Stomping Ground (For Flex Band)
Program Note
The phrase “stomping grounds” is used to describe the common hangouts of humans. Whether it be one’s childhood neighborhood or perhaps a college campus, these are places that we remember with nostalgia. But the figure of speech actually comes from the social behavior of wild animals. The “stomping grounds” of such animals as deer, moose, elephant, etc., are the places where the animals frequently congregate in substantial numbers, in the course of which conventions they mill around and “stomp down” the vegetation and soil.
At a time in which many of us in the music world are navigating creating our art-form in a distanced way, this music seeks to capture the wonderful feeling of strength in numbers, of gathering and congregating at our old stomping grounds. Despite the challenges, the piece takes a turn towards optimism, transforming once agitated sounds to joyful sounds!