Unit Plan

Homestretch Galop by Karl King - Dusk by Steven Bryant - Symphonic

Dance #3 Fiesta by Clifton Williams

By: Kyori Rivera-Camacho

MUED 355-Instrumental Methods ll

Spring Semester - 2023

Program Rational 3
Basic Information 5
Program Notes 9
Formal Analysis 10
Major Concepts and Skills 11
Calendar 15
Glossary 18
Resources 19
 Program Rational

This program is for a high school wind ensemble which would be for juniors and seniors in high
school. These students would be in the top band of the school, so they would understand how to
play challenging music. They also understand they would need to practice more often. I put all
these pieces in this order because the march usually goes first in a concert program, and I also
like the idea of putting the hardest piece towards the end of the program. Symphonic Dance #3
Fiesta also has a particularly good ending that rounds out the program as well.

Homestretch Galop by Karl King: I feel like this march would do a good job in helping my
students see the form and structure of a march very clearly. From looking at various sources, this
piece is a grade three. I feel like this march would help students learn what the march form is and
be able to learn a couple of rhythms that might be a little bit challenging but will be able to play
by the time MPA rolls around. Marches by Karl King are also well suited for middle and high
school, which also decided why I chose this piece. This piece has things like dramatic dynamic
changes and articulations that I will be able to work with my students. I also think that my
students would very much enjoy playing a march that is not too hard but does need a little bit of
practice.

Dusk by Steven Bryant: This piece is called Dusk by Steven Bryant. Even though this is a grade
three on the FBA list, I feel like I will be able to do a lot of dynamic work with it. This work is
very woodwind-heavy, so the woodwinds would have to be in tune, especially in the beginning.
Tuning would be the most likely thing that I would be focusing on when working on this piece.
We would also be working of time signature changes because there are a lot of them in this piece
and it could get confusing for the students while reading the piece. Overall, this is a beautiful
piece and I think the students would enjoy playing something like this.

Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta by Clifton Williams: This piece is called Symphonic Dance #3
Fiesta by Clifton Williams. This is a grade five on the FBA list and on several other sources.
This piece is very brass oriented which is different from the previous piece on this list. I put this
one last because it ends with a bang, and it is the hardest piece in the cycle. This would improve
our entire brass section, especially when they are supposed to be controlling their sound. We
would also work on the 5/4 section since this time signature is not usually seen in music played
by high schoolers. The rhythm will also be something we will be needing to work on. I think the
students would have a lot of fun playing this piece, especially the trombones at the end of the
piece.
 Mentor Notes

I assume that you wanted musical input, not a writing critique.......Your musical observations are
all right and they are good choices. In your introduction or you may want to add a conclusion
paragraph/sentence that addresses the variety in the program. It has challenging elements for
each section of the band, a variety of concepts for teaching/learning as well as varied musical
selections to create interest for the audience.
Some things on your writing.....
1 - Rationale, not Rational.....two different things
2 - I highlighted "working of time" I think you meant "On"
3 - You used numerals and words for numbers (literature grades).......for consistency, it needs to
be one or the other. I believe there is a rule that if it is under ten you write it out, and over ten
you use the number.......like "Three" and "13"........but in this case either would work, but all need
to be the same.
4 - Symphonic Dance is actually a 5 on the FBA list......publisher site may be a 4
Response: I will be fixing a couple of things written here like being a little bit more in-depth
when it comes to challenging elements of these pieces. I feel like my writing is a little bit too
broad when to these things, so I will try and be more specific with my rationale. Obviously, I will
be fixing any errors that I have made in my writing. I need to be better at checking my work
before sending out my things in writing.
 Basic Information

Homestretch Galop by Karl King: The title of this piece is called Homestretch Galop by Karl

King and is arranged by Gene Milford. The publisher of this piece LudwigMasters Publications.

This piece is a grade 3 and it is in a march style. The grade of the piece meaning that this piece is

definitely for high school players, especially since most of Karl King’s marches are relatively

simple to understand. The key of this piece is in Bb flat major and then it changes to Bb major.

