WEBVTT 00:00:06.820 --> 00:00:11.080 Welcome to our podcast, Band BFFs. The podcast 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:13.640 where we make your music selection less complicated. 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:16.739 On today's episode, we are going to be discussing 00:00:16.739 --> 00:00:20.920 Storming the Castle by Connor Dunford. Cheers 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:25.059 to starting the conversation. Okay, friends. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:27.920 So this piece... Wait, that was a bad... Let's 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:31.440 do it again. There we go. Sorry, everyone. Yeah. 00:00:32.160 --> 00:00:34.259 I know you were like, I can't listen to this 00:00:34.259 --> 00:00:36.659 episode. Without the cheers. The clank was not 00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:40.899 enough. Not correct. Welcome to my world, ladies 00:00:40.899 --> 00:00:43.960 and gentlemen. This is Katie Lewis. Okay, we 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:46.439 are super excited to talk about this piece. We 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:52.340 are. this piece is written by little baby Connor 00:00:52.340 --> 00:00:55.640 Dunford so we had never heard of him we were 00:00:55.640 --> 00:00:57.200 like oh we've never done a piece by this composer 00:00:57.200 --> 00:00:59.380 this is great let's do a little looking into 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:04.359 it well sweet baby was born in 2006 congratulations 00:01:04.359 --> 00:01:07.560 this is awesome this is awesome he wrote this 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:10.719 piece was published his senior year of high school 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:14.260 like how cool was that yeah that's so cool. It 00:01:14.260 --> 00:01:17.439 is cool and it's a great piece. We wouldn't be 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:19.840 talking about it if we didn't like it. Yeah and 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:22.579 we both performed it at the Texas Bandmasters 00:01:22.579 --> 00:01:26.540 Association Conference this past summer with 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:28.739 the Phi Beta Mu Reading Band. This was one of 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:31.019 the new to the PML pieces that they included. 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:33.340 New published. New published. I'm so sorry I'm 00:01:33.340 --> 00:01:36.939 so sorry I misspoke. New newly published pieces 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:41.379 because it was published in 2005. Twenty. 2025. 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:44.260 My bad everyone I'm having a little bit of an 00:01:44.260 --> 00:01:47.799 issue. Okay but this piece is so cute and fun 00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:52.480 and perfect for a young ensemble. It's in his 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:55.599 own description he talks about that this is that 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:58.400 he's always been kind of obsessed with medieval 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:03.239 armies at the size and scope of medieval armies. 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:05.280 They didn't have the technology that we have 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:09.120 these days but they were just massive. Tens of 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:11.979 thousands exactly like storming the castle and 00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:14.400 he said this was written, you know with that 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:18.039 mental imagery in mind Yeah, massive large army 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:21.840 storming a castle. Yeah, it is in the key of 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:26.580 concert B flat It has split clarinet parts. It 00:02:26.580 --> 00:02:29.680 has split trumpet parts a reasonable amount of 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:31.719 percussion You could get away with five or six 00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:36.400 percussionists on this Ranges on it are not terrible. 00:02:36.819 --> 00:02:39.599 It is four four if I didn't say that. It's about 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:43.340 152 on the metronome so it's fast the whole time. 00:02:43.419 --> 00:02:46.699 It's about two minutes two fifteen yeah I mean 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:50.379 it's it's pretty short but very programmatic 00:02:50.379 --> 00:02:52.360 I think it's really effective with this whole 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:55.340 theme of storming the castle. Yes it will be 00:02:55.340 --> 00:02:57.319 very popular with your kids because it just sounds 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.139 cool. So the very beginning as I mentioned it's 00:03:00.139 --> 00:03:03.159 marked at 152 the full band comes in with softer 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:07.219 dynamics the the kind of like melodic part are 00:03:07.219 --> 00:03:09.639 the whole notes that are coming up and it's pretty 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:13.840 fast so it's like a scale going up in trumpet 00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:18.580 Clarinet one and two And then the horn and alto 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:22.000 are just are there to excite you one and he's 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:25.659 an alto player So like as I look at this, I'm 00:03:25.659 --> 00:03:27.580 looking at it through his eyes as he's probably 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:30.580 writing the part Yeah, you know pretty fun. Yeah, 00:03:30.740 --> 00:03:33.020 so they're building it up. It doesn't need to 00:03:33.020 --> 00:03:37.439 be loud The lows have one and three