Dinosaurs

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Title:	Dinosaurs
Date of Composition:	Copyright © 1986 (this date is approximate)
Level of Difficulty:	Jr. High School (the difficulty in this piece is its minimalistic nature - students have to learn to concentrate and count in order to perform this piece)
Instrumentation:	Wind Band (includes 3–4 multiple percussion parts)
Publisher:	Phoebus Publications 1303 Faust Avenue Oshkosh, WI 54901 (920)231-9231
Program Notes:	“Dinosaurs” was written specifically for educational purposes in a realistic setting. It was commissioned by the Moscow Junior High band in Moscow, Idaho. The conductor, Dale Kleinert, requested a piece with rhythmical intensity, using some minimalism, singing, accessory instruments with the same kind of integrity and respect as traditional instruments, and challenging percussion parts. Bukvich went a step further, visiting the school and taking special note of some of the dilapidated percussion instruments. He utilized the unique timbre produced by the school's broken drums and featured it in the piece. While it is not a requirement for ensembles to break their drums in order to perform this work, a similar effect could be generated by purposely distorting the tuning of the heads and loosening tension rods around the drum. Program Notes extracted from “The Careers and Works of Emerging Composers of Music for the Wind-Band: Discussions with Jack Stamp, Thomas Duffy, Andrew Boysen, Jr. and Daniel Bukvich” by James P. McCrann; edited for content by Susan G. Weaver.
FAQ:	What are giant maracas? When Dan went and visited Moscow Jr. High, there were two Scotch bass drums with broken shells into which kids had dumped beans and all kinds of junk over the years. He picked them up and shook them and decided to add them into the instrumentation of the piece. He suggests that you, as a conductor, get creative with your students and come up with your own giant maracas.