Shepherd's Song

The beautiful Shepherd's Song reflects the tranquillity of the French countryside. Dr. Kevin Thompson is a leading British authority on bands and his sensitive score is ideal for smaller groups, providing training for phrasing and ensemble playing.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 2.5 | Duration: 3:30

Instrumentation
Flute/Piccolo*
Oboe*
1st Bb Clarinet
2nd Bb Clarinet
3rd Bb Clarinet
Eb Alto Clarinet*
Bb Bass Clarinet*
1st/2nd Eb Alto Saxophone*
Bb Tenor Saxophone*
Eb Baritone Saxophone*

1st F Horn
2nd F Horn
1st/2nd Bb Trumpet
1st/2nd* Trombone
Euphonium
(TC Baritone)
Tuba

Timpani
Percussion* (suspended cymbal, triangle)

Parts marked with as asterisk (*) are NOT ESSENTIAL, although their presence will obviously enable a fuller realization of the composer's intentions to be achieved.

Program Notes
The beautiful Shepherd's Song reflects the tranquillity of the French countryside. Dr. Kevin Thompson is a leading British authority on bands and his sensitive score is ideal for smaller groups, providing training for phrasing and ensemble playing.

Professor Kevin Thompson is Principal and Chief Executive of Dartington College of Arts, a University Sector institution dedicated to the performance arts.After undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, he gained masters and subsequently doctoral degrees at the University of London. He began his career as a professional trumpet player, conductor, composer and teacher.

He was the architect of University of Salford’s degree in band musicianship, launched in 1987 and the first of its kind. From 1988 - 1993 he was Principal of Birmingham Conservatoire and during this time was elected to a personal professorship and subsequently a Deanship chair.On his arrival at Dartington, he was made an honorary Professor by the University of Plymouth. In 1992 he gained a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study the Great American Music Schools: Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, Indiana. Other awards include those of the British Association for American Studies and the British Council for the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He is a Freeman of the City of London.

His publications include a book on brass and wind bands published by Cambridge University, many articles in Times Newspaper and other leading British and American journals. The book on wind and brass bands became a key text in many college and university reading lists and was read extensively throughout the English speaking world, particularly in North America and the Pacific Rim. He is joint editor, with Dr Gordon Cox of the new eleven volume series on brass playing and teaching and author of two of the volumes.