Hope on the Horizon (Band Gr. 6)

Hope on the Horizon invites audiences, musicians, and conductors into a deeply personal world. Three diverse musical movements bare their heart and soul, inviting all to share in the healing power of music.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Series: Diamond Band Series
Level: 6 | Duration: 20:00

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score (11x17 spiral bound)

Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon 1
Bassoon 2
Contrabassoon
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
B-flat Clarinet 3
B-flat Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone 1
Alto Saxophone 2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

B-flat Trumpet 1
B-flat Trumpet 2
B-flat Trumpet 3
F Horn 1
F Horn 2
F Horn 3
F Horn 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
B-flat Euphonium T.C.
Tuba

Electric Guitar
Electric Bass
Piano
Harp

Timpani (4 drums), Sleigh Bells, Suspended Cymbal
Drum Set: Standard Kit + Sizzle Cymbal
Percussion 1: Bells, Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbals, Ocean Drum, Bongos, 2 Medium Toms, Temple Blocks
Percussion 2: Crotales (w/ bow), Xylophone, Triangle, Suspended Cymbal, Tambourine, Superball, Bass Drum
Percussion 3: Vibraphone, Bass Drum, Ocean Drum
Percussion 4: Marimba (5-octave), Wind Chimes, Tam_Tam, Splash Cymbal, Suspended Cymbal, Brake Drum

Program Notes
Music heals us. She takes us under her wing and provides a safe haven the evils of the world can’t infiltrate. Back in seventh grade, my best friend at the time and I joined our school’s wrestling team. We were small guys. I personally clocked in at 4’ 11” and weighed 60 pounds. Being the smallest guys on the team led us to being bullied relentlessly by our teammates.

There was this unspoken rule that we had to be tough when enduring their torment. Enduring the pain was bad enough, but to be seen as a “cry baby” by your tormentors would almost be a worse punishment. At least if you “took it like a man” you could hold onto your final shred of dignity after having been stripped of the thousands with every loogie to the face, punch to the gut, and slur to the mind. The most deflating moment was when we finally had the courage to speak to our coach about what had been happening. He initially lambasted everyone on the team for the way they had been treating us over the past year. However, the following day he apologized to everyone for his outburst, and it was like what happened to us didn’t matter. Like WE didn’t matter.

This experience provoked a lot of self-loathing. I hated myself for being small and weak—for being someone people could push around without much resistance. I wanted to die, and I wanted that pain, that sense of helplessness to end.

Reflecting on that time of my life, I realize how this experience was a secret I had to carry. A burden that I never allowed myself to share with others, dwell on, or express emotionally either outwardly or in private. Throughout all that pain, Music was the person I could trust. Music was the friend who brought me comfort and healing when nothing else could.

“For Those We’ve Lost” is a song of lament for the bullied children who didn’t make it to adulthood. For those we lost to suicide—those who felt that their only escape from the torment they faced everyday was to leave this world behind far too soon.

“Golden Shores” is a song of hope. The line “one day we’ll join you on golden shores” expresses hope that we will one day be reunited with the loved ones we’ve lost.

“Sanctuary” is a song of gratitude. Music has been my most trusted life-long friend, a confidant. Music has been both a therapist and a doctor, helping to heal the invisible wounds and the scars of the soul. Whenever I wanted to run away from the world around me, the world that didn’t accept me and made me feel inferior, I could always turn to music for solace, the place I undoubtedly belonged. Music would always be waiting, ready to wrap me up in its cocoon and shield me from the pain that felt impossible to express and made me feel utterly alone.

Thank you, Music, for the sanctuary you provide.

– C.P.