such as Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride and is also inspired by the style of American marches.

Music has always been an essential part of my life. Raised in Pleasant Hill, Ohio, I was deeply influenced by my mother, an elementary music teacher, church musician, and private music instructor. Growing up, almost everyone in my family was involved in music in one way or another. I was constantly surrounded by and immersed in the sounds of music, which sparked my desire to become personally involved in the art form.

I began piano lessons at the age of five and joined the school band as a percussionist in fifth grade. I soon fell in love with music and took every opportunity that presented itself by joining the concert band, choir, marching band, pep band, local community bands, and the regional youth orchestra.

After high school, I enrolled at Wright State University, earning a dual performance degree in percussion and piano under Mr. Gerald Noble and Dr. Jackson Leung. I then accepted a teaching assistantship at the University of Georgia, where I received my master’s degree in percussion performance under Mr. Timothy Adams Jr. and am currently pursuing my DMA.

My creative process varies depending on the project. Sometimes, I map out ideas on a sticky note or sketch details for an entire section. Other times, a melody or groove pops into my head unexpectedly. My experience as a performer also influences my writing. I strive to make everything I write enjoyable for both the audience and musicians.

Flight of the Oriole is a musical narrative that captures a bird’s life and migratory journey through diverse landscapes. The piece features playful melodies and expansive themes, symbolizing the oriole’s growth and experiences. It’s designed to be fun, catchy, and attainable for young bands, with challenges that serve as teaching tools.

I am honored to have this work selected as an Editors’ Choice and can’t wait to see and hear the piece be brought to life around the world!

My next project, Schubert’s Resonant Revival, will transcribe Schubert’s Four Piano Impromptus, Op. 90, for mallet quartet. These four beautiful works have always been favorites of mine, so I am ecstatic to be able to arrange them for this setting of colorful instruments!

If you want to know more about this project or are interested in joining the consortium, please do not hesitate to reach out through the contact page on my website jacksonriffle.com and follow my musical endeavors through my YouTube channel, Instagram, or Facebook.

Mr. Smith serves as Assistant Band Director for Corsicana Middle School where he instructs the Symphonic Band and Brass Beginners. Outside of education, he performs for the Oak Gardens Church as the piano player. Mr. Smith has had an interest in creating music since he was very little and started composing when he was in middle school. It was during this time that his middle school band teacher taught him how to use Finale, igniting his desire for writing music. His creative process is through the act of immersion, where he will often get ideas from video game music, gospel music, and any music he is or has performed as a musician or band director.

The piece At the Crossroads is a musical representation of the feelings and emotions that we experience when faced with a difficult decision that can greatly impact our future. The gradual increase in tempo is a representation of anticipation, the feeling we get when it feels like we are running out of time. The rises and falls of the dynamics depict the constant back and forth we face when a heavy decision is at hand. Toward the end, the music shifts to a more victorious vibe after the decision has been made, followed by a gradual slowdown of the tempo to represent the feeling of relaxation or the release of anxiety and tension. To learn more about Mr. Nicolas Smith and his music, you can go the TUX People’s Music website:

www.tuxpeoplesmusic.com/nicolas-smith.

I am a composer, arranger, and band director based in Wichita, Kansas. I have composed and arranged music for concert band, marching band, percussion ensemble, woodwind ensemble, and brass ensemble, and have works commissioned throughout the state. My goal as a composer is to create quality music that is accessible to musicians of all ages and ability levels.

…for Spacious Skies is an arrangement of America the Beautiful set as a fanfare for concert band. This piece explores the melody through unique styles, textures, and harmonies while remaining accessible to younger musicians.

Jazz Band

Kaori Nakano is a Japan-based composer, arranger, jazz pianist, and educator. She started attending Yamaha Music School and playing the piano at the age of three. She majored in Indian Buddhism at university and graduate school in Japan, beginning her career as a performer and teacher during her studies.