The meter is in 2/4 and the tempo is at quarter note equals 144. The performance will take about

2 minutes depending on the tempo. The instrumentation is 6 flutes/piccolos, 2 oboes, 4 first

clarinets, 4 second clarinets, 4 third clarinets, 2 bass clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 first alto

saxophones, 2 second alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, 1 baritone saxophone, 3 first

trumpets, 3 second trumpets, 3 third trumpets, 1 first horn, 1 second horn, 1 third horn, 1 fourth

horn, 2 first trombones, 2 second trombones, 2 third trombones, 2 TC euphonium, 2 BC

euphonium, 4 tubas, 1 snare drum, 2 percussion 1 parts that include crash cymbals and bass

drum, 1 percussion 2 part that includes orchestra bells. The score is a full score, and it is a

transposed score. The range could be an issue for the first clarinets since it hits a D which is very

high for a clarinet player in high school. This could cause issues with intonation and endurance

since it is up there throughout the entire piece. If we do have a piccolo part, that would cause

intonation issues since for the most part, the piccolos do tend to be out of tune if the player does

not know how to play it well. There might be a need for a decent euphonium player since it has a

couple of runs that might be a little bit difficult for a high school player. The dynamics are going

to be the most important thing to do well for this piece, especially in the trio. Depending on the

size and skill level of the band, this will be a difficult piece for them to play, however, for the
specific band that I have in mind, I think this would work well for them to develop and hone

their skills.

Dusk by Steven Bryant: The title of this piece is Dusk by Steven Bryant and it was published

by Hal Leonard Corporation. The grade of this piece is a grade 3 on the FBA list. This means

that this piece is more for the early or mid high school level. That is part of the reason why I

picked this specific piece. This piece is the melodic and smooth piece for the program. The key

is in Bb major from what it looks like and the meter varies a lot from 4/4, 2/4, and 3/4. This piece

will take between 5 and a half and 6 and a half minutes depending on the tempo that is taken.

Speaking of the temp, the tempo is at quarter note equals 44. The instrumentation parts are as

follows: 3 first flutes, 4 second and third flutes, 1 first oboe, 1 second oboe, 1 first bassoon, 1

second bassoon, 3 first clarinets, 6 second and third clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 3 first and second

alto saxophones, 1 tenor saxophone, 1 baritone saxophone, 3 first trumpets, 6 second and third

trumpets, 1 first F horn, 1 second f horn, 1 third F horn, 1 fourth F horn, 4 first and second

trombones, 2 third trombones (Bass), 1 first euphonium, 1 second euphonium, 3 first and second

tubas, 1 timpani, 3 percussion parts that include: crash cymbal, suspended cymbal, and bass

drum; 1 vibriphone, and 1 optional harp part. This has a full, transposed score so that the director

will be able to see everything that bis going on. There does not seem to be many range concerns

except that it might be a little bit high for the flutes in measures 41 and 42 and a possible high

note in the first alto saxophone part in measure 41. The endurance of the band might be an issue

with this piece because of how slow and long it is. We would also need confident first part

players because there are many soloistic parts of this piece, especially in the beginning.
Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta: This piece is called Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta and it is

composed by Clifton Williams. It was published by Alfred Music Publishing. This piece is a

grade 5 on the FBA list. This means that this piece is for a more advanced high school band and

that this is the hardest piece in my program. The key is in Bb major and the time signature

fluctuates between 4/4, 5/4, and 3/4. The tempo fluctuates throughout the piece, starting with

quarter note equals 60, goes up to quarter note equals 152 at letter A, slows down a lot at letter

D, goes back up to quarter note equals 152 at 4 measures before letter E, goes down to quarter

note equals 116 at letter F, goes down to quarter note equals 90 at letter H, goes back up to

quarter note equals 152 in letter J, It goes back down a lot in 5 measures after letter K and goes

back up to quarter note equals 152 at letter L. The piece will take about 6 minutes depending on

the tempo. The instrumentation is as follows: 4 piccolo/first flutes, 3 second flutes, 1 first oboe, 1

second oboe, 1 optional english horm, 1 Eb clarinet, 3 first clarinets, 3 second clarinets, 3 third

clarinets, 1 alto clarinet, 2 bass clarinets, 2 optional Eb and Bb contrabass clarinets, 1 first

bassoon, 1 second bassoon, 2 first alto saxophones, 2 second alto saxophones, 1 tenor

saxophone, 1 baritone saxophone, 3 first trumpets, 3 second trumpets, 3 third trumpets, 1 first F

horn, 1 second F horn, 1 third F horn, 1 third F horn, 1 fourth F horn, 2 first trombones, 2 second

trombones, 2 third trombones, 2 baritones, 1 baritone (TC), 4 tubas, 1 optional string bass, 6 first

percussion 1 parts that include timpani, bells, marimba, snare drum, bass drum, suspended

cymbal, ratchet, maracas, claves, guiro, and bongos. The score is fully transposed and has all the

parts on it. The range will definitely be a concern for the first clarinet part since that high E will

be hard to tune. They would have to be able to be comfortable playing that note. Most of the
difficulty with this piece is that rhythm and it being in 5/4 from time to time. The 5/4 sections in

this piece will give the students a lot of trouble because that time signature does not show up a

lot in pieces played in high school or middle school. This is going to be the most complex piece

on the program and it will be the one will be rehearsed the most.
 Program Notes

Homestretch March by Karl King: This piece is by one of the more famous bandmasters

called Karl King. He has made many contributions to the band library with his marches and was

a military veteran. Most of his marches from his time in the military in which he had his own

band called the “King’s Band.” This specific march is more of a circus march than a military

march. This style of march is more fast and bright featuring more trumpets in general. This

march is not very well known, however, it is a very light and fun to listen to.

