These shows are on the cutting edge for bands who want to take advantage of more advanced, sophisticated programming while continuing to develop superior musicianship. These are exciting programs with energy and showmanship front and center.  Let NightMusik.com join you in creating your most memorable performances!

Percussion arrangements by John Willmarth for the Performance Series are designed to challenge students in exposed moments while drawing on more standard rhythms and patterns in accompaniment sections. The tenor parts use some sweeps and crosses but draw on typical motion patterns throughout. The bass drum parts require some roll technique in the top two drums and employ standard “eights” split patterns using eighths, sixteenths, and sixteenth note triplets.

Rudimental Vocabulary: accent/tap combinations, Duple and Triple roll patterns, tap drags (single drag tap), Paradiddle and Paradiddle-diddle variations, single stroke 7, and hertas

Keyboard parts utilize primarily 2-mallet technique. 4-mallet technique is periodically employed in the marimba and vibe parts and some permutations are utilized. Some pedaling is required in the timpani parts. Accessory percussion parts are designed for less experienced players.

Category: "Performance" Series, The 2013 Shows /

arranged by Leslie Gilreath with percussion by John Willmarth (Performance time: 7:45)

This exciting program is a futuristic spy thriller based on Dvorak’s New World Symphony.  Full of intrigue and suspense, this show will take your audience into an exciting “New World!”   It’s a four-movement modernization of this well-known and much-loved symphony.  It features a soprano saxophone solo in the opening, baritone solos in transition, and a beautiful clarinet solo in the familiar “Largo.”  The final movement features piano and guitar solos.  The ending is triumphant, and there is much fun to be had throughout.  It is written for an extended front ensemble including synthesizers, drum set, piano, and optional electric guitar with optional voiceovers and sound effects. Students, judges, and audiences love it.  It’s challenging yet playable, and it is a rewarding show to produce. Engage your students in this “Operation: New World,” and stamp their next season, “Mission Accomplished.”

Listen to “Operation: New World”

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Category: "Performance" Series /

by Leslie Gilreath

The 23 Enigma is a fascinating phenomenon correlating common, every day occurrences as well as some of the most significant events in history with the number 23.  The  numerals in the date 9/11/2001, when added together total 23.  Each parent contributes 23 chromosomes. The letter “W” is the 23rd letter of the alphabet, and it has 2 points down, and 3 points up. It takes 23 seconds for blood to circulate through the body. And, the list goes on and on.  Are these freak coincidences?  Are they?

Listen to Enigma XXIII

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Category: "Performance" Series /

arranged by Leslie Gilreath with percussion by John Willmarth (Performance Time 7:30)

This is the age-old story of one very unique little girl who found herself in a particularly precarious situation.  This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood as told through the musical eyes of Mozart, Beethoven, Tchesnokoff, and Bela Bartok.  It is undoubtedly the single most popular show with audiences that I’ve done. It’s simple–the story is in the music.

Movement I: Red becomes “Queen of the Night” as she walks through the “Moonlight Sonata” lit woods.   Twinkles of little stars light her way until the blood moon rises and she encounters the Wolf.

Movement II: The struggle between the danger, the desire of forbidden love and the need for redemption and salvation plays out in this creative treatment of “Salvation is Created.”

Movement III: This is the chase.  Bartok’s “Allegro Barbaro” becomes the soundtrack to the fear, the aggression, and finally the revenge that meets the wolf at the hands of Little Red.

Listen to “RED”

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Perusal Wind Score Perusal Percussion Score

See Flag Designs for “RED”

Category: "Performance" Series /

by Leslie Gilreath with percussion by Bill Register

On June 1, 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, left Miami Florida on what was to be a flight around the world–the first for a woman. Erhart had already set records for flight distance, speed, and altitude and had become a symbol of rising above limitations placed on her by other people, but she was  determinded to be the first woman to fly around the world. After crashing in Hawaii during her first attempt, she had her plane repaired and headed east around the equator. On June 28, she landed in New Guinnea and sent their parachutes home before the longest overwater part of their flight–some 2,200 miles to Howland Island in the Pacific. They never arrived. This is a program about determination, about reaching higher, about believing that you can do anything. This is a tribute to her final fight, off into the horizion.

