Music includes:
Hurt, by Trent Reznor
I Can See Clearly Now, by Johnny Nash
Original music, by Brian Blume

Intermediate/Advanced A Class Indoor Percussion Show
Originally written for and performed by Northview H.S.

There are times when it's hard to get a clear picture of what is happening in the world around us, or even in our own lives. When things are ambiguous, undefined, not grounded in anything relatable. Or maybe when our emotional and internal vision is clouded by pain and hurt. But for many, coming through a painful or difficult time can provide a clearer vision and understanding than ever before. Using original music, Trent Reznor's "Hurt", and Johnny Nash's, "I Can See Clearly Now", this show takes us on a journey of what it means for our lives to come Into Focus.

(Artwork by Tim Keller)

Into Focus

Franz Schubert's "Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel" arranged for marimba/vibraphone duet by Brian Blume.

Sheet music available from Tapspace at www.tapspace.com.

Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel

An extended version of the IU football commercial. 

IU Football Commercial (2m version)

There is much more to growing than mere physical growth. This show explores what it means to grow in life; to grow together, to grow apart, to grow up. Part 1 is about the childlike joy of growing up – natural, easy growth. Part 2 presents the challenges of life – loss, pain, suffering – that cause us to grow through struggles. Part 3 is learning to overcome the adversity and growing stronger together. How do you choose to grow?

Grow

Based on Symphony No. 2, by Philip Glass. The black widow is the most deadly spider in North America. But she is also known for her deception and for turning on her mate. This show explores the metaphorical black widow, the way she draws you in, uses you for what she wants, and moves on.

Black Widow

Music includes:
Original music, by Brian Blume
Carl Goes Up, (from Disney's UP), by Michael Giacchino
Fly Away, by Lenny Kravitz

Audio samples from:
US Airways flight 1549 radio recording
TED talk, by Ric Elias (passenger on the flight)

Intermediate/Easy Open Class Indoor Percussion Show
Originally written for and performed by Franklin Community H.S.

Learn To Fly

Music from:
Pure Imagination, by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Symphony No. 9 (New World), by Antonin Dvorak

Audio samples provided by Kody Jones

Intermediate/Easy Open Class Indoor Percussion Show
Originally written for and performed by Northview H.S.

(Artwork by Tim Keller)

New Worlds

Music from:
Friction, by Brian Blume
Friction, by Imagine Dragons

Intermediate/Easy Open Class Indoor Percussion Show
Originally written for and performed by Northview H.S.

(Artwork by Tim Keller)

Friction

Persistence is scored for five percussionists who play a mixture of pitched and non-pitched instruments through ever-changing time signatures (mostly 7/8 and 3/4 alternating). Players often share instruments, with as many as four players on two marimbas at one time. The title emerged from the persistent 16th-note rhythm played on the metal pipe throughout much of the piece. Even while meters and accents change, the pipe is persistently moving the music forward. Inspired in part by the sounds and rhythms of Trent Reznor, Persistence provides an opportunity for performers and listeners to explore the blending of sounds and colors while navigating different ways to feel and interpret rhythmic grooves.

Persistence was composed in the spring of 2015 for the Southeastern University Percussion Ensemble (Lakeland, FL) and premiered at the McCormick Marimba Festival at the University of South Florida in Tampa on January 30, 2016.

Percussion Ensemble

Persistence

The Southern Black Racer is a relatively small species of snake found in Florida and the southern regions of the United States. They can move very quickly (hence the name), but are generally harmless to humans. I learned of this species because I had to free one of these snakes from a sticky insect trap in my garage, and I wanted to confirm the snake was not venomous before handling it. While this piece of music has little to do with a snake, my encounter with a Black Racer occurred as I was nearing the end of writing this work and searching for a title, so this cool sounding snake species became the title of the piece.

Each performer has a large tom-tom, a cymbal (graduated in size, if possible), and one other instrument (bongos, temple blocks, and two with glockenspiel).

Black Racer

Songs of Eden is a collection of five vibraphone and marimba duets, composed with the less experienced player in mind. The first two, especially, are suitable for the earliest players, and the latter three add a few elements of difficulty while remaining quite achievable by middle school or high school students. These may also make great reading exercises for more advanced students (student with a teacher, perhaps), or they may be useful in a college pedagogy course.

About the Music

In July 2015, my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world, and fatherhood has profoundly changed and enriched my life. As I began writing these pieces, I couldn’t help but think of little kids, and naturally, I kept coming back to thoughts of my own daughter, and so these five pieces are inspired by the incredibly joyful experience of being a dad. I also wish to capture a bit of the essence of the joy, beauty, fun, peace, and purity of the Garden of Eden.

I. Follow Me - After one person makes a statement, the other repeats the statement. Young children are known for copying their parents (or whomever!), as this is a major way they learn about the world. Built on scales, arpeggios, and a very familiar chord progression (I-IV-V-I), this is a great first duet.

II. Afternoon Song - A lazy afternoon song inspired by swinging in the backyard, strolling through the neighborhood, or sitting and watching the birds out the window.

III. Skip Step - This throwback to the Baroque period is built using a skip-step motif (i.e., skip up a third, step down a second). The title holds another meaning as it refers to a child skipping around or perhaps a child first learning to walk and taking a large step forward and having to take a small step backward to regain balance.

IV. A Moment - While being a parent brings some stressful challenges, it also includes some special peaceful moments with your little one. This piece is inspired by such a moment. It challenges players with a little more chromaticism than the previous works and allows for growth of musicianship through expressiveness.

V. Toddler Escapades - Children always seem to be creating an adventure, if only in their imaginations. This faster-paced piece explores more challenging articulations in the vibraphone as it takes us on a little escapade through unexpected harmonies and exciting rhythms. 

