Spencer Perilloux

Every young arranger eventually runs into the same problem: The Playback Lie. You write something in MuseScore or Sibelius, hit the spacebar, and it sounds incredible. The computer plays every 32nd note perfectly evenly. The midi-cymbals crash and choke instantly. It sounds clean. It sounds exciting. Then you hand the music to actual high school students, and it falls apart. Why? Because computer playback doesn't have to deal with physics, gravity, or arm fatigue. Humans do. I recently...

Most percussionists know the famous xylophone solo in Olivier Messiaen’s Exotic Birds . But tucked just above it in the score is another...

Marches are the backbone of community bands.  They may look simple, but style and leadership are what separate a strong, confident band...