Ancient Badlands

Description

Inspired by the South Dakota Badlands, this new work from Composer Laura Estes will make your ensemble sound its best. Wonderful writing for this age group makes putting this together for concerts a breeze. A winner for sure!

Program Notes

After receiving the commission project for the Brandon Valley Intermediate School 5th Grade Band, I wanted to write a piece that would resonate with the students’ connection to South Dakota. The ancient history of the South Dakota Badlands piqued my interest. Mesmerized by the prairie landscape’s stark beauty, I discovered that millions of years ago it was covered by a sub-tropical shallow sea called the Western Interior Seaway. Towards the end of the Cretaceous period, this seaway had partially receded, leaving in its wake beautiful temperate forests and rivers in what eventually would become the Badlands of South Dakota. These forests and rivers were teeming with life, filled with creatures large and small. It was the age of dinosaurs.

“Ancient Badlands” takes us back 66 million years to a specific point in time—one day before the catastrophic Chicxulub Asteroid slammed into the Yucatán Peninsula. This devastating asteroid caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs and most non-avian life on our planet, bringing an end to the Cretaceous period. On the day before this cataclysmic event, one would have heard all kinds of forest sounds along with the clicking and scratching chatter of dinosaurs.
Students will enjoy creating the sounds of the rainforest and dinosaurs with Wind Chimes, Rain Sticks, finger snaps, and by rubbing hands together. Woodwinds will especially enjoy adding to the ambiance with trills and key-clicks, while Percussionists will have fun imitating dinosaur clicking and scratching with Sand Blocks, Castanets, Claves, stick-clicks, Ratchet, and Vibra Slap. There are even a couple of Trombone glissandi—because who doesn’t like Trombone glissandi in a rainforest? With limited accidentals, this piece is an excellent way to introduce several new concepts in fun and engaging ways. I hope you and your students enjoy learning “Ancient Badlands.”