In a French Garden: Timpani
By Richard Meyer
Grade: 2 (Medium Easy)
Item: 00-PC-0000255_TMP
$3.00
Pickup currently not available
Description
In a French Garden is an impressionistic composition fashioned in the style of a Debussy piano prelude. Full of legato passages and contemporary harmonies, this work provides a unique opportunity for young bands to learn about this mysterious and wonderful style of music. In a French Garden contains a rich palette of colors which will dazzle students and audiences alike!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, In a French Garden: Timpani comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
Open in the Player
Jump straight in and assign it today.
Start Your Free Trial
Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.
Sample Audio
1
Audio File
--:--
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series:
Young Symphonic
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
246
SKU:
00-PC-0000255_TMP
More about this title
About the Composer: Richard Meyer
Richard Meyer brings three decades of classroom experience and a distinctive voice as both educator and composer. His career spans leadership roles at Oak Avenue Intermediate School in Temple City, California, where he transformed a 29-member string program into a thriving ensemble of 200 students, and his work directing the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra for 16 years took young musicians to perform across North America, Europe, and Australia. Beyond the podium, Meyer has shaped music education through innovative programs like "Giving Bach," which uses interactive concerts to reach underserved students throughout Southern California, and through his prolific output as a composer with nearly 200 published works and arrangements.
Meyer's influence on string pedagogy runs deep. He co-authored the String Explorer Series and Sight-read It for Strings, and spent 16 years as string editor for Alfred Publishing Company. His work as a guest clinician at the A.S.T.A. National Conference, Texas Orchestra Directors' Association Conference, and state-level honor orchestras has established him as a trusted voice in music education. Meyer and his wife, Rose, live in Sierra Madre, California.
Why we love this
Meyer captures the essence of Debussy's impressionistic language and distills it into Grade 2 writing that never condescends. The piece teaches your band what legato means, how contemporary harmony can create mystery and color without overwhelming young players, and that concert band music can be genuinely beautiful rather than merely functional.
What to expect
In a French Garden evokes dappled light, rustling leaves, and the subtle shifts of mood that Debussy painted in sound. The harmonic language is sophisticated yet approachable, creating an atmosphere that feels mysterious and sophisticated without being austere.
Who it's for
Grade 2 concert bands ready to engage with impressionistic style and contemporary harmony. This is ideal for groups that have solid fundamentals in intonation and blend and are hungry to explore musical colors beyond traditional march and pop arrangement fare.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape each legato phrase with a single, sustained arc rather than treating it as separate note values. This approach reveals Meyer's impressionistic intent and rewards your students' focus on line.
- Balance the full band sound across multiple instrumental colors. Since the piece emphasizes harmonic richness over melodic dominance, ensure woodwind doublings and inner voices project equally with upper parts.
- Allow space between phrases. Debussian writing depends on silence and breathing room as much as sound; resist the urge to fill every moment.
- Experiment with subtle dynamic shaping at rehearsal. The piece invites flexible expression within the printed dynamic range, encouraging conductors to discover their own interpretive choices.
How to use it
Program this as an opener for a concert where you want to set a reflective tone, or pair it with contrasting works to showcase your band's stylistic range. It works beautifully as a bridge piece between classical and contemporary repertoire, and its contest/festival eligibility makes it suitable for spring performances or competition circuits.
Skills your students will build
- Legato phrasing across longer musical lines
- Playing with contemporary harmonic language and impressionistic color
- Balancing inner voices and doublings to create transparent ensemble sound
- Responding to conductor gesture for flexible expression within a fixed score
- Maintaining intonation and blend at softer dynamic levels