I. The Lockheed Electra: Amelia’s plane–this captures the anticipation and excitement of climbing into the plane and starting down the runway on this incredible voyage.
II. Lady Lindy: a name given Earhart as she would become the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.
It is the enduring spirit and determination of this incredible woman that inspires us all to reach for
the skies.
IIl. Into the Horizon: Their final takeoff is a lesson for us all in believing in ourselves to do the
impossible. The journey being more important than the destination is not only true, but also now
written forever in the skies!

Listen

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See Flag Designs for “THROUGH ENDLESS SKIES”

Category: "Performance" Series /

by Leslie Gilreath with NEW PERCUSSION ARRANGEMENTS by John Willmarth (Performance Time 7:05)

This program is not for the faint of heart. It’s about the voice in our head asking, “Was that a knock at the door? What was that noise? Is someone there?” It’s a contemporary musical book with hints of minimalism and shades of “what was that?”  It has great textures and great energy.  It’s sophisticated, it’s a little psycho, and your students will love it.  It’s  an especially great program for a smaller band with good players. It makes use of voiceovers and electronics and is good for those who need a little smoke and mirrors AND even better for those who don’t. Leave your audience wondering what lurks on the other side of the door!

Listen to “Fear: the Other Side”

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Category: "Performance" Series /

arr. Leslie Gilreath (Performance Time: 8:25)
commissioned by NightMusik.com

Be the first to perform this completely new show celebrating one of the oldest competitive traditions in our nation’s history–the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Only 11 horses have ever won this ultimate title, but as of 2008, there had been 3,889 who tried. There hasn’t been a winner since 1978. The ultimate title—the ultimate challenge is the inspiration for this show. Charge your students with reaching their level of ultimate performance excellence with this program about giving it all toward the finish line!

I: “Morning at Churchill”:This movement takes you to Louisville, Kentucky, where many a colt and filly wake to run and play in the rolling hills. The morning of the Kentucky Derby has a special energy–something in the air. This winner of this day’s race is on the road to the Triple Crown.

II: “Old Hilltop”: At the Preakness, the grassy hill in the middle of the track, where people gather is known as “Old Hilltop.” This movement celebrates the power, beauty, grace, and agility of these magnificent creatures. This is the breath you take when you stand in awe of something as incredible as these wonderful animals.

III: “The Finish Line at Belmont”: This is the final test, the last hurdle, the ultimate finish line where heart and determination are the key to success. Who will lead? Who will follow? It’s about the test of all tests to see who has what it takes, and who will reach the ultimate goal.

Listen to “Chasing the Triple Crown”

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Category: "Performance" Series /

by Leslie Gilreath *with New Percussion by John Willmarth*

This is a fresh, contemporary show featuring piano and flute solos with electronic drum set that will take your band places they’ve never been before.  In the age of GPS and satellite navigation, we are able to find places and things that may have been hidden from us before. Travel and destination inquiry have been changed forever, and your students can chart their own course with this program.  How far you go and where you end up will always depend on….YOU!
Scored as a single movement, this program is designed for smaller instrumentation.  It’s playable, fun to perform, and it will set you apart from the first bar.

Listen 

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See Flag Designs for “DESTINATION UNKNOWN”

Category: "Performance" Series /

by Leslie Gilreath (Performance Time: 7:30)

Sometimes the simplest, seemingly least-interesting things like a button, a piece of broken glass, a bead or a pebble can suddenly become beautiful when viewed through a Kaleidoscope.  The mirrors within show us the most insignificant things from all angles and from many perspectives and turn ordinary items into an extraordinary, constantly evolving piece of art.  When our perspectives change and we see each other from different angles, we learn how to appreciate the unique value in small things and recognize the wonder in everyone and everything.

Mvt I:  “Circular Mirrors”
Mvt II: “Pieces”
Mvt III: “Changing Perspectives”
Mvt IV: “Art is Everywhere”

Listen to “KALEIDOSCOPE”

Perusal  Wind Score to view

Category: "Performance" Series /