The Kid's Sunshine March

Composer(s) / Arranger(s): Richard Hembree

Performance Time: 1:54  |  Grade: 2 1/2  |  Style: Contemporary

“The Kid's Sunshine March” was commissioned by Lola Sutherland, director of the Pacific Union Middle School Band in Spring of 2015. Lola told me about a popular show that many of her students watched, called "El Chavo del Ocho," and asked if I could come up with a melody inspired by it's theme song, an incarnation itself of Beethoven's "Turkish March." I was happy to oblige. Upon completion of the work, I had created a piece that kicks off with Beethoven's theme, then detaches itself rather quickly, becoming more like a distant cousin yet maintaining that quirky air that the kids loved in "El Chavo." The new melody is simple, yet fun for the musicians as it is passed around to each section of the band. The end of the piece contains a few surprising modulations, something of a signature I've managed to include in all my compositions.