Alex, grinning with some of her wind band scores
at the Hal Leonard booth;
2014 Texas Music Educators Association convention.

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Activist Music LLC catalog
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Program Note:

SUSPENDED is an emotional journey, and the catharsis I felt throughout the eight months of writing it helped keep me sane amidst a world of dismal uncertainty. The piece is composed in the tradition of an 18th century Classical symphony: four contrasting movements which serve specific functions and reveal a story. The work begins in absolute rage and chaos, then alternates between moments of grief and bleakness. Grim reality shifts to a macabre, circus-like insanity, and by the end, flickers of genuine hope contrast a pervasive sense of dread, and finally arrive at more optimistic possibilities.

A piece of music should stand on its own, regardless of any message its composer may attach to it. Audiences don't read about music, they listen to it. But as Victor Hugo wrote, "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent".

The arts have a powerful role in improving society by awakening consciousness through thought-provoking, emotional moments. If a piece of music can spark conversation among listeners, that is a meaningful impact, and a benefit in addition to that of the notes themselves.

Watch the Eastman Wind Ensemble perform SUSPENDED on March 23, 2022, with conductor Cynthia Johnston Turner, at Kodak Hall, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.

Please note: The audio tracks in movements 2, 3, and 4 were not fully picked up by the video microphone. The audio in the hall is as loud as the ensemble, as can be best heard in the .WAV recording above.

Performed by the San Jose State University Wind Ensemble conducted by David Vickerman; live concert at San Jose State University CA, March 2023.

Program Note:

One of the best things about being a composer in the 21st century is that there are no stylistic limitations on how we can express ourselves. The freedom to be unconcerned with fitting into any prescribed expectations of others is a gift, and one that's amplified with age and perspective. I happened to complete my 60th solar rotation as I composed this music, and when the piece unexpectedly veered from my intentions stated in its pastoral opening to something with a different kind of energy, I viewed that as a positive metaphor for life, for creativity, and for the joy of becoming old enough to blithely follow one's instincts.

On the opposite end of this emotional spectrum, it was just as I reached the final exuberant phrases of FREE that Russia launched its brutal, unconscionable war against the Ukrainian people. Writing such sanguine music to this hideous backdrop intensified my horror for the many victims whose lives only days before were not unlike mine: free. This piece is not a reflection on Ukraine, nor is it about cruelty. However, none of us exists in a bubble, and events in one part of our planet effect everyone, particularly when suffering is involved. May calm and freedom return to all.

Premiere performance, recorded live at Ted Mann Hall in Minneapolis, MN., February 16, 2011 by Minnesota Public Radio, performed by the University of Minnesota Symphonic Band, Jerry Luckhardt, conductor.

Program Note:

IMMERSION brings listeners on a sonic journey into a private, aquatic realm. Beneath the surface of the ocean is a world of liquid beauty and grace hidden from our eyes and from our imagination. Even in this habitat of life and hope, exquisite creatures remain vulnerable to events triggered from beyond their fragile sanctuary. Follow your ears and your heart to the depths of a place we sometimes forget to look.

IMMERSION is one of the most significant works in Alex's catalog, and represents her unique voice in seamlessly melding the acoustic and digital worlds.

If you're curious about the connection Alex feels between her muses and the sea around her, here's a short trailer from director Michael Stillwater's 2016 documentary, In Search of the Great Song. Alex shares her thoughts from her San Juan Island home in an excerpt underscored with the track used in the third movement of IMMERSION, featuring a Humpback whale song.

Enjoy this video of Lt. Col. Don Schofield USAF conducting DEPTH at Armstrong State University, with the 2015 - 2016 GMEA District 1 - 11-12 Honor Band, on February 6, 2016 (music begins at 2:10):

Program Note:

TIGHT SQUEEZE might best be described by the following suggestion: imagine Arnold Schoenberg, Henry Mancini, and Charlie Parker walking into a techno rave club in Havana. And, staying for at least three minutes.

On the heels of composing PAPER CUT, which pairs a wind band with not only an electronic track but a ream of printer paper, I knew I wanted to create another even more uptempo, groove-oriented piece that would be fun for fidgety teenagers with the attention spans of diabetic gnats. Okay, even fun for calmer musicians. Unexpectedly, that turned out to feature a twelve-tone row theme-- possibly the world's first for high school band, at least this far west of Vienna.

