THE PATH OF THE SUN
2010

One of many works composed for school-based musicians during my time teaching in local schools, this piece was created for the Handmade Parade—an annual summer festival in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. It later received a subsequent performance at the Square Chapel in Halifax as part of a school event. The work unfolds in three parts. - Parts One and Three are through-composed, combining wind instruments and djembe drums. Rhythms and motifs begin expansively before condensing and overlapping, evolving throughout in a vibrant and evocative journey inspired by West African drumming techniques. - Part Two features only djembe drums, following rhythmic patterns outlined in a rondo form instruction sheet. Designed with accessibility in mind, the composition was crafted to be both achievable and enjoyable for inexperienced performers, allowing them to engage fully with the music while embracing its energy and communal spirit. I still vividly recall the experience—30 or 40 of us, instruments and drums in hand, walking along the towpath from Mytholmroyd to Hebden Bridge to perform. We must have been quite a spectacle to behold—and hear!