Project Imagine | Music & Arts

Project Imagine Provides Free Commissioned Works for Music Programs

In partnership with the Guitar Center Music Foundation, the Music & Arts Advocacy Project Imagine program provides free access to high-quality commissioned works. The program utilizes diverse composers and consists of several compositions, written at grade levels 2-3 and intended for middle school and high school performances. These original works are inspired by one unifying theme, imagination. Optional adjunct curriculum is included with each piece to help develop personal growth and social-emotional learning.

"We couldn’t be more excited or proud of this amazing advocacy effort. Project Imagine is another significant milestone for Music & Arts and demonstrates our commitment to the entirety of music education and the young people it serves."

- Jeff Gottlieb, President
Music & Arts

VIEW COMPOSITIONS

AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 2024

COURAGE

Composed by JoAnne Harris · Written for Band, Grade 2.5-3

Courage composed by film composer, JoAnne Harris is our latest offering from Project Imagine. This gorgeous grade 2.5-3 work will musically challenge any top high school wind ensemble but is also technically attainable for younger groups. The lyrical content is powerful and contains appropriate instrumental doublings to ensure all groups can be successful, regardless of size and instrumentation. Courage provides every educator with endless teachable musical and non-musical moments when coupled with Chris Gleason's analysis and teaching tips. This composition is equally appropriate for concerts or contests and will be a student and parent favorite.

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ABOUT THE COMPOSER

JoAnne Harris has conducted and recorded film scores at Abbey Road, East West, The Village, and Avatar with artists such as grammy winning Kurt Elling and members of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Her television work includes score for: Mal de Ojo (HBO), 20/20, Primetime, and Dateline. She has orchestrated and conducted scores for blockbusters City of Lies and The Infiltrator.

Most recently, she conducted and orchestrated the score for season 2 of Life and Beth (Hulu). Other highlights: conducting ensembles for the Shinnyo-En Lantern Lighting Festival at Lincoln Center, writing string arrangements for Chris Cester (of the band Jet), working on the music team of Sylvia (Broadway), and a summer in Shenzhen, China, writing music for an aerial circus show.

She is a 2020 Vandoren Emerging Artist Composer, a 2015 ASCAP “Composer to Watch” and a 2016 winner of the Dallas Winds Fanfare Competition. Her concert music has been played by Manhattan Wind Ensemble, Met Winds, ensembles at Arizona State, Oregon State University, South Dakota State University, UT Austin, Cal State Fullerton, UW Eau Claire and the University of Northern Iowa, among others. A graduate of Concordia College, JoAnne studied choral music with René Clausen. She teaches media scoring at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema (CUNY Brooklyn College), orchestration at Catholic University of America, and is a steering committee member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists in New York.

Click here to learn more about JoAnne.

GET YOUR FREE COPY OF COURAGE

Comes with student curricula, score analysis, and rehearsal tips & suggestions. Courage is available to the first 250 requesting band programs, or until February 23, 2024 — whichever comes first.

PROJECT IMAGINE COMPOSITIONS

Color in the Grey

Kelijah Dunton
Released August of 2022

Color in the Grey is a gorgeous grade 2.5-3 work that will musically challenge any top high school wind ensemble but is still accessible to middle school bands. The work is 3:20 in duration and has appropriate voice doublings for ensembles with limited instrumentation. This composition would be equally valuable at a concert or contest and will be a students and parent favorite.

Awake, My Soul!

Victor C. Johnson
Released January of 2023

Celebrate the joy of creation and the wonders of imagination in this vibrant work by Victor C. Johnson. Featuring soaring vocal lines, cool contemporary harmonies, and a driving piano accompaniment, this piece sizzles with festive energy. The lively syncopated opening and closing sections are nicely contrasted by a slower, lyrical middle section. An excellent choice for concert, contest, or festival use.

Song for UhmMa

Dr. Soo Han
Released September of 2023

Composer Soo Han called upon his upbringing and Korean roots in a very evocative way. Song for UhmMa is a tribute to his (Korean) mother and the cultural, financial, and personal obstacles she overcame as she emigrated to America. Broken into three distinct parts; Spring in My Hometown (a well-known Korean folk song,) the Korean National Anthem, and closes with a combination of the two beautiful melodies as one.

Courage

JoAnne Harris
Released February of 2024

Courage, composed by film composer JoAnne Harris, is our latest offering from Project Imagine. This gorgeous grade 2.5-3 work will musically challenge any top high school wind ensemble, but is also technically attainable for younger groups. The lyrical content is powerful and contains appropriate instrumental doublings to ensure all groups can be successful, regardless of size and instrumentation.

REQUEST COMPOSITION

Project Imagine is a Music & Arts Advocacy composition program designed to provide access to high quality commissioned works for school music programs. There are up to 250 printed sets of the composition available, and they will be distributed to the first 250 applicants on a first come, first served basis. Applicants should be music educators in schools or institutions with established music programs. The compositions must be used for teaching and/or performance purposes during the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 school years. Limited to one composition request per music educator. The compositions are not to be distributed beyond the music educator’s school or institution. No Purchase Necessary.

Requests for Courage will be available on February 8, 2024 through February 23, 2024 at 11:59pm ET, or until the first 250 request have been submitted. Copies will be shipped to the first 250 requestors in March 2024.