Initially the melody only had eight notes. When I noticed that none repeated themselves, I decided to go for broke, in a tip of the hat to my beloved 90-year old German composition teacher Ursula Mamlok, who was a renowned serialist during the earlier years of her career. The only serialism I've ever been interested in is granola, but I had a good time with this little tone row, which I paired with a techno-rock-infused percussion groove and electric bass line (yeah, I know, Schoenberg did that first), plus a few Latin rhythms and a hint of jazz. Voila: Electroacoustic Twelve-tone Techno Latin Bebop.

Here's a performance by The Garner Magnet High School Wind Ensemble in Garner, North Carolina, conducted by Tyler Farrell:

Click to watch a very fun ending to TIGHT SQUEEZE, as conductor Brett Richardson gets not only the University of the Incarnate Word Wind Ensemble, but the San Antonio, Texas audience, up and dancing!

Program Note:

"Sit up straight!". "Stretch out your diaphragm!". "Folks in the back: no slumping!".

Sound familiar?? While sharing tales of these typical frustrations with a band director one day, it dawned on me that a piece could serve as an object lesson. Throughout SLUMP, musicians experience the difference in their sound and energy when playing with hilariously poor posture versus when playing fully upright. Audiences will laugh at the spectacle. And maybe everyone will even enjoy the music!

Enjoy the June 11, 2024 Canadian premiere of SLUMP
with the Keswick High School Concert Band, Andrew Siu, conductor:

Program Note:

LIQUID COMPASS is a tone poem that takes the musicians and the audience on a watery journey spanning the mystical and the triumphant. Commemorating the 140th anniversary of Carthage College's wind band, the piece migrates to different places, but never loses its bearings in pursuit of a musical true north. The spiritual power of the sea is ever-present, in layers of unique sounds heard in the audio track, and duplicated by the musicians. The effect is a physical surround-sound of texture, as metal bowls capture slow, resonant drips of water, and flutists breathe other-worldly intonations. The piece, like the school that commissioned it, continues to push forward while observing that which has come before. Because one can't celebrate history, without reflecting on the waters over which time and experience have passed.

Enjoy watching a November 2021 performance of LIQUID COMPASS with the Lamont Wind Ensemble, conducted by Sarah Wagner::

Program Note:

I suppose you could call LIGHTS OUT an "opto-electro-acoustic" work for wind band, because it was conceived from the onset as a visual media piece. While it can be performed in any normal concert setting, it's most compelling when presented in the dark, slightly disorienting the audience and dazzling them with the beautiful colored aura from glowsticks, smart phones, and small LEDs placed inside the instruments and on the musicians' mallets and fingers. Mesmerizing!

Composing this piece, I treated the visuals and movement the same way I treat the audio track— as an equal and additional "section" in the band, organically incorporated into the piece just like the woodwinds, brass and percussion.

The indications for movement and lighting that found their way into the score due to this wonderful initial collaboration are a jumping off point for many other ideas, and I'm excited to discover what each band is going to do for their performance. I encourage every band to post their performance on YouTube, because each concert will be unique!

Here's a fun video from the University of Memphis Symphonic Band conducted by Armand Hall, performing the April 29, 2015 premiere of LIGHTS OUT:

Program Note:

Pensive and emotional, the unusual, textural music of MOMENT offers reflection and stillness in an often frenetic world. Repeating notes and haunting, lyrical lines give musicians the opportunity to explore expression through subtlety. Evocative sounds conjure fleeting, contrasting images, as the wind band creates a seamless fabric woven from the union of their instruments, their chant-like voices, and the ghostly echoes of a wistful accompaniment soundtrack.

Our hearts are equally shaken by moments excruciatingly painful, and transcendentally beautiful. In a world in which emotions are often blunted by the assault of overload, we cannot allow ourselves to ignore profound, inner responses evoked in an instant. Awestruck. Hopeful. Grieving. Longing. Shocked. Weeping. Thinking. Amazed. Waiting. Stunned. Heartbroken. Transported. Hurting. Dreaming. Startled. Dismayed. Delighted. Caring. What are the moments that have moved you?

Enjoy this February 2017 performance of MOMENT, performed by the University of Hawaii Wind Ensemble, conducted Jeffrey Boeckman:

Program Note:

POP MUSIC celebrates dedicated band students who were unable to do something they love—gather, rehearse, and perform—for an extended period due to precautions against the Coronavirus pandemic. A circus-like atmosphere often accompanies the seriousness of our times, and a little clown-like silliness and, uh, balloonacy…may be good for a much needed laugh after years of uncertainty in which the only constant has been the lack of constancy. As for the title? It's an ironic nod to all our unmet expectations. This piece is neither pop music, nor does a single balloon explode. At least, not intentionally!

CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW to watch the band members of Glenbard North High School become mimes during the opening of POP MUSIC, for its premiere performance May 12, 2022, with conductor (and circus ringmaster!) Lauren Whisnant.

Program Note:

Music doesn't have to be experienced as an element separate from the rest of our daily lives. It's as much part of our world as the ground on which we walk. Composing ROCK MUSIC was the perfect opportunity to make this point about the geology of our planet, and the changes in climate that are permanently altering our landscape.

In my ongoing desire to encourage people to step away from their screens and go outdoors, I asked the students of Patrick Marsh Middle School in Sun Prairie, WI to venture out into their neighborhoods, lower their gaze to the substrate on which they walk, find a pair of rocks, discover sounds that can be coaxed from them, and record the results. My inbox was soon filled with nearly 100 mp3s sporting a stunning variety of geological sonic creativity. Many of those sounds, some with distinct pitches and rhythms, are the basis of the accompaniment audio track over which ROCK MUSIC is composed.

In parallel to this holistic vision, band director Chris Gleason invited a scientist from the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey to give a talk to the band students. Brandishing a 3D map that displayed the state's varying terrain, she spoke of the glaciers that transformed the students' locales and mine, on San Juan Island, WA. 15,000 years ago. The students then made video reports that paired their newfound knowledge of local geology with their individual recipes for eliciting sounds from rocks. They also created a video to accompany their performance of the piece, that includes images of polluting factories and transportation. It culminates with sobering footage of an enormous glacier calving, just as the music reaches its loudest, most powerful point. As massive chunks of ice collapse into the water, the audience is reminded of the fragile balance between nature and the actions of humans.

Throughout this geo-electroacoustic piece, the music slowly crawls, melts, and scrapes over a sonic landscape in random, irregular ways: much as the glaciers carved the world we know. And as with our world, the piece's ending slowly melts away to a haunting silence.

Who says 13 year olds can't sit still? You'll be touched by the ending of this video of the Patrick Marsh Middle School 7th Grade Band in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin conducted by Chris Gleason, performing the May 10, 2016 premiere of ROCK MUSIC:

Program Note:

TRAINS OF THOUGHT began life as a slightly longer electroacoustic sextet for a sultry combination of instruments that deserves more repertoire: bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, French horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba. This initial, more intimate version was commissioned in 2015 by Paul Kile, Director of Bands at Edina High School in Edina, Minnesota, for the Cochran Chamber Commissioning Project. Halfway into the enjoyable process of composing it, I couldn't stop thinking how compelling it would be if someday I expanded the music to suit the textures of a full wind band.

Two years later, Adam Campagna and the W.F. West Wind Ensemble in Chehalis, Washington offered me the opportunity to act on my impulse to adapt the original work for band. The two versions share many of the same themes and accompaniment track textures, but early into the adaptation process, I discovered that a broadened version of the music demanded a fresh approach to the materials. I nipped, tucked, and re-arranged the phrases and motives, and the result is that the chamber version is akin to a painter's watercolor or line drawing prototype of what eventually becomes an enormous oil canvas.

A year before the first version of this piece was even conceived, my Vermont composer friend Dennis Bathory-Kitsz happened to post a short video on Facebook of a neighborhood Amtrak train zipping past his lens and microphone at full speed. There was something hauntingly beautiful about the particular chords and rhythms of that moment, and after replaying the clip several times I sensed that maybe sometime in the future, I could make use of these evocative sounds. I asked Dennis to return to the edge of the tracks and collect more audio samples. After I catalogued the pitches and patterns so that I could view them as musical elements, I stowed the edited files away, for an unknown, unimagined project— never guessing the amount of joy I'd get creating not one, but two iterations from the recordings.

Everyone experiences the elusive feeling of repeatedly pondering something, and— with or without our permission— sensing the concept rattle down an endless set of internal tracks. Soon those thoughts wander somewhere else, sometimes related, and just as often, not. Our psyches dance between that which is linear and that which appears from seemingly nowhere in a waking dream-state. Whether we're losing our train of thought as our focus derails, or are trying our best to hold on to it, our minds have tracks of their own.