four one 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:40.659 and three four So as long as we can do that dotted 00:03:40.659 --> 00:03:44.259 rhythm, you should be solid the snare drum is 00:03:44.259 --> 00:03:46.460 a little bit more active down at the bottom, 00:03:46.500 --> 00:03:49.300 but it's not bad. It's just one and two and three 00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:51.840 and four E and one and two and three and four 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:54.759 E. And if you have a player, you know, if you 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:57.800 have a player that is able to play all of the 00:03:57.800 --> 00:03:59.599 eighth notes on the right hand, that's how I 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:01.719 would advise them to do it. That way it'll sound 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:03.560 the most even. Right, right, right, right, right, 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:05.039 right, right, right, right, right, right, right, 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:06.759 right, right, right, right. That'll guarantee 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:08.599 that it sounds more even instead of them trying 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:10.120 to go right, left, right, left, right, left. 00:04:10.900 --> 00:04:13.900 The articulation pattern in the alto tenor and 00:04:13.900 --> 00:04:16.540 horn part is tongue, tongue slur, tongue, tongue 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:18.759 slur, tongue, tongue slur, tongue. Their tendency 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:20.399 of course is going to be - And keep it long, 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:22.000 tongue as well. That's right, that's right. Their 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:23.879 tendency is going to be to add a note under the 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:27.839 slur. Don't let them go ta, ta, ta, ta, ta. Make 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:29.480 sure that they're articulating correctly. Yep. 00:04:30.019 --> 00:04:32.120 This is all again, the whole notes are building 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:35.399 up starting at measure one. till five. And then 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:37.879 at five, the whole notes turn into half notes. 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:42.439 And then we're adding in more people on that 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:45.660 horn and alto part, the flute and oboe add in 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:47.459 the one we just talked about that was articulated. 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:50.980 So the full band is added in now the snare is 00:04:50.980 --> 00:04:53.459 continuing on. We're all crescendoing, crescendoing, 00:04:53.459 --> 00:04:57.180 crescendoing till the final moment at nine. Technically 00:04:57.180 --> 00:04:59.819 we're leading to 11, but nine is where everybody 00:04:59.819 --> 00:05:03.379 comes in together. So that's a long eight measure. 00:05:03.500 --> 00:05:06.379 you're building everything up. The horn and the 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:08.620 alto along with flute and oboe have the last 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:11.839 little three and four and one two three four 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:15.899 and one and then timpani four and one and the 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:19.040 timpani has like a pretty cool little part alone 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:23.180 here at 11, the low brass come in and low reads 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:25.939 like bass clarinet, bari sax with the first melody. 00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:28.459 This is, I guess, probably what he was thinking 00:05:28.459 --> 00:05:33.120 of as like the army marching forward. One, three, 00:05:33.379 --> 00:05:37.019 one, two, three. And again, it's tongued after 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:39.639 the slur, but this time it has a staccato. That's 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:44.490 right. One, three, one and two. three one and 00:05:44.490 --> 00:05:48.430 two three four one two three and four and one 00:05:48.430 --> 00:05:51.589 so the low people but it's not ridiculous right 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:56.899 like the highest note is an a flat um I mean, 00:05:57.180 --> 00:06:00.240 I think it's pretty a well -written range of 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:02.040 notes for people. Definitely. There are a lot 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:05.779 of accents, like accents and staccatos, so stylistically 00:06:05.779 --> 00:06:07.480 you want to make sure that your students are 00:06:07.480 --> 00:06:09.660 comfortable with that. And he does a good job 00:06:09.660 --> 00:06:11.980 of writing in all of these dynamic things as 00:06:11.980 --> 00:06:14.800 well. So he's pretty clear about what his vision 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.459 is and what he wants it to sound like. Now you 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:19.259 have to make sure that the students execute all 00:06:19.259 --> 00:06:22.529 the symbols they see. I also like that the bass 00:06:22.529 --> 00:06:25.550 clarinet part is written low below the staff 00:06:25.550 --> 00:06:28.850 here instead of in like the throat tone register 00:06:28.850 --> 00:06:32.550 So it's kind of neat. It just I think it's effective 00:06:32.550 --> 00:06:35.009 in how it sounds like low like the here comes 00:06:35.009 --> 00:06:38.470 the army You get that reading sound. Yeah, which 00:06:38.470 --> 00:06:41.689 is great. They continue on with that part But 00:06:41.689 --> 00:06:44.730 now at I'm sorry at measure 15 they continue 00:06:44.730 --> 00:06:49.610 on but now the