Flight Over Lake Michigan (2020)

For Adaptable Winds

Score sample here.

To order this piece, click here.

My love for aviation and the feeling of flight reaches back all the way to my early childhood; one of the earliest things I can remember is going to see my dad on the weekends and playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 for hours on end (and four year-old me crash-landing the planes more often than not - oh boy!). As the years passed by and I began considering what I wanted to do for my career, being a pilot was one of my top choices. While the exorbitant costs of getting an airline transport license, required to fly commercially, eventually led to my decision to turn away from a career in aviation for one of teaching and writing music, getting my private pilot’s license is still a dream that I hold onto and intend to pursue.

Flight Over Lake Michigan is a grade 2 work based off of my earlier piece for symphonic orchestra, Amongst the Clouds. While it retains many similar musical ideas as the original, the piece has been adapted to be a good fit for younger bands who want to embrace the excitement of flight.

This version for adaptable winds is meant to work for groups as small as 7 players, with 10 being the ideal minimum number. Certain parts may work better for some instruments than others; feel free to experiment with your ensemble!