Louisville Middle School Jazz Band Premieres my "Louisville Stomp," a Collaborative Composition
Throughout the spring semester of 2025, I have embarked on a fascinating project with the jazz combo members of the band program at Louisville Middle School (LMS) in Louisville, Colorado. The LMS jazz combo recently debuted "Louisville Stomp," an original composition developed in collaboration with the students and with myself as composer, orchestrator, and clinician. The piece premiered on May 9th at the school's annual jazz spring concert in the Steinbaugh Pavillion-Downtown Louisville, showcasing the creative talents of the 7th and 8th-grade jazz combo students.
From Left to Right: Lucian Buffo (drum set), Mark Bruinsma (keyboard), Wayland Weiss (trombone), Dylan Scholtes (trombone), Noah Van Lankvelt (bari saxophone), Adam Cartwright (tenor saxophone), Evan Hiatt (alto saxophone), Benji Sharf Mac-Hale (alto saxophone), James Culkar (trumpet), Oliver Greene (trumpet), Charlie Whalen (trumpet), premiering their jointly-written composition “Louisville Stomp” on May 9, 2025 at the Steinbaugh Pavilion in Downtown Louisville, CO.
"Louisville Stomp" is the result of a unique partnership where I worked closely with the LMS jazz combo to bring their musical ideas to life. This project emphasized the importance of student input and the development of their creative voice. Over the past few months, students have actively participated in the compositional process, contributing melodies, rhythms, and arranging ideas, all through a series of live videoconferences and recorded assignments and reflections.
It's been an incredible experience working with this group of students at Louisville Middle School. I was blown away by their technical facility on their instruments, the clarity of their musical ideas and requests for the composition, and their mature collaboration with me via multiple meetings and assignments. Their enthusiasm and creativity have truly shaped the “Louisville Stomp.” This project was not just about writing a piece of music, but about empowering these young musicians to find and express their own artistic vision.
The students’ contributions were vital to the development of the composition. From brainstorming sessions to refining the final arrangement, their insights and hard work were crucial. Every motive, chord progression, and stylistic change in this work was the result of the students’ writing and input. The resulting piece reflects a blend of my compositional style and the unique musical personalities of the LMS jazz combo.
Erin Moriearty, Director of Bands at Louisville Middle School - Louisville, CO
"A huge part of our job as music educators is to facilitate student choice and voice through every avenue possible," states Erin Moriearty, the Director of the Louisville Middle School band program. "Whether making stylistic decisions, developing their own compositions and solos, writing program notes, coming up with staging ideas, or building their own small ensembles---when we actively engage students in the creative process, we forge the ownership that ultimately inspires our kids to be independent musicians. The process of composing Louisville Stomp with Dr. Miller empowered my students to step out of their comfort zone. They were able to experience music-making in a way that afforded a unique balance of structure and artistic freedom."
The premiere of "Louisville Stomp" was a highlight of the spring concert, demonstrating the dedication and talent of the LMS jazz combo. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Erin Moriearty for the opportunity to be part of this project, and to the students for their amazing contributions and work ethic that made this composition possible.
Music educators who’d like to perform “Louisville Stomp” with their younger jazz bands or combos can purchase the published work at https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/se/ID_No/1768565/Product.aspx
