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There's not much to say about this piece, it is a three-part fugue with modest pretensions in that sweetest of keys, D minor. Like my canons the primary material is derived from encoded names in mod-7 form with free accidentals.

It's lovely! m. 5, Bb vs. B m. 64, Bb vs. B, also a very abrupt transition into the next kind of rhythmic section. Your syncopations are nice, but should be notated differently... dotted rhythms should not over extend the middle of the bar or internal phrase. Could do with some more chord changes along with some really nice peaks and valleys. All of it kind of stays within the same dynamic, atmospheric, and harmonic language, and I think branching out could help. In terms of moving, this would be a good time to modulate (either by half step or submediant), if you wanted to, and the rhythmic idea you transitioned into can the basis of this new section. It has a lot of potential! Good luck

Hi Noah, Nicely done! I love the story and they way the musical textures track with it. Also, very nice use of the colors of the wind ensemble for variety. A couple of cautions about the saxophones: Alto and tenor saxes above more than two ledger lines above the staff (transposed) project a lot. This can be fine in a solo passage, but high saxophones can dominate tutti textures (and not in a good way). Also, note that intonation in that register for saxes is problematic as they tend to go sharp trying to maintain the compression needed for those notes. Finally, there are conventions for wind bands that are different from orchestral writing. Some comments on band-specific things in the score: General 1. When possible, favor flat keys over sharps. Db and Gb are highly preferrable to C# and F# for a band, and even Cb can be easier to read than B if you use a lot of E#s and B#s. Remember that the transposing instruments in a band universally add sharps, so a key signature that starts with sharps gets gnarly pretty fast. 2. Check the spelling of your lines after transposing. A line in all sharps in concert pitch will start producing double sharps when transposed. Instrument-specific 1. The piccolo is notated with a standard treble clef. The octave transposition is assumed. Using the transposing treble clef may introduce a question as to which octave the part should be played in. 2. The current practice is to group all double reeds together from high to low, so Bassoons would go immediately below Oboes. This makes it clearer for the conductor to distinguish WW families by sight. 3. Bass Clarinet is always in treble clef, written up M9 from concert pitch. Bass clef is no longer routinely taught to bass clarinetists, even in universities. 4. Trumpets go above Horns in a wind ensemble score (opposite from orchestra). This arranges the brass from high to low. 5. Trumpets are always in Bb. Many wind band trumpet players will not even own a C Trumpet. 6. Horns are always in treble clef, regardless of ledger lines. 7. When you get the opportunity to perform this, please provide both treble clef (in Bb, up M9) and bass clef (concert pitch) Euphonium parts. The players will thank you! 8. The key of the Tuba should not be specified. Most wind ensemble tuba players will be playing a BBb, since that provides the largest sound to support the band. Some will use an oversized Eb to do the same thing, but it's not something to count on. CC and F tubas are rarer in bands since they are harder to tune with the Bb brass (trumpets, trombones, and euphonium). 9. Always write ledger lines below the staff for the tubas in their parts. It is acceptable to use 8vb in a score to minimize ledger lines. The transposing bass clef should not be used for this purpose. 10. You might get something unexpected when writing x noteheads for the Snare Drum. Some drummers will see that an assume it's on the rim. (If there was a specific effect for the x noteheads, I didn't see it called out.) 11. Snare and Bass Drum can share a 5-line percussion staff. Place bass drum in the first space, stems down; place snare drum in the third space, stems up. This is a common convention dating from the Sousa era.

Uhhhh sure. That's fine. I'll give the other people who've posted here already the time and chance to edit their stuff if necessary too.

I think it very well done for a first attempt.. You have some very nice things going on.. My personal opinion would be , to soften the snare drum, it draws too much attention to itself. Or perhaps use the stick sound of the snare.. Built the drums like you did some of the different parts.. Start drums a bit simpler.. maybe kick alone for 2-4 bars, then stick, less busy pattern for a couple of bars, then full on. A simpler tom roll. excellent drum stop at end.. On 4th listen now.. I love the interweaving of parts. yes good work..