Just Ordinary, for solo percussion, comes with one score.
3rd place winner of Media Press Inc.'s 2020 Solo Percussion Composition Contest.
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Review from Percussive Notes (2021):
Just Ordinary
Kathryn Blake
This multi-percussion solo allows the performer to choose the instruments and put their own interpretation to the tempo and rhythm. The performer is encouraged to choose sounds that reflect “their personal interpretation of the world around them...the environment in which we live.”
The piece is often ambient and spacious, but with the potential to contain rhythmic drive and more obvious thematic motifs if the performer chooses. The notated music is not challenging, but it requires a great deal of thought, finesse, and sensitivity from the performer. This is not a piece that could be sight-read; the performer shares the role of the composer in bringing “Just Ordinary” to its final iteration.
Though the score contains only two pages, the piece is over 6 minutes long, making it a not insignificant part of a recital. Because of the open nature of the instrumentation, this piece is highly accessible to any percussion inventory that contains a xylophone and a low drum. The setup can be large or small, and each performance will be unique and personalized to the performer.
“Just Ordinary” is a nicely structured and well-notated piece that sets out a clear framework and expectations for the performer to flex his or her creativity and make something unique and beautiful. This would be an excellent choice for an undergraduate recital where the performer wants to explore sound choices.
—Marilyn K. Clark Silva