Watch the first of the commissioning consortium premiere performances, by the University of Puget Sound Wind Ensemble conducted by Gerard Morris on March 3, 2018, at the Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference:

Program Note:

What happens when a composer who loves the pop music of the '80s and '90s hangs out in dance clubs blasting Euro-disco house music in the 2010s? OFF THE EDGE offers a 140 bpm-thumping, EDM-jumping clue!

Enjoy a virtual video performance of OFF THE EDGE that was premiered on March 20, 2021 by the musicians of the North Carolina South Central District Bandmasters Association Middle School All-District Band, and beautifully edited by Ryan J. Williams.

Click the image to play the video:

Program Note:

ASCENT reflects the effort to get off the ground, literally or figuratively. It's a micro-overture that begins with the promise of upward transcendence, yet soon flies off into rogue disorganization. The raucous flock of many notes finally gathers into a united upward-headed murmuration, but the freedom of soaring into the sky brings an uneasy mystery before settling into the tranquil air of anticipation.

Enjoy listening to the powerful University of Hawai'i Wind Ensemble conducted by Jeffrey Boeckman, as they gave the March 1, 2020 premiere of ASCENT in Honolulu, HI:

Program Note:

Much of the year 2020 is epitomized by the concept of being deprived of breath. From the lung-destroying effects of COVID-19, to the murderous strangulations of police brutality. From the searing, choking walls of wildfire smoke, to the smothering treason of politicians attempting to asphyxiate democracy.

It was tempting to title this piece, "2020". But the pandemic, the systemic racism, the climate changes and the abuses of power that churned malevolently as I composed this music, although heightened by a collective awareness, are not new. 

As quarantine has led millions of people to repeat the same day over and over, a simple theme of twelve notes repeats nine times, painfully slowly, always in the same order. A piano, rather than a wind instrument from which a deadly virus might be spread, offers up one pensive note at a time, paired with an atmospheric soundscape. As people attempt to stay connected to others through the internet, the combination of isolation and technology are a familiar theme.

The static bleakness begins in grayness, becoming only more grim as time passes. Three quarters through, the orchestration gradually fills with sounds made from humans, not computers. The electronic track stops. The technology stops. All we hear are live musicians as the conductor, formerly tethered to unrelenting demands of a metronomic click track, is finally able to allow the ensemble to breathe freely. Phrases climb upward from uncertainty, but of course there is no resolution. There can never be a resolution, because humans are not capable of it. But there can be hope, and breath.

Program Note:

In a world in constant flux, PASSAGES offers a calming, centering, meditative, and encouraging outlook. It's a cellular work composed for any number of any instruments, with each phrase sounding beautiful whether stacked or exposed, and played with any of the chords in the track. It's never quite the same piece twice, because musicians make random choices from a selection of melodies and rhythms of varying difficulty. The music is especially well suited for musicians recording themselves during distance learning sessions, and even for soloists wishing to improvise. When playing with a live ensemble, the conductor has the option of cueing the passages each musician performs. Additionally, the motivic structure provides an effective composition lesson for ensemble members.

Program Note:

By the time a person is four years old—long before their first fun wind band class—they can count to ten. So I've never understood why beginning music students are only given pieces in rigid, often plodding, 4/4, 3/4 or 2/4 meters. Music, like life, is neither rigid nor plodding (well, at least not interesting music!). Thus, COUNT TO TEN is my contribution to the repertoire for musicians who have a lifetime of wonderful, compelling pieces ahead of them that will be filled with chromaticism, syncopations, and mixed meters.

With its built-in drone and percussion parts, the piece is designed to sound good acoustically, but it will sound many times better when the students are paired with any of the cinematic-style accompaniment tracks—especially the "Full" version that combines all three elements of the percussion (strong downbeats and steady quarter beats), the Bb drone (for tuning and atmosphere), and the groove ostinati weaving through the music and adding a modern syncopation. Each track is offered in a choice of four tempi.

The premise is simple: count up, then down again from a grand peak of 9/4. This is not a time signature I would normally choose even for professionals, because it's easier to read subdivisions. But there's an important and purely psychological reason I opted for it here: if less advanced musicians can achieve playing in 9/4, it may forever dispel any fear they'll have of large meters, and playing in 5, and maybe even in 7, will seem like a relative breeze. In other words, in addition to being a primer for contemporary repertoire, COUNT TO TEN is a psyche-out: if you can count to ten, you certainly can count to nine!

