Moxie (Perc Ens 7)

Moxie is a work for keyboard septet that takes inspiration from the likes of Mac Miller, Thundercat, and Michael Gordon. Utilizing minimalistic, and hip-hop influences, Moxie creates an aural atmosphere for the performers and audience to live in.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble | # of Players: 7
Level: Medium Difficult | Duration: 5:30

Instrumentation
Bells [1 pair bell mallets (Moon Gel for muting one bar)]
Vibraphone 1 [4 cord mallets]
Vibraphone 2 [4 cord mallets]
Marimba 1 [4-octave, yarn mallets]
Marimba 2 [4.3-octave, yarn mallets]
Marimba 3 [4.3-octave, yarn mallets]
Marimba 4[5.0-octave, yarn mallets]

*Mallet hardness & weight is left to the discretion of the ensemble.

Program Notes
The idea for Moxie came to me in 2017 as I was finishing my Masters degree at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Being under the tutelage of Dr. Eric Willie for those years is something that I cherish, so I wanted to write a piece that I felt was representative of my time in Greensboro. Capturing the essence of a place that provided me so many different types of opportunities to me meant that I needed to have a piece with multiple styles. Moxie is in two sections, both primarily utilizing a minimalistic approach. The first section having a heavier sounding, more hip-hop based style, with the second section being more subdued and melodious. I have long found a large deal of inspiration from the energy of hip-hop artist Mac Miller. His performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert that happened a few short weeks before his unexpected passing in September 2018 had an immense impact on me as a musician. His performance was so full of excitement/energy, and I wanted to approach Moxie with that same spirit. At the same time, orchestral music such as Beijing Harmony by Michael Gordon sits on the other side of my musical seesaw. The second part of Moxie uses compositional techniques found in most of Gordon’s works. Different melodic/accompaniment material fading in and out of one another, while being passed throughout the ensemble creates a unique encompassing feeling. This work was written as a gift to Dr. Eric Willie and the UNCG Percussion Ensemble, where the most valuable lesson I learned was to have Moxie.