MATTHEW CURLEY - Updates from Matthew Curley

Lost in the labyrinth - Percussion quintet

2/16/2021

This new piece for percussion quintet would be a great addition to a college or advanced high school program. It includes Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone, Timpani & Drumset. It combines sections of complete chaos, with a serene waltz-like middle section. It conveys the sense of panic while being lost in a maze.

Enjoy this piece for free (for now, this may not be free for long!)

Download this piece

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Ukrainian Bell Carol - Concert Band Jam Session

11/20/2020

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2020 middle school band directing is both awful and great. While we can't have our normal concerts and full rehearsals, we are being forced to break away from our normal curriculum and concert preparation and come up with creative ways to teach meaningful material. One of the things I've been doing more of is experimenting with Improvisation, Jam sessions, and creating arrangements on the fly.

for the holiday season, I've taken the classic "Ukrainian bell carol" and turned it into a "Building-block" arrangement / jam session. Each 4 bar repeating section will stack onto each other, and you can create your own arrangement.

Download sheet music

This arrangement will also work great for Hybrid or Remote teaching since the sections are very short, and mostly simple. There's also lots of concepts to teach here (minor, harmonic minor, 3/4, "one" feel, groove, improv, etc....)

I hope you have fun playing this!

*Disclaimer: This arrangement is only for the classroom.

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Let it Snow - Lead Sheet for Band

11/20/2020

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2020 has totally changed the way I'm teaching band. With the crazy complex PPE and Distancing requirements, and partly or fully remote teaching, I've had to condense or re-think the way I teach material. On a normal year, I may teach the kids 3-4 typical band Holiday arrangements. Alas, this year that is not possible.

One of the new things I've decided to teach my band kids how to do is to read a "lead sheet" format. Here's a simple arrangement of "Let it Snow" in Eb. I gave the kids the traditional Melody & Chords sheet, as well as a written harmony part on the bottom.

We discussed how to play the roots of the chords, and create a bass line. I also wrote out the basic bass line, but I only gave that to students that were having trouble understanding the concept.

*Note: If you need any other parts (Tuba, Bass Clarinet, Alto clarinet, Harmonica, Boomwhackers... etc....) Just contact me and I'd be happy to add that.

Score and Parts - Melody

Score and Parts - Bass Line

This has lovely extension opportunities for students that are more advanced, and many opportunities for those that are having troubles (just play bass line, or just play melody).

I am including a youtube backing track that I created. Use the "settings" icon to slow it down (or speed it up for any adventurous students!)

Have fun! Happy holidays!

*Obvious Note: This arrangement is just for educational purposes.

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Scenes from November 2020 - for Solo MArimba

11/16/2020

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A short piece of music that is reflective on the state of our country in 11/2020. This 4 mallet solo can be played on Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, or any keyboard instrument. Enjoy!

Download sheet music below, pay what you want. Or Download free, whatever you'd like.

download here

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Starter Snare Warmup (With backing track!)

11/3/2020

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I am a middle school band director, and I'm always looking for ways to engage my percussionists while keeping the wind players engaged too. Most resources I've found are either too complicated or difficult for most middle school students, or way too simple (just quarter notes and eighth notes.)

This short warm-up includes some basic and familiar warm-up patterns, while including flam and roll passages. This is a great resource for someone who has some students that are new, and some that are a little more experienced. This warm-up provides a great baseline for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. (I will be using this warm-up as a playing test for each of my percussion students, on top of mallet scales with the rest of the band)

While you can play this warm-up with a metronome at the tempo of your choosing, I've provided 4 different speeds of a backing track. This backing track can be little more fun to play with.

Enjoy!!

This short exercise routine fits in physical muscle warm-ups, 16th note timing partials, accent / tap differential, double stroke and multiple bounce rolls, and flams.

Download Sheet Music Here

Backing tracks!

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New Page Alert: Snare Etudes!

3/18/2020

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Check out my new page on the site called "Snare Etudes".

I've compiled a few snare solos that are on the shorter side (under 2 minutes) that are great to study, play in a masterclass setting, or play as part of a set in a recital.

I will keep adding to this page, as I have a huge catalog of snare etudes written already, and I'm constantly writing more.

Keep practicing!

click here to visit page

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Snare etude play along - "QQ 43.7"

8/2/2019

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Here is another short snare etude with play along video. Enjoy!

Download PDF

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Short Snare Etude Play Along

4/22/2019

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Lately, I've been putting together short etudes for snare drum that focus on different techniques. This etude is in 12/8, and works through different subdivisions of the beat and accent patterns that can be challenging to the hands. It is short enough for a student (or yourself) to learn in a single week and bring back for their next lesson. Enjoy!

download pdf here

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"sleepless" for Steel Band

2/18/2019

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It's the time of year that you're looking to finalize your program for your steel band concerts. This original tune is a great addition to a concert. It'll have the audience at the edge of their seat at the beginning, and dancing by the end of the song.

The middle section of this song opens up a solo section to feature your strongest players. If you'd like the sheet music for this arrangement for FREE Contact me!

Download the Score