Dusk by Steven Bryant: This work by Steven Bryant is one of the more beautiful pieces on this

program. It has very weird and interesting chords that describe the reflective calm of dusk. There

is a stillness in this piece that is no replicated in a lot of pieces like this. Steven Bryant is a

contemporary composer who known this type of music. He works with a lot of ensembles to

make his works come to like Dallas Wind Symphony and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta by Clifton Williams: This piece has a lot of different sections to

that you will very much enjoy. It starts with a very powerful beginning, a very light middle

mixed with power and very powerful ending that trombones will especially enjoy. Clifton

Williams was a horn player, conductor, and teacher who also enlisted in the military. He was on

the faculty of the Univeristy of Texas and the Univerity of Miami and retained that position until

his death. He is widely renown for being one of the most accomplished composers in America.
 Formal Analysis

Homestretch March by Karl King: Formal Anaysis Homestretch Galop.xlsx

Dusck By Steven Bryant: Formal Analysis for Unit Plan Projects Dusk by Steven Bryant.xlsx

Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta by Clifton Williams: Formal Analysis for Unit Plan Project -

Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta.xlsx

 Major Concepts and Skills

Homestretch Galop by Karl King: The first concept that the students would need to know to be

able to play this piece is knowledge about march form. This is important to know because

understanding this concept will help them understand the piece better which in turn will help

them play the piece. Knowing this will alos let them with expression and phrasing as well. One

of the things that I would do is have them listen to this march and other marches by Karl King. A

lot of marches by this composer are extremely similar. This will help them be able to

concetualize of how a march works in a general sense. It also gives them an idea of how the

phrasing of a match works as well. Another thing that I would do to teach this concept is sight

read a couple of easier marches. The first thing that this would do is that help the student s with

noticing what a march generally does, since a lot of marches are very similar to each other, this

knowledge would transfer to this march. The second thing that this would do it help practice for

the MPA performance that we would be preparing for. Being good at sight reading marches is

important to the overall grade of a band at mpa. Another concept that I would have to teach to

my students so that they are able to play the march is rhythmic accuracy. There are a lot of

different rhythms that can be difficult when it comes to playing this piece. The first thing that I

would do to help them play the rhythm of this piece is have them say the rhythm before they start

playing the piece. Thai will very much help them be able to hear it in their head first which will

in turn translate to their playing. The other thing that I would do to help the students with the
rhythm is have them warm-up with a nw rhythmic pattern every week. This will help them with

rhythm in general, but this will make it easier for the students to be able to transfer what they

learned in the warm-up to what is going on in the music. Another concept that I would teach with

this piece is dynamic contrast. This is one of the most important parts of playing this piece,

especially when going form the second strain to the trio. One thing that i would do to help the

students be able to do dynamic contrast is using body movements. For example, if we are

suddenly piano, I would put my body towards the ground. This would help them visualize how

dramatic they have to be when it comes to dynamic contrast in pieces like this. Another thing

that I would do with them is have them do dynamics on a single note. It might be easier to make

sense of dynamic contrast we are figuring dynamics on only one note.

Dusk by Steven Bryant: One concept that the students would need to understand is intonation.

This piece has everything to do with intonation and it will not work with the band is out of tune

and are not listening to each other. The first thing that I would do to help with tuning is doing a

scale in a round. I would personally start with C major and then go on to the key of the piece.

This will help their ears to start listening to different chords and start actively listening to each

other. For the harder chords of the piece, I will be isolating them and being more specific with

how it is supposed to sound. Another thing that I would do is have them play short chorals for

their warm-ups. This will help them with listening to different chords and most importantly, in

different keys. Another concept that the students would have to know to be able to play the piece

phrasing and expression. There are a lot of places in this piece where the band slowly grows.

This is important because it is what makes the piece beautiful. One thing I would do to teach this

concept is have them sing part of the piece. This will not only help with intonation, but it will

help them hear where the piece is supposed to go without having to worry too much about notes
and rhythms. Another thing that I would do to teach this concept is have them play a note as loud

as possible and have them slowly go down in dynamics together. I would do this going up from

piano as well. This would help them listen to each other because they need to make sure that they

are blending with each other. This will make it so that none of them stick out while they are

growing or coming down.

Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta by Clifton Williams: The first concept that I would teach is

rhythm. The rhythm of this piece is not very easy. There is a lot syncopation which could cause a

lot of issues with aligning and listening to each other. The first thing that I would do to help them

play the rhythm together is for them to sing it. I feel like if we have the students sing the rhythm,

they will be able to transfer it to the piece that they are playing. I feel like it would make a lot of

sense them to do that, especially at a slower tempo. Another thing that I would do to teach them

the tempo is have them do warm-ups that include some syncopation. This could be using the

normal rhythm warm-up that I would be doing with them throughout the year or using scales. I

feel like this will help them not only with playing this specific piece, but other pieces that we

could play in the future. My goal for them would be to be able to play whatever we put our

minds to and I think doing this will help my students play to their potential. The next overarching

concept that my students would need to know to be able to play this piece is confidence. There

are a lot places in this piece where a specific section of the band is very exposed and if my

students do not have the confidence to play it, they will not be able to succeed. One of the things

that I would do to teach this concept is to have the entire band sing a specific part of the piece

that is very exposed. I feel when my students are learning a piece, they would feel more

comfortable with the learning process if more people have their back while they are learning.

This would be something that I would do during the first couple weeks that we are learning this
piece so that by the time mpa rolls around, they feel more reassured that they are playing their

parts right. Another thing that I would do to help the students with their confidence is to

positively reinforce when they are doing well. This will help them when they feel like they are

not playing as well as they should be and in return will get a better output from my players.
 Calendar

Week 1: I would want to at least get a start just trying to get through each piece. I feel like first

couple of rehearsals should be for getting used to how the piece is and figuring out what should

be worked on for the following week. I feel like the students should at be able to play the notes

on the page for each piece by the end of this week. This is also the week that I will probably be

out to go to FMEA which will cut into some class time.

Week 2: This is when we will really get into the meat and potatoes of the pieces that we will be

playing. For this week, we will be working on specifically the first and second string of the

march (Which means the A and B section), All or most of Dusk, and A-D on Symphonic Dance

#3 Fiesta. Clarinets should be working on Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta. They should more

comfortable with the syncapation at the beginning of Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta and should be

able to play it under tempo. Trumpets should be able to do the same as the clarinets. The bass

line which includes trombones, euphonium, and tubas should be very strong and should be able

to play their lines in tune. In Dusk, it is expected that all of the solo parts will be cleaned up by

the end of the week. The band in general should be able to grow and diminuendo together in this

piece as well, even if it is not necessarily in tune at this point in time. For Homestretch Galop,

the band should be playing all the right notes and should be able to grow and diminuendo a little

bit. The Flutes, Clarinets, Trumpets, and Saxophones should have less intonation issues with this

piece and I need to see some improvement in the alignment of the melody between the two. I

would also need to see some improvement on the counter-melody of this piece which is in the

Tenor saxophones and Euphonium in the A section and the Bassoons and the Trombones in the B
section respectively. Overall, I just want to see some improvement on notes, rhythms, and

intonation.

Week 3: For this week, I definately want to see improvements on notes, rhythms and intonation

throughout the band. I want to start working on expression this week, especially on Dusk since

that is the piece that needs the most work when it comes to this. For Homestretch Galop, I would

want to work on the trio to the end. I would need to make sure that they know what a coda is

before going through this since we have not gone through this section in a little bit. The clarinets

should be able to play the trio and the section should be in tune. They should also be able to

grow when the band comes in with the flourishes. The trombones, euphoniums, and tubas should

be very strong after the trio and they should be confident enough to play that section of the piece.

In Dusk, we will be working on the entire piece again, making sure that we can get through it

without breaking our chops. I am expecting for beauty and expression from the band, especially

in measures 37-47. I am expecting a lot bigger and grander sound from the band here. Solo parts

should not any more issues or I would need to consider giving the part to someone else. Flute

intonation should be better too. I will be checking this. Notes and rhythms should not be an issue.

For Symphonic Dance #3 Fiesta, I would want to work on the slower sections of this piece. The

trumpet soloist should have no issues. The entrance from the clarinets might be awkward, but it

should be smoother by the end of the week. The transitions going into the slower sections should

be a lot smoother by the end of the week as well. The horns should be stronger than they have

ever been before and I will be checking them at measure D.