While studying South and Southeast Asian studies at the University of California, Berkeley in the United States, she struggled with English but experienced how music transcends language when a single piano performance earned her recognition and many new connections. This inspired her to pursue a career in music upon returning to Japan.

For 30 years, she has taught classical, pop, and jazz piano as well as instructor training at Yamaha Music School. In jazz composition, she devotes considerable time to voicing at the piano and envisions orchestrations that leverage the unique characteristics of the musicians during recording. She studied jazz composition under two mentors in Japan: Mr. Zensho Otsuka, a jazz pianist influenced by Horace Silver, and Mr. Katsuhiko Tanaka, an arranger inspired by Marty Paich.

This piece, A Star Stolen from the Night Sky was composed during a year when she lost both of her parents consecutively.

Website: kaori-nakano.jimdosite.com

I am a composer, pianist, and educator, pursuing my doctoral degree in music composition at the University of Florida. My music is influenced by various styles and backgrounds. Jazz is one of them. I released an album of my jazz-tango pieces, Tango Avenue, in 2020. Most of those pieces were written during my time in Michigan for my master’s degree in jazz composition.

The piece that got selected for J.W. Pepper’s Editors’ Choice, To Swing or Not to Swing, originally started as a short tune for my jazz arranging class with Dr. Scott Cowan at Western Michigan University. I’m incredibly grateful for studying with him as I learned big band writing thanks to his experience and support.

A few years later, as a student at the University of Florida, I returned to this tune of mine and arranged it for big band. Another wonderful professor, Scott Wilson, was so kind to record this piece with the UF Jazz Orchestra under his direction. I then submitted it to the TUX People’s Music Publishing and it was released in spring 2024.

I am currently working on several projects, including a string quartet for a collaboration with an artist and dancers, a piano piece as a response to artworks, several chamber operas in various stages of development, several art songs, choral pieces, and a jazz band piece. As you can tell, that’s not much. I’m always looking for new collaborators!

Website: JaneKmusic.com
Band Camp: janekozhevnikova.bandcamp.com
YouTube: @janekmusic
Facebook: facebook.com/jane.kozhevnikova
Instagram: @currierjane

I’m Annie Booth – a composer, pianist, and educator based in Denver, Colorado. My creative process ebbs and flows, but one thing has remained the same for me, and that’s sitting at the piano and singing through the melodies I’m trying to draw out. I have a big collection of manuscript notebooks I’ve been sketching in for the past 10 years, and I’ll often go back to old notebooks and dig up half-written ideas or chord progressions and see if I can give them new life. It’s a way of collaborating with a past version of me, and it really asks me to be discerning with editing choices. When I start a new project, I tend to look through these sketches to see if there’s anything that can spark inspiration!

My Editors’ Choice selection is a brand-new original composition called Nowhere but Here. It’s a groovy tune with a laid-back pentatonic melody and some fun harmony! The piece is about living fully in the present moment and enjoying the stage of life one is currently inhabiting. It’s something I was thinking a lot about when I wrote the piece, and I hope the joyful and optimistic tone of its inspiration comes through for the performers and listeners.

You can find more of me and my music on my website. I’m also on YouTube and Instagram where I share a lot of my music and upcoming performances and guest artist-educator appearances. I have a new trio album out in August 2024 called Here, There and Everywhere – it’s a live album of eleven Beatles tunes I’ve arranged instrumentally for my Denver- based trio.

Website: annieboothmusic.com
YouTube: youtube/c/AnnieBooth
Instagram: @annie_booth

I’m a jazz pianist and have been playing, composing, and touring for over three decades on some of the biggest international stages. This year we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of my all-star group Sheroes with a new release on Zoho Music, produced by Lenny White, and various tours including appearances at the DC Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Jazzmandu Festival, and FeminaJazz Madrid. I love writing in a modern jazz style and hearing the tunes come alive with my ensembles. My inspiration comes from everywhere – I listen to my colleagues, I think about new approaches to harmony and rhythm, or sometimes I just capture a mood or a moment.

This piece captures the sometimes hectic life of an academic/artist, having to juggle many different tasks and sometimes having crazy days at the office. We recorded this tune on our second Sheroes album with my all-female New York group, with great solos by Leni Stern and Ada Rovatti – the album was voted as one of the best albums of 2018 in DownBeat.

Drummer and founder of the Berklee Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice Terri Lyne Carrington heard it and decided to include it in the collection New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers, which was released on Berklee Press in 2022 and sold out on release day. It’s an incredible honor to be included with many of my Sheroes, and this piece has become quite popular. This big band arrangement is groovy and an audience favorite.

The new release with the Sheroes group and the upcoming tour dates are featured at sheroesmusic.com, and the music can be streamed anywhere looking for Monika Herzig’s Sheroes.

Website: monikaherzig.com
Facebook: facebook.com/monika.herzig
Instagram: @Monikaherzig

Orchestra

As an orchestral bass player I have gravitated toward composing for strings and full orchestra. I truly love the sound of string instruments. In addition to composing music, I have had a career teaching music in public schools mainly as an elementary and middle school teacher. Over the years I have really enjoyed working with string students.

Now I believe I understand what kind of music students are attracted to and what music they might play to improve their skills. It is with this in mind that I created Children’s Piece (Tempo Press), an arrangement of a Mendelssohn piano piece called Kinderstücke which I play myself for pleasure. I knew students would like the cheerful melody and lively rhythms. Also, I believe it is important that all the parts are interesting and fun to play, and I tried to do that with my arrangement.

I was thrilled to have Children’s Piece selected for Editors’ Choice for 2024. I hope that this will inspire teachers and students to consider my other music, some of which is published by Grand Mesa Strings and some that is available through My Score. The easiest way to find it is to search my name, “John Beeman,” on the J.W. Pepper website, or to go to my own website. In either place you will find scores, recordings, and information about my compositions.

Website: johnbeemancomposer.com

My name is Xiao and I’m a composer currently based in New York City. I recently graduated from the Mannes School of Music with a master’s degree in composition, and I completed my bachelor’s degree at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Before studying music, I had an engineering degree and worked as an aerospace engineer for two years.

I am mostly self-taught, and I feel very lucky and blessed to be doing what I truly love every day. Since 2019, I’ve been exploring various genres and instrumentations, including numerous solo, chamber, choral, and orchestral pieces. Thanks to my publisher TUX People’s Music, I published ten pieces in the past three years, and starting next year I’ll be publishing with Carl Fischer Music as well. My pieces have won several honors, including appearing on the 2023–24 Texas UIL Prescribed Music List and the 2022 Bandworld Top 100 list.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Sakamoto is a tribute to my greatest inspiration, Mr. Ryuichi Sakamoto, who sadly passed away last year at the age of 71. I love his music so much that it has often brought me to tears. From his melodies, I could deeply feel how much he loved music, how much he loved life, and how much he loved this world. I came to New York two years ago so I could maybe see him in person. But now, that dream will never come true. He is exactly the kind of person I want to become in this life, and I promise that I will carry on his legacy and make him proud watching from above.

Other than Mr. Sakamoto, I am also deeply influenced by his fellow Japanese composer Mr. Joe Hisaishi. Like them, I want to create beautiful emotional music that deeply touches people’s hearts. I would love to go into film scoring in the future, and I look forward to collaborating with aspiring directors who share my vision of making this world a better world through the power of art. For all collaborations, please feel free to get in touch with me – I look forward to hearing from you!

Email: xkdengmusic@gmail.com
Instagram: @xiao.composer
YouTube: @xiao_MUSIC
Publisher: tuxpeoplesmusic.com/xiaokang-deng

C. Vanessa Fanning, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, is a renowned orchestra instructor, director, composer, arranger, adjudicator, contractor, and cellist. She received her Ed.S from Georgia State University.

