Meechan Music Wind of Change - Meechan - Concert Band - Gr. 2.5 - 3

Composer: Peter Meechan
Format: Score and Parts
Instrumentation: Concert Band
Level: 2.5 - 3 (Moderate)

Program Note
Written to celebrate the 32 year career of Edmonton based band teacher Jayne Montgomery Barnes on her retirement, Wind of Change is inspired by her three decades of dedication to music education.

When considering ideas for the piece, I thought of all the things that have changed in education, in technology, in music, and in band teaching, and how the world has changed in three decades - perhaps more so than in any other 30 year period of our history on earth.

But at the same time as thinking about all those changes, there are some things that haven't changed - music is still a rich part of the human soul, the sense of community that playing in a musical group brings to those in the ensemble remains an important part of the fabric of society, and the pride, the enjoyment and the love felt for music by those that perform it, and those who listen to it sustains generation after generation.

Musically, this is something that is represented in Wind of Change, too. Some ideas can be heard at the beginning, middle and end of the piece, and others change and develop.

Countless numbers of young people have learned to play, enjoy, and love music under the tutelage of Jayne Montgomery Barnes during her 32-year career.

The latter 16 of those years have been spent at Ottewell School (Edmonton, Alberta), and to celebrate this wonderful career and achievement, Wind of Change was commissioned by Ottewell School and the Ottewell Band Parent Association.

Wind of Change is dedicated to Jayne Montgomery Barnes and Ottewell Junior High Concert Band. - Peter Meechan, January 2018

Duration: 4:00