Week 4: This the week where I really start pushing my students. At this point, notes, rhythms,

and intonation should be right about 95% of the time and possibly lower for the Symphonic

Dance #3 Fiesta, but we will be working on that one the most this week. I want to get through all
of Symphonic Dance #3 for this week because I really want to clean some things up, especially

at the end of this piece. The trombones need to work on thoes two notes at the end. They need to

be very strong and I will be checking them on that this week. The trumpets, flutes, clarinets, and

saxophones need to master that syncapation and I will be checking on that this week as well.

Everything will be check on this week to make sure that my students are working on this piece.

There will be a lot of time spent on this piece for this week since we also need to work on the

transitions so that they are a lot more smooth. Since I am expecting to be working on Symphonic

Dance #3, I will leave out Dusk for this week since it is not as rhythmically challenging as the

two other pieces of the program. For Homestretch March, I am expecting them to be able to ge

through the entire piece with minimal thing that I would have to check. The expression and

phrasing should be a lot better for this week and I will be checking to make they are doing

crescendos and decrescendos in the right places.

Week 5: This will be “clean up week.” I will be having them play through the entire program at

least 2 or 3 times this week and cleansing up small things throughout all the pieces. By the end of

the week, all of the pieces should be smoother. At the same time, I want the band to have a better

understanding of the phrasing and expression of each piece and this will be especially noticeable

in Dusk. I would want them to be more dramatic and to be able to understand what that means by

the end of the week.

Week 6: This would presumably be MPA week and all we are doing is running through the

program and fixing small issues. If there is a major issues, we will be hammering it home like

there is no tomorrow. We obviously will not be getting to everything that we would be needing to

do, but we did a lot of work and the students should be satisfied with their progress.
 Glossary

1. Allegro - Brisk tempo

2. Rall.- Slowly dieing away of tempo

3. Molto - Very

4. Meno - Less

5. Mosso - Movement

6. Piu - More

7. A.2 - Both parts are the same

8. Con - With

9. Grazia - Grace

10. Simile - Similar

11. Arco - Play string normally

12. Rit. - Gradually slow down

13. Pesante - Pleasant

14. Rubato - Rhythmic and expressive freedom

15. Tutti - Together

16. Ten./Tenuto - smooth and connected

17. St. mute - straight mute

18. Open - take mute off

19. Non vib. - No vibrato

 20. Ped. - Use pedal

Resources

Miles, Richard B, Larry Blocher, Eugene Corporon, Jack Stamp, North Texas Wind Symphony,
and Keystone Wind Ensemble. 2002. Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 4,
566-571. Chicago: Gia Publications.

Richard Miles, Richard B, Eugene Corporon, Tim Lautzenheiser, Edward Lisk and Larry
Blocher. 2007. Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 6, 339-343. Chicago: Gia.

https://fba.flmusiced.org/media/2232/fba-concert-music-list-december-2022.pdf

Karl King:
(88) Homestretch Galop by Karl L. King arr. Gene Milford - YouTube

Barnum and Bailey's Favorite March

Garland Entree March

SOUSA The Thunderer (1889) - "The President's Own" United States Marine Band

SOUSA The Free Lance (1906) - "The President's Own" United States Marine Band

Steven Bryant:

BRYANT - DUSK (band).pdf

Dusk - Steven Bryant

Bloom (Video Score) - Steven Bryant

Suite Dreams (Video Score) - Steven Bryant

"Shenandoah" by Frank Ticheli

 With Each Sunset (Comes the Promise of a New Day) by Richard L. Saucedo

O Magnum Mysterium
Clifton Williams:

Symphonic-dance-3-fiesta.pdf

Symphonic Dance No. 3, "Fiesta"

Symphonic Dance No. 2 - Clifton Williams

The Sinfonians By Clifton Williams

Festive Overture. Eastman Wind Ensemble.

El Camino Real (A Latin Fantasy).Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.

Peer Review (Erin Bentley)

I think the overall Unit Plan is really great! I love the pieces you have picked out, and I think the
approach to learning and preparing the program is really well done! The only thing I would
maybe change is working on the formatting. Some of the paragraphs are a little difficult to read,
but that is totally my bias. I think another thing that may help with formatting and organization is
clearer distinctions between sections, I myself am a big fan of using Headings and Subheadings,
but that is also my bias. Other than that, I think my only suggestion would be to use more
technical language in some spots (such as ‘in the stratosphere’ - we all know what that means,
but elaborate on it a little more. Exactly how high does it go?).

Response:
I will be changing some of the some of the formatting because I know that it can be a little bit
confusing. I will going to be adding subheadings so that it is easier to read. I will also try my best
to replace some of my language so that it is more professional. Other than that, I do not think that
I will need to change anything else except for cleaning some things up like spelling and
transitions. Edit: I could not figure out how to add subheadings in time.
-Kyori Rivera-Camacho