horn has an an alto have a little 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:54.519 counter melody and then trumpet, flute and clarinet 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:58.300 have like a response as well. So we're layering 00:06:58.300 --> 00:07:01.199 in three different parts here. He writes it very 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:03.740 well where you can see it and be able to hear 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:06.600 it really well. So the lows maybe can come down 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:09.459 one notch in their dynamic and let the alto and 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:14.100 horn counter melody line kind of take over. But 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:16.459 everybody's moving together with the one and 00:07:16.459 --> 00:07:20.009 two. three, four, one, and two, three, and four, 00:07:20.069 --> 00:07:24.930 and one, going into 19. And then 19, we've got 00:07:24.930 --> 00:07:28.050 the trumpets on the melody now, like it's coming 00:07:28.050 --> 00:07:30.990 closer to you, you know? And the flute, no bow, 00:07:31.089 --> 00:07:33.149 and clarinet. So now we have this half note idea. 00:07:33.870 --> 00:07:36.829 Ta, ta, ti, ta, ta. It's the same melody, yep, 00:07:36.889 --> 00:07:39.750 yep. But the cool, now what changes is the low 00:07:39.750 --> 00:07:42.149 voice part. So they're doing this new little 00:07:42.149 --> 00:07:45.029 counter part to it. So they're echoing. So instead 00:07:45.029 --> 00:07:48.889 of one, three, They're going rest two and three 00:07:48.889 --> 00:07:52.329 rest two and three four one two and right Yeah, 00:07:52.329 --> 00:07:55.029 this it now fits the puzzles a little bit different. 00:07:55.110 --> 00:08:00.689 Yep again, there's not a lot of Things that he 00:08:00.689 --> 00:08:02.589 left off like you can tell what he's wanting 00:08:02.589 --> 00:08:05.189 So like if it's got an accent or if it's got 00:08:05.189 --> 00:08:06.990 a staccato you want to make sure that you're 00:08:06.990 --> 00:08:11.069 following all of those things Then at 22 or continuing 00:08:11.069 --> 00:08:13.990 in the timpani keeps kind of helping lead into 00:08:13.990 --> 00:08:16.990 the next little section 23 trumpets are continuing 00:08:16.990 --> 00:08:20.069 on with flute oboe clarinet and the melody and 00:08:20.069 --> 00:08:23.769 then we're leading decrescendoing into 27 at 00:08:23.769 --> 00:08:25.550 the end of that phrase and now right here at 00:08:25.550 --> 00:08:28.589 the end of this the Low voices are doing what 00:08:28.589 --> 00:08:33.610 the out? and Horn did earlier ta ta ta ta ta 00:08:33.610 --> 00:08:38.230 ta ta ta not as easy on trombone as it is on 00:08:38.230 --> 00:08:40.429 alto saxophone so make sure again that you're 00:08:40.429 --> 00:08:42.850 being real intentional about that articulation 00:08:42.850 --> 00:08:45.169 luckily it's just four to three though yeah horrible 00:08:45.169 --> 00:08:49.690 yeah and then we're decrescendoing at 26 going 00:08:49.690 --> 00:08:52.370 into 27 because it's gonna be a recap of the 00:08:52.370 --> 00:08:54.710 beginning so it's like the army is now going 00:08:54.710 --> 00:08:58.570 in the distance one two three four then we're 00:08:58.350 --> 00:09:00.169 going to lead up again with the whole notes in 00:09:00.169 --> 00:09:01.289 the trumpet. Exactly like the beginning. Just 00:09:01.289 --> 00:09:04.629 like the beginning. And then we 31, we get soft 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:07.250 again, and we crescendo up again. But now we 00:09:07.250 --> 00:09:10.570 have a new thought from Flute and Oboe. They 00:09:10.570 --> 00:09:12.289 have a little counter melody you'll want to bring 00:09:12.289 --> 00:09:14.730 out. And that you want to shake the earth with 00:09:14.730 --> 00:09:17.610 vibrato on the long notes in there. And it's 00:09:17.610 --> 00:09:19.850 a little bit trickier counting because of ties. 00:09:19.850 --> 00:09:24.289 Yes. Rest. Two and three, two and three. And 00:09:24.289 --> 00:09:27.409 it builds. It goes up higher and higher. Two 00:09:27.409 --> 00:09:30.659 and three. three one and then at the very end 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:33.360 the saxes and horns have that cool three and 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:37.220 four and one again so it all lands together one 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:41.299 two three four one two three with timpani underneath 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:45.899 one two three four one no nothing on beat one 00:09:45.899 --> 00:09:49.639 timpani bump bump bump bump three four one so 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:51.480 it's just like a little like maybe the armies 00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:54.100 are colliding together here right so storming 00:09:54.100 --> 00:09:55.860 the castle a couple of things that stick out 00:09:55.860 --> 00:09:59.279 to me here yeah Thank you, Katie. I'm doing motions. 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:02.399 Yeah, visuals. I wish you could. You're missing 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:05.720 out. So at 35 right here, one of the things that 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:08.279 sticks out to me that I know will be a problem 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:12.039 is beat four will be longer than beat one. Your 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:14.700 students will want to go tar. And they're all 00:10:14.700 --> 00:10:16.860 marked the same way. So make sure that the note 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:20.460 links there are exactly the same. That would 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:22.879 be a good thing to do on concert F2. Absolutely. 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:29.259 or I would do like even just like changing yeah 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:35.919 tall tall tall tall tall tall yes that I mean 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:38.179 that would be totally fine whatever yeah making 00:10:38.179 --> 00:10:40.399 sure that the note length is the same then right 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:43.879 before we get to 39 when we're at 37 now we're 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:47.600 not all on one and four together in unison summer 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:50.320 on one and three summer on two and four like 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:54.720 yeah the armies one two three four one Yeah, 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:56.679 I mean you're missing out on this visual. I'm 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:58.299 still doing some punches everyone. Alright, then 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:01.980 at 39 it's a percussion break. Timpani gets the 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:06.000 cool leading part along with snare drum and then 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:08.240 they've got that for four measures and then at 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:11.639 43 we come back in trumpets with the upper woodwinds 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:13.559 on the same little melody we've had the whole 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:16.299 time with the little alto horn counter melody, 00:11:16.379 --> 00:11:21.330 lows playing just a little bass line. Now at 00:11:21.330 --> 00:11:25.509 45, the Horns and Altos have a new moment where 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:29.970 they play like one, three, one, one and two and 00:11:29.970 --> 00:11:33.769 three. So that's a cool new part to bring out. 00:11:34.330 --> 00:11:36.909 Make it more important because the melody we've 00:11:36.909 --> 00:11:38.970 heard, even though we may have new instruments 00:11:38.970 --> 00:11:40.730 on the melody, it's the same melody and we've 00:11:40.730 --> 00:11:42.350 heard it. Bring out this cool part that we've 00:11:42.350 --> 00:11:45.549 never heard before. There's a couple little A 00:11:45.549 --> 00:11:48.190 flats written in again, concert A flat, accidentals 00:11:48.190 --> 00:11:50.850 here. but it's still the same melody. And then 00:11:50.850 --> 00:11:53.250 we're gonna do the same little decrescendo. One, 00:11:53.250 --> 00:11:56.110 two, three, four. Then we have the same as the 00:11:56.110 --> 00:11:59.970 beginning, except now the trombone, euphonium, 00:12:00.009 --> 00:12:03.529 bassoon, tenor sax part has what the flute and 00:12:03.529 --> 00:12:06.289 oboe had before. So now they have that rest. 00:12:06.470 --> 00:12:10.809 Two and three. Two and three. So we're building 00:12:10.809 --> 00:12:14.049 it up again. Snare drum's behind them. We end 00:12:14.049 --> 00:12:16.169 with that little like sax and horn. Three and 00:12:16.169 --> 00:12:19.080 four and one. Everybody's got a chord. another 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:21.799 chord, timpani is going crazy with percussion 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:25.279 one two three four one And that's the end of 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:29.860 the piece. So it's the hardest rhythm is those 00:12:29.860 --> 00:12:33.279 ties. Yes. And a dotted quarter note, eighth 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:36.379 note. Yes. One and three, four, one. That's it. 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:39.879 There's lots of style. Yes. So that, you know. 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:43.139 That's a good teaching piece for sure. Yeah. 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:45.379 And like I said, I love the dynamics. I love 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:47.159 that he's been real intentional about writing 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:50.759 him exactly what he wants. I feel like that makes 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:53.539 it... Easier for sure. Is that a picardy third 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:57.100 too? It is it but it is doing and it's not an 00:12:57.100 --> 00:13:00.120 easy chord I mean the trumpets go up to a high 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:03.799 C sharp. I just noticed that so And it's a G 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:05.960 major chord at the end. Yeah, we've been in G 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:09.639 minor. The second trumpets are on A I mean, at 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:11.720 least they're the same fingering. So if they 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:13.679 miss the partial, then they're still playing 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:16.440 the right note, which is nice. But you might 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:18.820 want to rewrite that first trumpet part if that's 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:21.379 a little high for your kids. But you know them 00:13:21.379 --> 00:13:24.500 better than we do. But the clarinet part stays 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:26.840 down low most of the time. The flutes are the 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:28.919 highest note as a B natural right there at the 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:33.320 very end. Great range for young band. Just a 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:35.799 very well written and fun piece. And cool little 00:13:35.799 --> 00:13:38.179 programmatic piece. Shout out to them. young 00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:40.860 composer. Yay! Way to go Connor. Yes, all right 00:13:40.860 --> 00:13:43.100 well we hope you will consider programming Storming 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:45.440 the Castle and thanks for joining us on this 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:48.399 episode of Band BFFs!