V. Toddler Escapades

IV. A Moment

III. Skip Step

II. Afternoon Song

I. Follow Me

Music from "Morning Passages" by Philip Glass, and "Melrose Avenue" by California Guitar Trio.
Arranged by Brian Blume
Medium/Easy A Class Indoor Percussion Show
Originally written for and performed by Northview H.S. (2012 IPA Class A State Champion)

What is a destination? Is it a place? Or is it an idea? How will we know when we reach our destination? Will I travel alone or will others join me? Will I take the beaten path or create my own? Is a destination the end, or is it a new beginning? These are some of the ideas explored in this thoughtful and musically pleasing show.

Destinations

Between 1240 and 1579 A.D., local churches and monasteries in England conducted many theatrical performances intended to educate the (mostly illiterate) people about the mysteries of theology. Coventry was one of many cities where these pageants took place, and it hosted some of the most popular plays of the time. One such play was The Pageant of the Shearman and Tailors, depicting Herod’s slaughter of innocent children (Matt. 2:13-20), from which this carol, originally known as “Lully, Lullay,” comes. 

This arrangement for six players was premiered by the Southeastern University Percussion Ensemble in December, 2017.

This audio recording was recorded by Brian Blume.

Coventry Carol

“...like a burden too heavy” is a reflection on the struggles and limitations we face as humans. Some refer to the “human condition,” others may speak of “sin.” But at some point, we all feel weighed down by our inadequacies and shortcomings, by our often futile strivings.

The title of the piece comes from Psalm 38, in which the writer laments,

“My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.”

And later he writes,

“I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.
All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.”

My hope is that the performer senses and reflects some of this weariness and weight in the music. However, it is up to the performer and audience alike to decide what it is that causes this heaviness, personally.

... like a burden too heavy

Written by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt is the incidental music to Henrik Ibsen’s 1867 play of the same name. Grieg later extracted eight movements to create two four-movement suites. Anitra’s Dance comes from the first of these two suites, followed by the better-known movement, In the Hall of the Mountain King. 

Anitra’s Dance is originally scored for strings and triangle, and much of the piece calls for pizzicato playing in the strings. The percussive nature of the pizzicato articulations transfers rather seamlessly to the idiom of percussion ensemble. In this arrangement, the form, key, harmony, and style of the piece remain unchanged. However, I took some liberties in orchestration, texture, and timbre by adding several un-pitched percussion instruments to expand the timbral palette, and by enhancing segments of melodic material with arpeggiated harmonies and rapid scalar passages (primarily in the marimba voice). 

Anitra's Dance, by Edvard Grieg (Arr. Brian Blume)

Music from Gargoyles (Mvts 3 and 4), by Lowell Liebermann, and
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 (Anitra's Dance and In the Hall of the Mountain King), by Edvard Grieg
Arranged by Brian Blume
Originally written for and performed by Greenfield-Central H.S.

(Photo by Tony Karp)

Shadows

Music from The Planets, by Gustav Holst
Arranged by Brian Blume
Intermediate A Class Indoor Percussion Show
Originally written for and performed by Northview H.S. (2013 IPA Class A State Champion)

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, when asked, “What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the universe?” gave a most astounding answer. Recognizing that we are made of the same elements that swirled around from the beginning of the universe, Tyson feels a deep connection to all that is out there. Using the text from Tyson’s interview with TIME Magazine, and well-known music from the Planets, this show explores what Tyson and others consider to be The Most Astounding Fact.

(Artwork by Tim Keller)

The Most Astounding Fact

Available at www.tapspace.com

In many ways, we are a product of our influences. As a composer, this is most certainly true, as the music which comes out of my imagination is some sort of conglomeration and distillation of all the music I have heard over the course of my life. When I was asked to compose a piece for Indiana University’s percussion ensemble, it immediately made me think back to my experiences as a student at Indiana. I thought of the many ways in which I grew as a player and musician throughout my time in Bloomington. The musician I am today is very much a result of the influences of professors, students, performances, and the many diverse musical experiences I was fortunate enough to gain during that time. When I entered IU as a freshman, my musical world was very small. When I left IU with a masters degree, the doors to many new worlds had been thrown open, and I realized I had only just begun exploring the vast expanse of not only the world of percussion, but the broader realms of all kinds of music.

During the composition of Under the INfluence, I was constantly looking back and drawing on some specific and some not-so-specific influences. Examples include my marching percussion/drum corps background, certain composers or pieces I played or encountered during my time at IU, the pop music I might have listened to in college, or more generally, the simple idea that percussion music can be made from endless types of sounds, most of which I had never been exposed to before college.

Whether or not the listener always recognizes where a musical or timbral idea comes from, I hope that the piece captures a part of my journey as a musician––a journey I am still traveling every day. I also wish for this piece to be an expression of gratitude for the many people and experiences that influenced me and helped shape who I am today.

Under The INfluence

Percussionist, composer, and educator Brian Blume has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, and studio percussionist, with ensembles such as the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, BluHill Percussion Duo, Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Indianapolis Colts Drumline. Brian currently serves as Assistant Professor of Percussion at Southeastern University (Lakeland, FL), where he oversees the percussion studio, teaches music theory and history, and directs the SEU Fireline. Prior to his appointment at SEU, Brian taught percussion at Center Grove High School (Greenwood, IN), who boasts one of the nation’s premiere high school percussion programs. As a composer, Brian has received numerous commissions and has works published by Tapspace Publications, PercMaster Publications, and drop6 media. Brian earned both Master and Bachelor of Music degrees in percussion performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. For more, visit www.brianblumemusic.com.

briancblume

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