Mississippi Blue by Joseph Benjamin Earp Premiered by the Hinds Community College Wind Ensemble Conducted by Dr. Joseph Earp, Director of Bands Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 Cain-Cochran Hall Raymond Campus Find more about Dr. Earp's music at https://www.joeemusic.com/

A Mother's Fanfare by Joseph Benjamin Earp Premiered Sunday, February 19th, 2023 by the 9-12 Northwest District Honor Band Conducted by Mr. Blair Smith https://www.joeemusic.com/ Amazing Grace is probably one of the most well-known songs around the world. The melodic line to Amazing Grace can be traced back to Scottish origins, which serves as the inspiration for the Scottish flare in this fanfare. To many, Amazing Grace is known as a traditional folk song and hymn. Even during our toughest moments, the heart of this song speaks of us being able to find forgiveness and redemption. My dear friend, colleague, and mentor, Blair Smith asked me to write a fanfare in honor of his mother, Catherine Anderson Smith, incorporating Amazing Grace. After spending some time thinking about how to transform this beautiful song into a fanfare while honoring his mother, I knew I wanted to create a celebration of life. Though I did not know his mother well, I knew her well enough to know she was a person dedicated to her children and would regularly attend Blair’s concerts that he would lead as a high school band director. I have been fortunate to attend some of these performances with his mother in the audience and I fondly remember one occurrence seeing her gazing at her son, Blair, conducting on stage. Her face was filled with pride that any mother gives to accomplishments being made by her children. I wrote the fanfare to celebrate the life of our mothers. Even during our toughest moments, our mothers will be our rock and forever live in our hearts. Various statements of fragments of Amazing Grace can be heard throughout the beginning of the fanfare. Just before the entire Amazing Grace melody is stated, a clear statement of a melodic line from Blue Bells of Scotland aligns with the lyrics from the song's final verse. “True love will be his guard and bring him safe”. As Blair is a percussionist, I wanted to feature the percussion section in the beginning and just before the final statement by the full ensemble near the end of the fanfare. This represents his mother gazing at him with pride as he performs as a musician. The piece celebrates an amazing relationship between a son and his mother. This is “A Mother’s Fanfare”.

The Fencing Master (Concert March) by James C. Harper/arr. Joseph Benjamin Earp Updated arrangement premiered Sunday, February 19th, 2023 by the 9-12 Northwest District Honor Band Conducted by Mr. Blair Smith https://www.joeemusic.com/ Originally published by Carl Fischer in 1932, “The Fencing Master” by Captain James C. Harper, former director of the famed Lenoir High School Band (Lenoir, North Carolina), is a rediscovered treasure in the concert march world. A fencing master is defined as an expert in, and teacher of, the art and sport of fencing. This sport uses a sword both in an offensive and defensive stance. This march embodies the idea of fencing and the fencing master. Captain Harper used this march as part of his application to the American Bandmasters Association where he later served as president of this organization in 1955 and was also a lifetime honorary president. Captain Harper was also a strong driving force in the creation of the North Carolina Chapter of the American School Band Directors Association. This chapter of the ASBDA is one of the oldest and largest in the country. The famed Lenoir High School Band was the center of Captain Harper’s dedication for quality music education. The Lenoir High School Band continues to be internationally known for a staggering forty-two-year consecutive streak of Superior Ratings in Grade VI state Concert Band Contests. This streak was from 1935 until the school’s closing in 1977 as part of a school merger in Caldwell County. As a fellow native of Lenoir, North Carolina, the revitalization of this concert march has been a special project for me. May this revived gem serve as a tribute to the legacy of Captain Harper and his famed Lenoir High School Band.

Where The Wild Things Dance by Joseph Benjamin Earp Performed by the 2023 HCC High School Honor Clinic (Maroon Band) Conducted by Dr. Joseph Earp Hinds Invitational Honor Band Clinic Concert Friday, February 10th, 2023 7:30 p.m. Cain-Cochran Hall Hinds Community College https://www.hindscc.edu/band

Arabia by Joseph Benjamin Earp Performed by the 2023 HCC High School Honor Clinic (Gold Band) Conducted by Dr. Joseph Earp Hinds Invitational Honor Band Clinic Concert Friday, February 10th, 2023 7:30 p.m. Cain-Cochran Hall Hinds Community College https://www.hindscc.edu/band

Ceremonious by Joseph Benjamin Earp Performed by the 2023 HCC High School Honor Clinic (Maroon Band) Conducted by Dr. Joseph Earp Hinds Invitational Honor Band Clinic Concert Friday, February 10th, 2023 7:30 p.m. Cain-Cochran Hall Hinds Community College https://www.hindscc.edu/band

Zia, Zia! by Claude T. Smith/arr. by Joseph Benjamin Earp Performed by the 2023 HCC High School Honor Clinic (Gold Band) Conducted by Dr. Joseph Earp Hinds Invitational Honor Band Clinic Concert Friday, February 10th, 2023 7:30 p.m. Cain-Cochran Hall Hinds Community College https://www.hindscc.edu/band

Zia, Zia! (Spanish March) by Claude T. Smith Arranged for Flexible Ensemble by Joseph Benjamin Earp Performed Monday, December 19th at the 2022 Midwest Clinic (International Band, Orchestra and Music Conference) by the Chicagoland Educators Orchestra as part of the New Music for Orchestra Session https://www.joeemusic.com/zia-zia