Program Note:

HOMECOMING is a distinctly American piece of music which ventures emotionally from doubt, to hope, and finally to celebration. Written for the soldiers of the U.S. Army TRADOC Band, the piece reflects upon wishes for the safe return of those who serve their country. Beginning with shades of concern and resolving with great joy, HOMECOMING seamlessly flows between traditional styles that originated in the U.S., from post-minimalist concert music to jazz. As the music grows into a waltz rhythm, welcoming smiles dance with it to the end as loved ones are reunited. In this piece, the most simple wind instrument of all, the human voice, echoes meaningful homecomings, wherever home may be and from whatever circumstance one returns.

Enjoy this February 2017 performance of HOMECOMING, performed by the University of Hawaii Wind Ensemble, conducted Jeffrey Boeckman:

Program Note:

I'm not an inspired cook, but I do enjoy the meditative groove of cleaning up after a meal— and listening to the pitches and rhythms barked from bowls, dishes, and cookware that form a chorus of multi-registered clanking in the sink. To me, everything in life has the potential to be a musical instrument! For instance, it was this very household task that resulted in my use of resonant metal mixing bowls filled with a little water, to create an otherworldly live sound effect in my 2014 electroacoustic tone poem for wind ensemble LIQUID COMPASS.

The short, percussive blast that is KITCHEN SYNC lands squarely on the other end of the musical spectrum. When I described to my husband Dan how the musicians will rely solely on lots of related utensils and tools as their instruments, he enthusiastically replied, "you should have them play a kitchen sink, too!". I loved the idea, but explained that it might be logistically difficult for ensembles to lug a big appliance to the band room or the stage.

Scrolling through Facebook a day later, I stumbled upon a post from my friend Jennifer Jolley, one of the five co-conspirators of SUITE TREATS, for which KITCHEN SYNC was written, along with micro-pieces from composers Brian Balmages, Pete Meechan, and Frank Ticheli. Seeking title suggestions for her contribution, she mentioned something about her piece sporting a prerecorded accompaniment track. My brain lit up.

I had designed my little rhythmic offering to work purely acoustically, but suddenly the prospect of an additional version became too tempting to ignore: now I could include everything AND the kitchen sink! Mine and Dan's, in this case, as can be heard in the accompaniment track.

Program Note:

What do teenagers like? Video games, TV, and movies.

What do all these media have in common? Music!

I was thrilled to have a chance to add to the educational band music repertoire, thanks to the American Composers Forum's terrific BandQuest series. In my desire to compose something relevant to younger players, I decided to create a piece that sounds somewhat like a movie soundtrack, to which the musicians can imagine their own dramatic scene. I also thought it would be fun to make the kids themselves part of the action, and so PAPER CUT has the band doing choreographed maneuvers that look as compelling as they sound. In fact, the band members don't even play their instruments until halfway into the piece.

The VanderCook College of Music Symphonic Band, conducted by Charles Menghini, performed PAPER CUT on December 16, 2011 at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic held at McCormick Place West in Chicago, Illinois. Conductor Charlie Menghini writes:

"Paper Cut is a must for any director wanting to expand the musical horizons of their ensembles. A crowd pleasing work, every young band needs to add this to their repertoire as soon as possible. Your crowds will LOVE it...and so will your students. Enjoy and BRAVO to Alex Shapiro for this great addition to the educational band repertoire."

Band Director Peter Guenther and the Owatonna 9th Grade Band gave the world's first black light performance of PAPER CUT on February 18, 2011 at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Mid-Winter Clinic at the Minneapolis Convention Center, inspiring a global trend for how the piece is often performed! Click to watch-- at the original, slightly slower tempo of quarter = 88:

If you'd like to see PAPER CUT in a little more light, here's a more recent performance at the updated tempo of quarter = 96, by band director Andy Doherty and the Delaware Hayes High School Band in Grove City, Ohio:

With music preparation guru John Blane, Alex proudly shows off her ever-growing rack (!) on display at Hal Leonard's booth at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, December 2018.

Here's John Blane with Bruce Bush, Hal Leonard's manager of Retail & Marketing, showing off Alex's rack at the 2021 Midwest Clinic- because she couldn't be there to do it herself! CLICK THE PHOTO TO WATCH the cute video they made when they Zoomed Alex over!

Alex and Hal Leonard's Bruce Bush kid around at NYSSMA in Rochester, NY, in front of the poster announcing Alex as the conference's 2014 Composer-in-Residence.

Clemson wins the 2016 National Championship against Alabama

Clemson wins the 2019 National Championship against Alabama