Description
Dedicated to the students and directors of the East Stroudsburg South Band Programs, this work is also a tribute to the natural beauty of the Kittatinny Ridge in the Pocono Mountains.
Program Notes
Beginning in northwest New Jersey and traversing through Pennsylvania, the Kittatinny Ridge in the Poconos is known by many names. Some call it Blue Mountain, and some call it North Mountain. But my favorite name is the one given by the Lenape Native Americans: Kittatinny, which means “Great Mountain” or “Endless Hill.” The borough of East Stroudsburg, PA, is in the Pocono Mountains, where the Kittatinny Ridge serves as a gorgeous backdrop to the town and East Stroudsburg High School South.
The Kittatinny Ridge encompasses several different climate neighborhoods, a unique feature that helps wildlife successfully navigate climate change by enabling safe travel “within and between” these different climate environments—like a “biodiverse superhighway.” This inspired me to write a fast-paced 6/8 piece featuring cool syncopation coupled with a slightly ever-shifting melody that navigates effortlessly between duples against triples, and conversely, triples against duples. While playing this piece, we can think of these as our “musical neighborhoods.” As a result, each instrumental section has a little something special to look forward to throughout the piece. I hope you and your students will enjoy learning and performing “Kittatinny Ridge.”
