Program Notes I have always enjoyed writing my music utilizing elements from different genres for inspiration. Perhaps this is due to growing up as part of the Millennial generation; since I have practically always had access to the internet, I have therefore had access to every kind of music imaginable in a matter of seconds. It’s an interesting time to be alive in music history – almost anyone in the world can hear what just about anyone anywhere else in the world creates. So, the formation of hybrid music just makes sense to me! I can attribute the musical ideas presented in March for Jazz directly to experiences I have had playing in Wind Ensembles, Jazz Bands and Gospel groups. I hope it pleases your ears like it does mine – I am extremely grateful for the amount of accessibility we have living in the 21st century.
Performance Notes March for Jazz utilizes elements found in band marches, such as familiar percussion and bass line figures and modulating to key a fifth away, while hybridizing genres using "jazz" harmony and chords. Articulation and dynamics should be exaggerated for the best effect. An option Wood Blocks part is written in the Percussion 2 part if 2 players are available to cover the Percussion 2 part. The optional coda is repeated material with a trumpet cadenza, written with a guest player in mind, such as a band director, trumpet lessons teacher or outstanding high school player.
Composer Bio Haley Woodrow is a composer, educator and trumpet player. Haley served as orchestra director and arranger for Cornerstone Baptist Church from 2006-2013, and is author of the music fundamentals curriculum, The Practical Musician. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Music in jazz studies from the University of Texas at Arlington and earned her Master’s of Music in composition from Texas Christian University in 2016. In 2015 and 2016, Haley was the Band Division winner of the TMEA College Composition Contests for her composition And it Begins and March for Jazz, respectively. Her jazz band arrangement Something Entirely Different won first place in the 2015 Noteflight Big Band Composition Contest, and is published by Hal Leonard. Haley has been commissioned by the Rising Star High School Jazz Band, the Santo High School Marching Band and the Killian Middle School Saxophone Trio. Her concert works have received performances at the TMEA convention, multiple SCI conferences, the Houston Underground Saxophone Competition, various Texas and Kansas Jazz Festivals and have been recorded on the 2016 TCU Christmas album and the 2007 and 2008 UTArlington Jazz Orchestra albums. Haley currently lives in Bedford, Texas with her husband and miniature schnauzer, where she works as a self-employed musician.