A Study of the Process of Commissioning New Music for the Concert Band

Abstract

This study examined the process of commissioning a new composition for the concert band. Composer Brian Balmages was commissioned to write a piece for concert band that had standard band instrumentation and was of Grade IV difficulty. The Temple of the Murals was given its world premiere performance on October 30, 2010 on the campus of Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas by an honor band (N=41) comprised of high school and college musicians from the Southwest Kansas region. The Ensemble Members Attitude Survey (EMAS) was given to the participants as a pre-survey at the beginning of the clinic sessions and again as a post-survey before the premiere performance. At the same time, a qualitative study was employed to examine the rationales that wind band conductors and composers may have for commissioning new music for the concert band. Participants in the qualitative study (N=4) were interviewed three separate times using similar interview questions. The researcher then transcribed the interviews and formulated themes from the data. An external reviewer was employed to review the transcripts of the interviews. Results largely indicated no significant differences between pre and post administrations of the survey. Post-administration outcomes demonstrated participants' positive orientation towards the commissioned work and the composer, specific musical concepts, and new music in general. Themes to emerge from the qualitative study included the notions of connectivity with students, a desire to improve and expand the repertoire of the wind band, and providing students with a unique musical experience. Connections were found between the survey and qualitative aspects of the study.