While teaching music at many educational levels and settings for over 25 years, Vanessa realized the importance of having good music for all musicians to play, from beginners to professionals. She has composed and arranged numerous pieces of instrumental music for soloists and ensembles. As a cellist, Mrs. Fanning quite easily realized the absence of melodies for tenor and bass clef instruments in much of music literature; therefore, much of the music that she writes features viola, cello, and even bass melodies, giving these instruments the melodic opportunities that they so deserve. Vanessa’s compositions and arrangements have been included on and utilized by several state and national orchestra music organization programs such as ASTA, GMEA, and TODA and performed by numerous musicians around the country and abroad.

“As a composer, many of my creative ideas occur while I am walking. Nature provides a clear, unobstructed opportunity to be creative. In addition, because of the discord and clamor happening in the world today, I enjoy writing pieces that are bright, light, and inspirational in spirit.”

Her company, F Clef Music Enterprise, provides samples of orchestra selections, band selections, and other useful musical services such as contracting live musicians and arranging or transcribing instrumental music for varied ensembles.

Website: fclefmusic.com

I have been fortunate to grow up in environments that fostered a love for orchestra, wind band, jazz, and gospel music, all at once. This unique background nurtured my development as a multi-instrumentalist and composer. I directed my first choir song in second grade at my family church and started playing violin in fourth grade. I am proficient in violin, oboe, saxophone, piano, Hammond organ, and pipe organ. My studies and participation in ensembles greatly influence my writing. My music is heavily inspired by gospel’s lush harmonies, invigorating rhythms, and poignant melodies.

When starting a new project, I map out the piece by writing down my inspirations, desired sound, instrumentation, emotions, and stories. I then play on the piano, sketch melodies on staff paper, and finally compose the piece using Finale.

The Journey Forward was inspired by my middle school low string section players who were disinterested in most of their parts and desired more challenging music. I approached it like arranging a pop song – but without an actual pop song. I considered what the students needed to learn and incorporated elements from music they enjoyed listening to and performing.

www.symdesigninc.com
https://www.facebook.com/SymDesignInc
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Dr. Vincent J. Kantorski is Professor Emeritus of Music Education at Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts in Ohio. He was a member of the double bass section of the Chicago Civic Orchestra when it was rehearsed by Aaron Copland, Daniel Barenboim, Seiji Ozawa, and Sir Georg Solti. Kantorski was also a member of the Greater Miami Opera Orchestra in productions with leading roles sung by Luciano Pavarotti, Beverly Sills, and other international opera singers.

His process of composing typically begins with a four- or five-note melodic fragment or short rhythmic pattern that develops over time into a completed composition. It can take from a few days to a couple of months to evolve from this initial melodic or rhythmic idea to a completed work for 60 string players.

Dr. Kantorski enjoys contrapuntal compositional techniques associated with the Baroque era, especially when they are found in the energetic and joyous movements of fast instrumental pieces whose rhythmic drive propels the music forward. Giocoso a la Baroque, a Grade 4 string orchestra composition, was inspired by his love for solo, chamber, and orchestral string music of the Baroque era. This composition consists primarily of repeated and scalar sixteenth notes played by one or more of a string orchestra’s five instrument sections while other sections play more melodic material, usually in eighth or sixteenth notes.

The scores to some of Dr. Kantorski’s recently published works for string orchestra can be seen and heard on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4VKD3qvXeU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IepWBx7Ny08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7K5IyTwqtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ3o1hm3OIU

From my earliest memory, about four-ish, my father would listen to sitar and sarod music, which I found particularly difficult to hear. However, the evocative tabla caught my imagination. I was soon hammering the dinner table trying to mimic the tabla, much to my family’s consternation. The hypnotic rhythms of Indian classical music, etched into my memory, remain with me to this day.

