Fanfare for the Common Kid

Performed by the students of Harmony Project KC

MIDI recording

Fanfare for the Common Kid performed by the students of Harmony Project KC on December 12, 2015

Perusal scores are downloadable and viewable but not printable.

Instrumentation: Beginning string orchestra (grade 0.5)

Duration: ca. 2 minutes 15 seconds

Year composed: 2015

Place composed: Kansas City, Missouri

Dedication: Composed for Harmony Project KC, with support generously provided by FuseBox New Music and ArtsKC Regional Arts Council


Performances: Premiered by the Harmony Project KC String Ensemble, Selena Gomez, conductor, Kansas City, MO, December 2015

Program Notes:
In 1942 Aaron Copland composed Fanfare for the Common Man to honor not only the soldiers on the battlefield and the generals and leaders in the headlines, but also the common men and women who worked in factories and offices and supported the war effort in countless unheralded ways. Seventy-three years later, in 2015, I composed Fanfare for the Common Kid to honor the work and mission of Harmony Project KC and the children that it serves. The mission of the Harmony Project, in working with youth from low-income households, is to promote the healthy growth and development of children, to build healthier communities, and to develop children as ambassadors of peace, hope, and understanding, all through the study, practice, and performance of music. It is my hope that Fanfare for the Common Kid will honor the Harmony Project and testify to the power of music to transform lives and communities.

The students of Harmony Project KC premiered Fanfare for the Common Kid in Kansas City, Missouri on December 12, 2015.