{{Unreferenced, date=August 2011 BandQuest is a series of band music for middle-level band commissioned and published by the

American Composers Forum The American Composers Forum is an American organization that works for the promotion and assistance of American composers and contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and is based in Saint Paul, Minn ...

, a national non-profit composer service organization based in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. The series is exclusively distributed by

Hal Leonard Corporation Hal Leonard LLC (formerly Hal Leonard Corporation) is an American music publishing and distribution company founded in Winona, Minnesota, by Harold "Hal" Edstrom, his brother, Everett "Leonard" Edstrom, and fellow musician Roger Busdicker. Curre ...

based in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Purpose

The idea for BandQuest began in 2000 after a national survey of music educators conducted by the

revealed a need for fresh music for young bands. Many young performers lack the technical ability to play pieces by more established composers. To fill this need, American Composers Forum initially commissioned ten composers to write new works, and created accompanying CD-ROM curricula to support five of those ten works. The CD-ROMs provide an interdisciplinary approach to learning music and teaches students (and their teachers) about the great composers who are living today. Current efforts on the BandQuest series involve identifying additional support for additional commissions and enhancing the website to provide more curriculum, tools for teachers, and games for students.

BandQuest History

BandQuest formally began in March 2002, developed by the American Composers Forum through a two-year research process, in consultation with dozens of artists and educators. Since that time the Forum has established National and Regional Advisory Committees for the project, contracted 14 composers for commissions, and retained key personnel for the positions of Music Editor and Curriculum Editor, as well as additional curriculum writers.

New Band Horizons vs. New Horizons Band

BandQuest originally began as ''New Band Horizons,'' but this title was too close to the national band group for senior performers titled ''New Horizons Band.'' Shortly before publication the title of the series was changed to BandQuest. Note that the historical documents in this entry refer to the program as ''New Band Horizons'' instead of its current name.

BandQuest Advanced

BandQuest Advanced launched in fall 2006 as a way to showcase the pieces in the series for more experienced bands. The pieces included in the subseries of BandQuest Advanced include Gunther Schuller's "Nature's Way," Robert Xavier Rodriguez' "Smash the Windows," and Judith Lang Zaimont's "City Rain."

Available compositions

Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...

's "Hambone," :

Thomas C. Duffy Thomas C. Duffy, DMA (born June 17, 1955) is Professor (adjunct) of Music and the Director of Bands at Yale University. Biography Duffy received his Bachelor of Science in Music Education (magna cum laude) and Master of Music in Composition fr ...

's "A+: A 'Precise' Prelude and an 'Excellent' March," :

Chen Yi Chen Yi may refer to: * Xuanzang (602–664), born as Chen Yi, Chinese Buddhist monk in Tang Dynasty * Chen Yi (Kuomintang) (1883–1950), Chief Executive of Taiwan Province * Chen Yi (marshal) (1901–1972), Chinese Communist Party military comman ...

's "Spring Festival" :

Brent Michael Davids Brent Michael Davids (born June 4, 1959) is an American composer and flautist. Davids is a member of the Stockbridge Munsee Community, a Native American tribe. He has composed for Zeitgeist, the Kronos Quartet, Joffrey Ballet, the National Symph ...

' "Grandmother Song," :

Alvin Singleton Alvin Singleton (born December 28, 1940; Brooklyn, New York) is a composer from the United States. Born and raised in New York City, he received his music education from New York University (B.A.), studying with Hall Overton and Charles Wuorinen, ...

's "Ridgeview Centrum," :

Adolphus Hailstork Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork III (born April 17, 1941) is an American composer and educator.De Lerma, Dominique-Rene"African Heritage Symphonic Series" Liner note essay. Cedille Records CDR061. He was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in ...

's "New Wade 'n Water," :

Tania Leon Tania Leon, born Ruth Naomi Leon, (Wellington, Western Cape, Wellington, May 4, 1945 – Nigtevecht, August 15, 1996) was a South African born teacher and women's activist. She was a member of the anti-apartheid movement in the Netherlands and of ...

's "Alegre," :

Judith Lang Zaimont Judith Lang Zaimont (; born November 8, 1945) is an American composer and pianist. Biography Judith Lang Zaimont was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Both Zaimont and her sister, Doris Lang Kosloff, began piano lessons with their mother, Bertha Lang, ...

's "City Rain," :

Robert Xavier Rodriguez Robert Xavier Rodríguez (born June 28, 1946) is an American classical composer, best known for his eight operas and his works for children. Life and career Rodríguez received his early musical education in his native San Antonio and in Aus ...

' "Smash the Windows," :

Michael Colgrass Michael Charles Colgrass (April 22, 1932 – July 2, 2019) was an American-born Canada-based musician, composer, and educator. Life and career Colgrass was born in Brookfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His musical career began in Chicag ...

's "Old Churches," :

Michael Daugherty Michael Kevin Daugherty (born April 28, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and teacher. He is influenced by popular culture, Romanticism, and Postmodernism. Daugherty's notable works include his Superman comic book-inspired ''Metropolis Sym ...

's "Alligator Alley," :

Jennifer Higdon Jennifer Elaine Higdon (born December 31, 1962) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. She has received many awards, including the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto and three Grammy Award for Best Contempora ...

's "Rhythm Stand," :

Stephen Paulus Stephen Paulus (August 24, 1949 – October 19, 2014) was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature. His best-known piece is his 1 ...

' "Mosaic," :

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...

's "Nature's Way."

External links

www.bandquest.org
Music education organizations Non-profit organizations based in Minnesota