Michael Gandolfi

Steps Ahead

Steps Ahead is a new BandQuest work by Michael Gandolfi that takes young players on a journey! Along the way, there are musical/compositional techniques that are intended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques that are intended to educate the performers about basic compositional techniques. Steps Ahead is a delightful piece with something interesting for every instrument in the ensemble. Each of its three sections addresses a kind of compositional technique - transposition, tutti (a 2-part homophonic section) and developing tutti (parts of the band enter to build to a 2-part homophonic tutti). Less experienced players might enjoy the challenges of easy syncopation and musical lines constructed with larger intervals. -Tom Duffy, series editor. BandQuest, an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band, is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new, fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire.