Children of The World - Robert Buckley - Concert Band

From the composer:

The Children of the World was commissioned by the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festivals – celebrating 100 years of inspiring musical excellence. The composition is in three movements with an introduction and a coda. It can be performed as a continuous piece or the movements can be played individually. The music was inspired by reflections of my own childhood and watching children at play – my favourite pastime was playing music.

The Introduction is a fanfare that introduces the piece and previews the music that bridges the 3 movements. The first movement is Play – as the title suggests this movement is light and fun. It features various solos and mixed metre. The second movement is Dreaming – this movement is in 3/4. I was imagining being in a playground swinging on a swing, staring up at the sky and letting my imagination fly. At one point you can hear children spinning on a merry-go-round. The third movement is Celebration – this movement is primarily in 6/8. It is full of energy and joy and plays with various subdivisions of 3. This leads into the Coda which builds to a final flourish.