In the early days of my classical composition journey, I became obsessed with replicating the tabla, which led to Mystic Thoughts, my first CD for string quartet in 2010, followed in 2012 by my violin concerto, an expansive development of Mystic Thoughts. Gradually, I weaned myself away from the sound of the tabla and examined the structure behind the percussion.

My creative process begins when I lose myself in a scene of a poem or prose. The emotions provoked by the images create a sonic landscape. At first, it’s like trying to navigate through a fog. With immersion and patience, the sonic landscape becomes clearer, and eventually, a melody comes forth. With that, I refine the melody, usually on guitar, and then the melody drives the harmony. As to the rthymic structure, that too comes from the sonic landscape. Sometimes, my composition process starts from the rhythm and that drives melodic construction and harmony.

I have several influences in multiple genres, from world music to rock, blues, and of course, classical. World music is vast, from African, Arabic, Indian, Persian, Chinese, and Japanese to Romanian. The latter is one of my favorites.

If I had to pick three composers of all time, I would choose Bach, particularly his Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BVW1007; Igor Stravinsky for his fantastic work in The Rite of Spring, and John Williams for his countless film scores. For me, music is a magic carpet that carries me to beautiful new worlds; each journey is different.

Great music is an intoxicating elixir, the essence of life.

Website: ashmadni.com
Facebook: facebook.com/100063623291445
Streaming Series (Multiple): Greg Anderson’s SEI Universe

As a musician, I am a classically trained trumpet player and proud soldier in the 63rd Army Band. In this unit, I am a trumpeter, vocalist, and French horn player. As a teacher, my career is about putting my students first. Composing is no different. Shadowland was written with my students in mind and as part of the process. I knew what skills they knew and needed to learn. They told me what style of music they wanted to play. Shadowland was the result. Shadowland was premiered by the orchestra students in my school. It reinforces previously learned notes and rhythms and builds technique in all sections. My students are always the inspiration, and I am grateful Shadowland was chosen as an Editors’ Choice selection.

My background as a musician and composer involves both a bachelor’s degree in music education and performance (percussion) and a master’s in conducting from Oakland University. For both of these degrees, I studied composition privately with Terry Herald and focused on a wide variety of styles and techniques. Creating interesting rhythms is always one of my major focus areas in my compositions. Finding ways for musicians of all ages to embrace and learn different rhythms is something I love to do with my pieces. In addition to that, teaching students on a daily basis gives me direct feedback as to what pedagogical concepts are less represented in our repertoire. I like to take that information and use it as inspiration for new works.

My Editors’ Choice selection, Against the Tide, is a string orchestra composition that I completed recently for C. Alan Publications. At the time, I was playing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and was inspired by the music in the video game. I had this high-seas adventurous-type material in my head, and that’s how this piece was born. In addition to capturing the thematic material, I wanted to give students an opportunity to work on different bowing styles and articulations, performing interlocking parts, and utilizing both arco and pizzicato in the same piece of music.

Website: c-alanpublications.com/mety-david

I am a violinist and orchestra teacher with a passion for film scores! I grew up in Michigan creating tunes and short songs from a young age. My passion for composing reignited during COVID. While teaching remotely full time, I went back to school to get my master’s in music composition. During that time, I focused on studying film scores and composed for several small films.

I love combining my love of cinematic composing and my love of teaching. Writing for my students gets them involved in the compositional process and shows them another outlet for their musical expression.

My students are my inspiration. I aspire to create music that teaches them specific skills in a cinematic style. The first step of my process is to come up with a title or a story. If I come up with a good concept, then the sound pallet I want to work with follows quickly.

Sagittarius A* is an epic space adventure written for my eighth-grade orchestra. This piece developed their rhythm independence and new finger patterns in an exciting way! The idea evolved when a student challenged me after a joint band and orchestra concert. The band played a space piece and used a light projector to project images on the back wall while the students played in pitch black. After their performance, one of my students said, “Why don’t we ever play anything cool like that?” I took this as a personal challenge to create a piece that would wow both my student and the audience.

I’d love to hear from you! Check out my website and follow me on Instagram. I’m open for commission work and available for online classroom visits.

Website: jgrmuse.weebly.com
Instagram: @knead_the_music97

My initial music degrees were in viola performance, and I worked for several years as a symphony and chamber musician before discovering a passion for teaching and learning. After pursuing my education certification, I served as a grade 4– 12 orchestra teacher in Ohio for over a decade. I subsequently earned my Ph.D. in music education for the purposes of working with future music teachers, and currently serve as an associate professor at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia.

As a classically trained music educator who also developed an interest and affection for early 20^th-century Black American vernacular music – ragtime, blues, and jazz – I am quite enthusiastic about providing young string players the opportunity to perform arrangements of this music. I believe the syncopated rhythms and the rich, close harmonies of works from this period – in this case, Europe and Dabney’s The Castle Walk Rag and Handy’s The Memphis Blues – provide challenging and enjoyable learning experiences for school orchestra students.

Website: www.rickwebbmusic.com

Handbells

My name is Billy Brandt, and I am Director of Choirs at Freedom High School in Freedom, Wisconsin. As part of my job, I direct not only the vocal ensembles but also our handbell ensemble. Moreover, I direct the handbell program at my local church where we have a youth choir and an advanced adult group.

While I see myself as an educator first, I started composing music for handbells mainly to write pieces that I could not find within the current handbell repertoire. It was out of this that my piece The Turtle Dove was born. I had originally heard the melody as a choral piece more than a decade ago, and it has since stuck in the back of my mind. The melody holds themes of longing, striving, and love, and I immediately heard those elements through the timbres of handbells. To my surprise, the tune hadn’t really been set for handbells, so I went about recalling the melody, which was still stuck in my mind, and setting it for bells. From the beginning, I wanted to make sure that the piece would be versatile and playable by a variety of groups. Another key inclusion that I settled on early was the use of flute to play along with the bells. Throughout the piece, the bells and flute take turns stating the melody as if the verses were two different voices vowing their similar hopes.

In the coming months I have several pieces that will be entering publication, including my first original work entitled The Night Rain Danced, which will be premiered in England in 2025. I do not have a website yet, but if people want to follow my journey of composing I encourage them to follow me on Facebook. You can also search my name on J.W. Pepper the next time you are programming repertoire – maybe you will find a piece you like!

I am an organist and pianist, mainly writing church music for service use. My creative process for handbell pieces usually begins by reflecting on a hymn – the meaning of the text, and the essence and natural shape of the melody. For original pieces, it begins with reflection on a concept or idea, framed by the parameters of a given ensemble or use. The purpose, range, requests, and potential of the group are large inspirations. From there, I improvise (as organists do) to explore keys, sound combinations, and harmonic possibilities at a piano. I sketch my ideas by hand on paper, and then move to a cleaner print process using a computer. It’s usually a consuming process of several days with several drafts…and it is a particular blessing when my church group can play trial runs for me.

A ni sogoma came as a commission during the COVID-19 shutdown. A member of the Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble asked me if I might help supply an original piece that they could rehearse with a temporarily smaller number of players and also have permission to record it while using different online formats to communicate and rehearse. This is what I wrote to the director in January 2020:

“With all that happened in our country this summer, my thought for this piece was to put to use an increased reflection on racial awareness and acknowledge influences by incorporating djembe rhythms out of West Africa. I found it notable that, in Mali, using music to call people to gather had the connotation of gathering in harmony and peace. The traditional music of Mali is under persecution now. Separated by COVID-19 restrictions and many other barriers people experience, the idea of hoping to meet together again in harmony and peace is something we definitely all want.”

I also like how this piece’s inspiration can serve Christian churches in a larger way by highlighting festivals or times that acknowledge Christ the King – whether for Advent, Christmas, or other festivals.

Website: https://musicbytyleen.weebly.com/

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